Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Mocktail (Dessert in a Glass)
Happy National Dessert Day! If there’s one dessert I wait all year for, it’s pumpkin pie. So this year I skipped the fork and put the whole thing in a glass.
This Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Mocktail tastes like a slice of pie with whipped cream on top: real pumpkin, warm spice, vanilla ice cream, and a crunchy graham cracker rim that stands in for the crust. It takes 5 minutes and one blender, and it’s a treat everyone at the table can have.
Why you’ll love it
- Tastes like pie: pumpkin purée + pumpkin pie spice + a little brown sugar.
- The crust is the rim: crushed graham crackers on a honey-dipped rim.
- Easy swaps: make it dairy-free with oat milk and coconut or oat ice cream.
Tips for the best shake
- Use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling (filling is already sweetened and spiced).
- Freeze leftover purée in ice cube trays so you’re always one blend away from a shake.
- Want it thicker? Add one more scoop of ice cream. Thinner? A splash more milk.
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Mocktail
A thick, spiced pumpkin pie milkshake with a graham cracker rim and whipped cream. Dessert in a glass, alcohol-free.
Ingredients
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream about 1 cup; use oat or coconut ice cream for dairy-free
- 1/3 cup pumpkin purée not pie filling
- 1/2 cup milk any kind
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup to taste
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice plus a pinch for topping
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 graham cracker sheets crushed, for the rim
- 1 tsp honey for the rim
- whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Rim the glass: spread honey around the rim of a tall glass, then dip it into the crushed graham crackers.
- Add the ice cream, pumpkin purée, milk, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to a blender.
- Blend on low for 20 to 30 seconds, just until smooth. Don’t over-blend or it gets thin.
- Pour into the rimmed glass, top with whipped cream, and dust with pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of leftover graham crumbs. Serve right away with a wide straw.
Notes
How to order it at a bar or cafe: Most coffee shops can make this. Ask for “a vanilla bean frappé or crème (no coffee) with pumpkin sauce and pumpkin spice topping.” At a diner or burger bar, ask for “a vanilla milkshake blended with a pump of pumpkin spice syrup, whipped cream on top.” At a cocktail bar in fall, ask if they can make their pumpkin or pie-spiced drink “as a shake with vanilla ice cream, no alcohol.”
Make ahead: Rim the glasses up to an hour early and keep them in the freezer.
Allergens: contains dairy (ice cream, milk, whipped cream) and gluten (graham crackers). For gluten-free, use gluten-free graham-style crackers or skip the rim.
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