Pumpkin Parfaits with Coconut Whipped Cream
It’s Friday! Let’s go for the donut, treat ourselves to a manicure, and dig our spoons into Pumpkin Parfaits with Coconut Whipped Cream.
On Friday, we’ve spent five consecutive days battling the traffic/printer/guy who microwaves his tuna melt at lunch and lived to see another weekend. Maybe we’ve fed our toddlers/hungry teens/spouses/ravaging canines three square meals a day for-approximately-ever. Whatever your reason to celebrate, today is Friday, and you deserve a pumpkin parfait party!
As I shared on Monday via Curried Carrot, Apple, and Peanut Soup, September is all about the layers, and Pumpkin Parfaits offer a little something special in each of theirs. The pumpkin layer is lightly spiced, airy and mousse-like in texture, and spiked with a celebratory dash of dark rum. The rum isn’t overpowering and adds the vavoom I feel is sometimes missing in pumpkin desserts.
Speaking of vavoom: coconut whipped cream. Where has this wondrous cloud of coconut bliss been all my life? It’s fluffy. It’s ultra creamy. It’s destined to be layered on my parfaits, scooped over my crisps, and shoveled directly into my mouth forevermore.
For those of you with dietary restrictions, coconut whipped cream is also completely dairy free! To make it, whip the solid portion of full-fat coconut milk into a tizzy, add a touch of sweeter and optional vanilla extract, and that’s it! It has a subtle coconut flavor that I adore paired with the pumpkin. If you prefer less coconut taste, simply increase the amount of vanilla extract.
The final pumpkin parfait layer: crushed gingersnap cookies. Their crunchy texture and spicy zip are oh-so-right with the creamy pumpkin.
Pumpkin + coconut + ginger cookie crunch. We are ready to party, parfait-style!
In addition to the joys of Friday and Pumpkin Parfaits with Coconut Whipped Cream, I have two important reasons to celebrate:
- Our bedroom furniture arrived. Never mind that the mattress won’t be here for another eight weeks, and we are sleeping in the guest bedroom. We have a lovely set of matching nightstands! And a headboard! This calls for extra coconut whipped cream.
- Ben is a real lawyer. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that we traveled back to Madison yesterday, where Ben was sworn in to the Wisconsin Bar at the state Supreme Court. We toasted both the events with brandy old fashioneds and fried cheese curds—so good they should be illegal (I’m sorry).
Tonight, whether you kick up your heels for a cozy night in or put them on for a sassy evening out, Pumpkin Parfaits with Coconut Whipped Cream are ready to celebrate with you!
Pumpkin Parfaits with Coconut Whipped Cream
A fun twist on classic pumpkin pie: Creamy pumpkin mousse layered with fluffy coconut whipped cream and crushed gingersnaps.
Yield: 4 large or 6 small parfaits
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Ingredients:
For the Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet) unflavored gelatin powder
- 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
- Find the complete list of ingredients on the Imperial Sugar website, where I'm excited to be sharing it!
Directions:
Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
A few pumpkin favorites:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies
- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
- Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Granola
Imperial Sugar compensated me for my time to create this recipe and post. Thanks for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to provide quality content for you!
About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
Yay for Ben being a lawyer, Congrats!
And DOUBLE…no TRIPLE…yay for these parfaits. I can’t stop with coconut cream, and the pumpkin/cookie combo is making me die. Pinned!
You’re so convincing me that it’s time to celebrate pumpkin parfait style! I’m not sure what I’m celebrate, but I’ll go for the gold. Too bad the Olympics aren’t on or something equally exciting. My favorite part of these parfaits are the gingersnap crust, Love that.
I’m a sucker for gingersnaps too Laura. Thanks so much!
You are now the lawyer’s wife! Congrats!
This is definitely a day for celebrating the end of a rough week, and these parfaits sure fit the bill!
Woohoo, congrats to Ben!!! And congrats to you Erin, the wives deserve to celebrate too!
Thanks Beth! I think I’ll be treating myself to a second parfait ;-)
Whipped coconut cream is the best! Love all of these layers and flavors–parfaits are so fun! Big congrats too!
YAY! Go Ben! I didn’t know y’all were in Madison yesterday! Such a cute photo :)
Congratulations – furniture AND your husband becoming a “real” lawyer! These pumpkin parfaits look just perfect! I’m intrigued by the coconut whipped cream. Yum!
Kristine, coconut whipped cream is one of the more recent discoveries in my life, and I am hooked. It is absolutely dreamy!
Congrats to Ben! These look like an awesome celebratory dessert :) I haven’t done any fall baking at all yet – I need to get on that!
Fall is just beginning Maggie! There’s plenty of time for a pumpkin palooza yet :-) Thank you so much for your kind words too!
Hi Erin…these look very Autumn-ish….(is that a word?)..I am going to make them this weekend. My question is…where did you get those adorable glass cups that you put it in? Love them!!
Hi Colleen! They are autumn-ish, but the coconut makes me feel like I’m easing in from summer :) I got the cups at World Market! They had a great selection there.
Big congrats to Ben!! I think I’ll celebrate finally starting to learn how to navigate downtown Nashville without my GPS. Though now that I said that I’ll probably take a wrong turn or two today. I love everything about these parfaits, and I can’t wait to whip up some coconut milk whipped cream. I can’t believe I’ve never tried it!
Yay for all things pumpkin!! What a sweet combo :)
Whoop! Whoop! Congrats Ben! Let’s all celebrate with an endless supply of coconut whipped cream and pumpkin everything!
I am all aboard with that plan Meg! Thank you so much.
Congrats to your hubby and you! I’m sure that felt like a long time coming. So awesome that’s finally real.
Love the pumpkin with the coconut! Sweet combo.
Congrats to Ben! Love these parfaits! This week could definitely use a celebration that it’s over!
Crushed ginger snaps and gelatinized (is there such a word) pumpkin pie filling and coconut cream in one bowl??? Heck yes, I will have 2 or 3…or…
Congrats to Ben and his amazing supporter wife! Y’all r too adorable!
And you are too sweet! Thank you so much Shashi.
Major congrats to Ben!! I need some parfaits in my life like STAT.
CONGRATS Ben!!! And congrats YOU for supporting him through law school. What an accomplishment!! PS: I’ve never eaten a cheese curd before…WHAT?!?
Thank you so, so much Liz! And you NEED to have a fried cheese curds, but I’m incredibly picky. Come to Wisconsin and I’ll make sure you try the perfect batch!
Congrats to both of you for surviving a LOT of years of school (been there, done that… do celebrate a lot!)! I assume you went to The Old Fashioned for your drink and curds? That place makes the Top 10 of things I would terribly miss about Madison if we ever move away!
Aaaand, this is the second time this week that I’ve seen coconut whipped cream… I’m completely convinced I need to make it, like this weekend!
Jessica, however did you guess? :-) We certainly celebrated at The Old Fashioned, and I can’t imagine a better place! Thanks so much for your kind words, and coconut whipped cream is absolutely divine. You should definitely try it!
Stop. Too perfect.
These parfaits look amazing! So good.
Congrats to Ben! These parafaits are definitely a great way to celebrate! Can’t wait to try them!
Yay! Congrats to Ben! I think these pumpkin parfaits are the perfect way to celebrate, and I NEED this coconut whipped cream in my life!
This is making me super hungry! Love your beautiful parfaits! And congrats to Ben!!! How exciting!!!
Wahoo!!! It’s official! So very exciting! Can’t think of anything better to celebrate with than these babies….and a stiff drink of course. :)
I could definitely go for a pumpkin parfait right now. Yum!
Go Ben :)
I love parfaits. They always seem to be extra special, even the simple ones.
The presentations can be wonderful. I think they are underused. Most sincere congratulations to your handsome husband, Ben.
Carol, after eating these, I was asking myself why I don’t make parfaits more often too! Thank you so much for your kind words. They really mean a lot!
This pumpkin parfait looks absolutely delicious! I love your idea of crushing ginger snaps into it! Congrats to Ben for his admission to the Wisconsin Bar!!
Wooohooo, congrats to Ben and you too for your :)
Love love love these pretty pumpkin parfaits especially the coconut whipped cream – perfect way to celebrate!
Thank you Kelly, so so much!
Yay for Ben! I’m finally accepting it’s time for the pumpkin desserts. I think this is where I’ll start!
I have to send my congratulations for your husband being sworn into the bar and becoming a lawyer! That is such an achievement..I hope I can make it as far in my law degree to be able to be sworn in to the bar also. These pumpkin parfaits look delicious too.. great recipe!
Congrats! That is so exciting! Where did you get cheese curds?
The Old Fashioned! It’s our go-to and boasts the best fried cheese curds in WI! Not that I’m biased :)
Congrats to Ben (and you)! I’m going to devour approximately 4.5 of these delicious-looking parfaits in celebration for you guys, mmmk? ;)
Seriously Erin, you really had me a pumpkin Parfaits, but with coconut whipped cream. Oh My….. really truly…… I’ve never had one of these, that’s going to have to change. Oh yeah…. and congrats to Ben too
It’s like your ideas just keep getting better! I don’t know where you get them! This looks awesome and I love the presentation! Do you think layering in a martini glass would work nicely? PS congrats to Ben :)
Andria, thank you!!! That is so kind of you to say and so encouraging too :) I think these would be gorgeous in martini glasses. So fun!
Sounds wonderful, especially with those ginger nuts on top! Congrats to the hubby on becoming a lawyer … how exciting!
I have only heard the best things about coconut whipped cream. I have to make it now! This looks so good Erin!
Coconut whipped cream sound awesome! I never would have thought to pair that with pumpkin! Love it!
oooh, this looks outrageous. i love coconut whipped cream, at least it’s healthier than the traditional whipped. great blog!
Yay! Congrats to Ben!! These look like the perfect way to celebrate! Especially with that coconut whipped cream – I am obsessed with that stuff!
Gah! These parfaits look INCREDIBLE! Oh I just want to grab my spoon and dig right in. Gorgeous layers!
Congrats to your hubby! And oh man, these look amazing!! Love the coconut whipped cream!
Thank you so much Stephanie (and I am hooked on that fluffy stuff!)
These pumpkin parfaits are gorgeous (I want to reach right into my screen and take a bite!) and I love me some coconut whipped cream! :) Followed you on Insta!
Thanks so much Ceara, and coconut whipped cream FOR LIFE.
Congrats to you and your husband! But does this mean you’ll no longer be the law student’s wife?! Anyway, these sound amazing. I have yet to try coconut cream still, but I’m loving how easy to make these seem!
Yum! I’d like to eat these every night of the week (I deserve it mid-way through the week too, right?). Congrats to you and Ben!
You DEFINITELY do Sarah! Thank you so much.
These look so amazing! I love the addition of gingersnaps and congrats (a little late) to BOTH of you! Seriously supporting a man who works like crazy is a full time job both with the menial home tasks and emotional support!
I’m planning on including a photo of this recipe and a link in a round-up on Lifehack if that’s okay! :)
Thank you so, so much Amanda! It’s exciting to be at a new chapter. I hope you love the parfaits, and I would be delighted for them to be included in your round up, thank you
Here it is: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-heavenly-tasty-pumpkin-recipes-you-cant-miss.html
And they changed my title so that’s kind of weird, but it turned out great otherwise! :)
Thanks so much Amanda!!!
This recipe looks great! Where did you purchase those cute jars?
Thanks Kathy! They are from World Market, where I tend to get into trouble with the cute food props :)