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Pumpkin Icebox Cake

Pumpkin icebox cake with creamy pumpkin filling layered with graham crackers for cake-like softness after an overnight chill. This no-bake dessert assembles in a 9x13 dish and finishes with a cinnamon and crushed graham topping.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
overnight chilling 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For pumpkin cream
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 16 oz whipped topping (Cool Whip) divided
For assembly
  • 2 sleeves (about 27) graham crackers
  • 1 whipped cream for topping
  • 1 tsp cinnamon for topping/dusting
  • 1 crushed graham crackers for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 baking dish

Method
 

Make the pumpkin cream
  1. Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and vanilla until fully combined. The mixture should look thick and silky with no visible cream cheese lumps.
  2. Fold in 3/4 of the whipped topping until no streaks remain. Keep the bowl cold if the filling starts to loosen.
Assemble the icebox cake
  1. In a 9x13 dish, layer graham crackers to cover the bottom completely. Use a tight fit so the first layer is even.
  2. Spread 1/3 of the pumpkin cream over the grahams, smoothing to the edges. You should see a creamy layer with an even thickness.
  3. Repeat the layers with grahams, pumpkin cream, grahams, and pumpkin cream, ending with a layer of grahams. Press lightly so layers adhere but don’t compress the crackers too hard.
  4. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the final graham layer. Cover the surface completely so it seals the top.
Chill and finish
  1. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight so the grahams absorb moisture and soften into cake-like layers. Chill at 35-40°F for 8-12 hours.
  2. Before serving, dust with cinnamon and sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top. Add the garnish right before slicing for the best crunch.

Notes

Pro tip: for clean slices, chill overnight and let the dish sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 3 days; freeze is not recommended because the graham texture and whipped topping can weep when thawed. If you want a lighter version, use reduced-fat cream cheese and a lighter whipped topping while keeping the same layering and chill time.