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This pumpkin parfait is sweet enough for dessert, but light enough for breakfast! It features Greek yogurt, pumpkin spice filling, and pecan granola.
Do you find it hard to make a recipe the same way twice? For this year’s Thanksgiving dessert, we’ve developed a pumpkin parfait recipe based on a recipe we posted back in 2010. We’ve tweaked the heck out of it, and come up with something even better than before! And that’s what we love about the kitchen: you never stop learning, and you can always apply new lessons to old concepts. What you make today can be inspiration for something new two years from now. And what you have on hand or is seasonal can be the impetus for a fantastic substitution. So we tinker: sometimes it results in something that goes straight in the trash, but sometimes in something even more fabulous than the original: as it did with this pumpkin parfait recipe!
Related: 12 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes | Instant Pot Apple Crisp with Granola
How to make pumpkin parfaits
This pumpkin parfait recipe is really a Greek yogurt parfait with several different layers: sweetened Greek yogurt, pumpkin spice filling, and a skillet pecan granola. The Greek yogurt layer is sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla. The pumpkin spice filling is made with canned pumpkin puree, mixed with pumpkin spices and creamy mascarpone cheese. For this recipe, we’ve used pumpkin spice ingredients and not a purchased pumpkin spice mix. The pumpkin spice ingredients here are cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
The best thing about this pumpkin parfaits recipe is the pecan granola! It’s made in a skillet so that it cooks quickly. Instead of baking for 45 minutes like the typical granola, it toasts up in under 10 minutes! Skillet granola is a big time saver.
We hope that this Thanksgiving can be a time for you to enjoy joyful tinkering in the kitchen with friends and family alike. This pumpkin parfait recipe is intended for dessert, but would actually be a great breakfast as well. Below are a few more of our Thanksgiving 2016 resources. We’d love to hear what you’re considering for dessert this season!
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this pumpkin parfait recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.
Looking for fall recipes?
Here are a few of our favorite fall recipes on A Couple Cooks:
- Pumpkin Sage Stuffed Shells
- Whole Grain Classic Stuffing Recipe
- Lentil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Green Beans with Hazelnuts
- Roasted Cauliflower and Apples with Dill
- Pumpkin Pie Mousse Shooters
Looking for pumpkin recipes?
Outside of this pumpkin parfait recipe, here are a few of our favorite pumpkin recipes we love:
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread or Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Cozy Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Penne with Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Scones with Maple Cream
- Pumpkin Gnocchi Bake with Goat Cheese
- Pumpkin Yogurt Fruit Dip
- Pumpkin Vegetarian Stuffed Shells
- Pumpkin Spice Cashew Energy Bars
- Pumpkin Pecan Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Easy Pumpkin Hummus
- Pumpkin Pie Mousse Shooters
- Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Mascarpone
This pumpkin parfait recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Print
Pumpkin Parfait with Pecan Granola
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This pumpkin parfait is sweet enough for dessert, but light enough for breakfast! It features Greek yogurt, pumpkin spice filling, and pecan granola.
Ingredients
For the pecan granola
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil (or butter)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
For the pumpkin parfaits
- 16 ounces (2 cups) plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup, divided
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- For the granola, melt coconut oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add oats, pecans, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. and kosher salt and toast for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add brown sugar and cook until the sugar melts and the oats are golden brown, 2 to 4 more minutes, watching very carefully so that it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat immediately and pour into a bowl to cool and become crisp. Store in an airtight container until serving.
- In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup.
- In another bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, pumpkin, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until fluffy.
- To serve, alternate spoonfuls of the yogurt, pumpkin, and granola as desired in serving glasses or small canning jars.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pumpkin, Pumpkin Recipes, Pumpkin Parfait, Greek Yogurt, Parfait, Vegetarian, Pecan, Granola
Actually, my boyfriend always complains that we never eat the same thing twice ;) This looks like something I could cook again and again though: love the addition of the pecan nuts!
Yes yes YES!!!! I could really get addicted to these!
I love reinventing my recipes to create a different take on an old favorite! These pumpkin pecan parfaits look like the perfect light thanksgiving dessert and/or breakfast! Love the simpleness!
I love how you talk about applying new lessons to old concepts. And you had me at skillet granola, especially with the inclusion of pecans! Would love these as part of a brunch spread especially.
I love remaking some of my old recipes. It’s fun to put a new spin on them sometimes too! These parfaits look amazing!
This looks absolutely amazing! I will definitely give these a try next time I’m having friends over for dinner :-).
Thanks!