Gingerbread Cream Pie

4.38 from 37 votes

December 8, 2023

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Gingerbread Cream Pie is an exquisite holiday dessert loaded with rich, warm spices of gingerbread with a silky smooth cream filling. The crazy thing about this recipe is it actually tastes like a soft and sweet gingerbread cookie in pie form. Add this Gingerbread Cream Pie to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert list! It’s a festive alternative if you’re wanting to venture away from pumpkin pie and perfectly fits the holiday season!

What is Gingerbread Cream Pie?

Gingerbread is a Christmas dessert made with 5 key ingredients- molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Traditionally made into a quick bread or Gingerbread Cookies, this no-bake pie is most closely similar in texture to a pumpkin pie and perfect to make ahead and chill in the fridge for later. I made this last year and served it after Christmas dinner. It was a huge hit and will definitely be making it again this year!

Main Ingredients Needed

Just a few simple ingredients are needed to whip up this easy Gingerbread Cream Pie. Here’s what you need:

instant vanilla pudding mix + milk- blended together to create the base of our pie filling.
molasses + cinnamon + nutmeg + ginger + cloves– all warm aromatic spices to create the gingerbread flavor.
heavy cream– gives the gingerbread filling the creaminess it needs
powdered sugar– provides the perfect amount of sweetness
blind baked pie shell– for this recipe I used a pre-baked frozen pie crust from my local grocery store. But feel free to use any of my pie crust recipes: All Butter Pie Crust or Easy Pie Crust Recipe.

Blind baking is simply pre-baking your pie crust before filling it. If you are making a cream-based pie like this gingerbread cream pie and these others (chocolate cream pie, pumpkin cream pie, banana cream pie, etc.) You’ll need a pre-baked pie crust because the filling does not get baked, but chilled to set.

For this recipe I used a store bought frozen pie crust, but if you have the time and want to make a crust from scratch, it’s pretty easy! I have a few crust recipes, but these two are my go to recipes All Butter Pie Crust or Easy Pie Crust Recipe. You’ll need pie weights or something else to put in the pie while it bakes to help prevent the crust to shrink. If you don’t have pie weights, dried rice, beans or even flour can work!

How to Make Gingerbread Cream Pie

This Gingerbread Cream Pie recipe is so easy to throw together and chill in the fridge for later. For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step by step what to expect when making this easy cream pie:

Prep Pie Crust

Set aside your pre-made pie crust for later (or bake if you are making one from scratch).

Make the Gingerbread Pie Filling

In a large mixing bowl, whip vanilla pudding with milk. Let the pudding mixture sit for 3 minutes to thicken. Next, stir in molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

Make the Fresh Whipped Cream

In a separate large bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar using the whisk attachment of your hand mixer or stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in one third of the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

adding whipped cream to the gingerbread filling mixture

Pour batter into baked pie shell and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Top with remaining whipped cream, sprinkle with a little nutmeg for garnish (optional). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Storing Directions

Store any leftover pie in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep it tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, aluminum foil or stored in an airtight container.

You can also freeze your leftover pie. Double wrap the pie tightly with plastic wrap then cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and store for up to 1 month in the freezer. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight.

Make Ahead- Make this pie up to 2 days before you want to serve! I would suggest waiting to make the whipped cream topping until right before serving for best results.

FAQ About Gingerbread Cream Pie

Can I use Cool Whip topping instead?

Yes. Cool whip topping works great as a homemade whipped cream substitute!

How long does the pie need in the fridge before serving?

Ideally 8 hours in the fridge will allow the filling to set correctly. This pie is great to make ahead the day before since it needs time in the fridge anyway.

How long can I leave this pie out for serving?

I would suggest not leaving this pie out on the counter for more than 2 hours. The warmer it gets the harder it is to serve.

Can I use a graham cracker pie crust?

Absolutely! If you want a different pie crust, a graham cracker or other cookie crumb crust, like ginger snaps or Biscoff cookies would be really tasty with gingerbread!

What size pie plate do I need?

I used a 9-inch pie plate and it was the perfect size for this recipe.

Other Cream Pie Recipes You’ll Love:

This is one of the creamiest pies you’ll ever make and should definitely add it to your holiday pie archives next to my Super Speedy Chocolate Pie and my Pumpkin Cream Pie. It’s for all you folks out there who get wrapped up in the holiday festivities and let a thing or two slip your minds. I feel your pain!! So print all these cream pie recipes out and have them handy between now and the New Year!

The printable recipe card is below. Happy Holidays, friends! 🙂

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.