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This pumpkin crisp is what I make when I want pumpkin pie but don’t want to bother with pie crust. It’s the same creamy, warmly spiced pumpkin pie filling, baked in one skillet under a crunchy brown sugar oat crumble, and there’s no crust to roll, chill, or blind bake.
I still love my easy pumpkin pie from scratch, but the crust is the part that eats up the whole afternoon. This one skips it completely, serves 10 from a single pan, and belongs right alongside my favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipes.
Quick Look: Easy Pumpkin Crisp With Oat Crumble Topping
- 🥧 What it is: A pumpkin pie crisp, creamy pumpkin filling baked under a brown sugar oat crumble in one skillet.
- ⭐ Why it works: Chilling the topping while you mix the filling keeps the butter in crisp, crumbly bits.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: All the pumpkin pie, none of the crust. No rolling, no pie weights, no blind baking.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: A topping that melts into one flat layer means the butter got too warm.
- 🍳 Pan notes: Tested in a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet, which is what the 45 minute bake is built on.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Bake it ahead and rewarm it in the oven. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Why This Recipe Works
One pan feeds 10. This pumpkin crisp recipe goes from one 10-inch skillet straight to the table.
No crust to deal with. The filling bakes right in a greased skillet, so there’s no rolling pin, no pie weights, and no soggy bottom crust. If you like a crust but hate rolling one, my pumpkin pie bars with a press-in shortbread crust are the middle ground.
The topping goes first. I mix the oat crumble, then park it in the fridge while I whisk the filling. The butter stays cold, so it bakes into crisp, buttery bits instead of melting into one layer.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Here’s what each ingredient does in this pumpkin crisp. Full measurements are in the recipe card.
For the pumpkin filling:
- Pumpkin puree. One 15 ounce can of plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Granulated and brown sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the filling, and brown sugar adds a deeper, caramel-like flavor.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The classic pumpkin pie spices, measured separately.
- Eggs. Three large eggs at room temperature set the filling into a smooth, custard-like layer.
- Heavy cream. Makes the filling rich and velvety.
For the crisp topping:
- Old-fashioned oats. They give the topping its hearty, chewy crunch, and they’re what make this a pumpkin crisp instead of pumpkin pie with streusel.
- Flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. The flour binds everything into crumbs, and the brown sugar bakes up golden and caramelized.
- Pecans or walnuts. Optional, but they add even more crunch. I used walnuts in these photos.
- Cold unsalted butter. Cubed and straight from the fridge. Cold butter is the whole secret to a crumbly topping, and it’s the same trick I use on my cranberry apple crisp with a chilled oat topping.
Substitutions And Additions
- Pumpkin pie spice. Swap the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in the filling for 2 teaspoons total of my homemade pumpkin pie spice blend.
- Fresh pumpkin puree. It works, but I don’t recommend it. Canned pumpkin has a consistent moisture level, while fresh pumpkin varies and can leave your pumpkin crisp soggy and wet.
- No nuts. Just leave them out. The oats still give your pumpkin crisp plenty of crunch.
- A 9×9 baking dish. It has about the same surface area as a 10-inch skillet. I’ve only tested this recipe in the skillet, though, so bake until the center is set and the topping is golden instead of going strictly by the clock.
- Toppings. A scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into warm pumpkin crisp is my favorite way to serve it, and my custard-based homemade vanilla ice cream is worth making for this. Whipped cream is great too.
How To Make Pumpkin Crisp
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet. In a bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and chopped nuts.
- Add the cold cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work it in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Put the bowl in the fridge while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, eggs, and heavy cream.
- Until smooth like this.
- Pour the filling into the greased skillet.
- Then sprinkle the chilled topping evenly over the top.
- Bake the pumpkin crisp for 45 minutes, until the center is set with no loose jiggle and the topping is golden brown and crisp.
- Let it cool slightly, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Keep the butter cold. Cube it straight from the fridge and chill the finished topping while you make the filling. It’s the same chilled-streusel trick I use on my apple crisp cheesecake with a graham crust.
- Don’t pull it early like pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie comes out with a jiggle in the center, but pumpkin crisp bakes until the center is fully set.
- Use room temperature eggs and cream. They whisk into the pumpkin smoothly.
- Reheat in the oven when you can. The microwave works, but the oven brings some crunch back to the topping.
Pumpkin Crisp FAQs
Yes. The filling is made with eggs and heavy cream, so treat leftovers the way you would pumpkin pie. Once it cools, store leftover pumpkin crisp in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, then rewarm it in the oven or microwave.
No, stick with 100% pure pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices mixed in, and this recipe adds its own, so the filling would come out too sweet and over-spiced.
Both start with a creamy pumpkin layer, but the tops are completely different. A pumpkin crisp with oats, like this one, gets an oat, flour, and brown sugar crumble made with cold butter. You’ll also see this style called a pumpkin crumble. My pumpkin crunch cake made with yellow cake mix uses dry cake mix, pecans, and melted butter instead, and it bakes in a 9×13 that feeds 18.
Yes. Make the filling and the topping separately, store both in the fridge, then assemble and bake when you’re ready. You can also bake the pumpkin crisp ahead and reheat it in the oven before serving.
Yes. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and warm it in the oven. The topping won’t be quite as crisp as it is fresh, but it’s still so good.
More Pumpkin And Crisp Recipes
Cinnamon Rolls
The Best Fluffy and Soft Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Fruit Dessert
The best cranberry apple crisp recipe ever!
cheesecake
The Best Apple Crisp Cheesecake Recipe
If you make this pumpkin crisp, come back and leave a star rating 🌟 and a comment below. It helps other people find the recipe, and I read every single one. You can find the rest of my easy fall recipes in one place, or join my newsletter to get new recipes sent to you every week.
Pumpkin Crisp With Brown Sugar Oat Crumble
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 can 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup heavy cream at room temperature
For the Crisp Topping:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts optional
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- In a bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the chopped nuts.1 cup old-fashioned oats, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Add the cold cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work it in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Place the bowl in the fridge while you make the filling.1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, 2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, eggs, and heavy cream until smooth and well combined.1 can 15 oz pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the greased skillet, then sprinkle the chilled crisp topping evenly over the top.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until the center is set with no loose jiggle and the topping is golden brown and crisp.
- Let the pumpkin crisp cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- Make the topping first and chill it. Cold butter is what gives you crisp, buttery crumbs instead of a topping that melts into one layer.
- Don’t bake it like pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie comes out with a jiggle. This comes out when the center is set and the topping is golden.
- Pan: Tested in a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- Use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Storage: Airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and rewarm in the oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The cold butter is the little thing that makes the topping work for me. I like keeping the butter in the fridge while I make the pumpkin filling, then working it into the oats and flour until there are still some good crumbly pieces. That gives you those crisp, buttery bits instead of a topping that melts together.