Pumpkin Pie Protein Pudding (No Bake, 16g Protein)

Pumpkin pie protein pudding that blends in 5 minutes and sets in 30. No cottage cheese, no Greek yogurt, and no chia seeds, just protein powder, milk, pumpkin, and pudding mix.

Pumpkin pie protein pudding is a no-bake dessert made by blending vanilla protein powder, milk, pumpkin puree, and instant pudding mix, then chilling it until it sets. It takes 5 minutes in a blender and 30 minutes in the fridge, and one serving has 16g of protein.

Most protein puddings get their thickness from cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, silken tofu, or a can of coconut cream you have to chill upside down overnight. This one doesn’t use any of them. The instant pudding mix does the setting, which is why the ingredient list stays short, and the texture stays smooth instead of grainy.

If you want more pumpkin protein in your week, my Pumpkin Spice Protein Bars and my Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls are the same idea in a grab-and-go format.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Protein Pudding

• It sets in 30 minutes. Chia-based versions need an hour minimum and some need four. This one is ready before dinner is over.
• The ingredient list is short. Six things, all of them already in your kitchen if you keep protein powder around.
• It portions for the week. One batch fills three jars and holds three days in the fridge, so the 4pm sweet craving already has an answer.

Ingredients In Pumpkin Pie Protein Pudding

Full measurements are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Vanilla protein powder — flavor and the protein itself. More on which kind to use below.
• Cold Fairlife 2% milk — Fairlife runs higher in protein than regular milk for the same volume, which is where a chunk of the total comes from. Almond, oat, or coconut milk all work, they just make a thinner pudding because there’s less protein in the milk itself.
• Pumpkin puree — 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced and throws the whole balance off.
• Sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix — the setting agent. It has to be instant, not cook-and-serve, because cook-and-serve needs heat to activate. About one small 1-ounce box.
• Pumpkin pie spice — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves if you’re mixing your own.
• Vanilla extract — rounds out the protein powder so it tastes like pie filling rather than a shake.
• Whipped topping — Cool Whip, sugar-free Cool Whip, or real whipped cream. Optional, but it’s what makes it read as dessert instead of a snack.

What Protein Powder To Use

Isolate blends smoothest here. I use 1 Up Nutrition Vanilla Milkshake Isolate with code BAILS.

Concentrate works and costs less, it just leaves a slightly heavier mouthfeel. Plant-based protein makes the pudding grittier, and you’ll want an extra splash of milk to loosen it. Collagen won’t set the same way, so skip it for this one.

The flavor matters more than the type. If you don’t like the powder straight in a shake, you’ll taste it here too, because pudding mix and pumpkin are mild.

Equipment You Need

• Blender or food processor
• Three small jars or ramekins
• A spatula for scraping the blender

How To Make Pumpkin Pie Protein Pudding

1. Add the protein powder, cold milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides once so no dry protein powder is left clinging.
3. Add the instant pudding mix and blend for another 15 seconds, just long enough to work it in.
4. Pour into jars or ramekins and cover.
5. Chill at least 30 minutes, until the surface holds a spoon mark instead of closing back over.
6. Top with whipped topping and another dusting of pumpkin pie spice.

Tips For Thick Protein Pudding

• Start with cold milk straight from the fridge. Instant pudding mix sets on contact with cold liquid. Room temperature milk gives you a looser pudding no matter how long you chill it.
• Add the pudding mix last and blend it briefly. Over-blending after the mix goes in breaks down the thickening and the pudding turns thin and airy instead of dense.
• Give it the full 30 minutes. It looks pourable coming out of the blender and that’s normal. The fridge is doing the work, not the blender.

How To Store Pumpkin Protein Pudding

Keep it in a covered jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. It thickens a little more overnight, so stir in a splash of milk on day two or three if it’s gone stiff.

Don’t freeze it. Protein powder and pudding mix both separate on thawing and you get a grainy, watery texture that doesn’t come back with stirring.

Pumpkin Protein Pudding FAQs

Does this taste like protein powder?

That depends entirely on your protein powder. Pumpkin and pudding mix are both mild flavors, so they soften a powder rather than hide it. A vanilla isolate you already enjoy in a shake disappears into this. A chalky one stays chalky. The vanilla extract and the pumpkin pie spice both help.

Can I use almond milk instead of dairy milk?

Yes. Fairlife 2% gives you the creamiest result and the highest protein count, but almond, oat, or coconut milk all work. Thinner milks make a softer set, so give it an extra 15 minutes in the fridge or hold back a tablespoon of the milk when you blend.

Can I make this without protein powder?

Yes. Leave it out and the pudding mix still sets it. You’ll lose the vanilla flavor the powder brings, so add an extra half teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the protein count drops to whatever your milk provides.

More Pumpkin Recipes To Make Next

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Overnight Oats
• Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough
• Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake
• Pumpkin Sheet Pan Pancakes
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Donut Holes

If you make this pumpkin pie protein pudding, leave a star rating and a comment below and tell me which protein powder you used. You can pin it on Pinterest or tag @basicswithbails and #basicswithbails on Instagram.