These no-bake pumpkin coconut cups are an easy-to-make fall snack or treat. If you’re looking for healthy pumpkin recipes with real food ingredients, these pumpkin cups are perfect! Made with a homemade coconut butter recipe, these fall treats are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and delicious!
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Healthy Pumpkin Treats
I love pumpkin season! I know, it seems as though there is pumpkin everything during the fall, but I honestly don’t mind it.
While most of the store-bought pumpkin flavored items are probably not so great for you, these no-bake pumpkin coconut cups are nutritious, amazingly delicious, and a cinch to make.
They could even pass as rich and decadent candy, but without all the trouble that goes with actually making homemade candy. Healthy pumpkin recipes for the win!
These no-bake treats can be gluten-free Halloween candy and are honestly one of the best vegan pumpkin recipes I’ve made. It’s true! Treats for all (or most)!
How to Make No-Bake Pumpkin Coconut Cups
These no-bake pumpkin coconut cups start with a homemade coconut butter recipe. It’s super simple and makes for a rich flavor. Plus, it’s good for you!
Ingredients
Shredded coconut: Make sure to get the unsweetened coconut for this. Sometimes you can find it in the bulk section of a local health food store, or buy it online.
Note: You can also use store-bought coconut butter in this recipe if you don’t want to make your own, see recipe notes for details.
Pumpkin puree: Use homemade or canned pumpkin puree, either is fine!
Maple syrup: Definitely use real pure maple syrup from a tree.
Coconut oil: Found in most stores now, or easily bought online. I opt for virgin coconut oil.
Spices: I use cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Or, substitute pumpkin pie spice.
Chocolate chips: I use dark chocolate chips, but use what you have.
Pumpkin seeds: If you have some from your pumpkins, great! If not, store-bought pumpkin seeds are fine too. Salted or unsalted are both ok, depending on your preference.
Coconut Butter Recipe
The process of homemade coconut butter is just like making peanut or almond butter but with coconut instead.
First, put the unsweetened shredded coconut into a food processor.
Turn it on and let it go. After a few minutes, the coconut will start to turn from a powder into butter.
Stop and scrape down the sides periodically. Keep processing until it is a relatively smooth butter. This could take up to 10 minutes, so be patient. It will happen!
You just made coconut butter! Now pour it into a small pot.
Make the Pumpkin Cups
Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, and spices to the coconut butter and combine. Gently heat on low for a few minutes to keep the coconut butter soft and to combine the flavors together.
This is a good time to do a taste test to see if you think it needs more sweetener.
Line a muffin tin with paper cups (feel free to use a mini muffin tin instead), then divide the pumpkin and coconut mixture evenly between the cups.
Using a small spoon or clean fingers, press the mixture down into the muffin cups.
Then top each one with chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds. Gently press them into each cup.
Chill the Pumpkin Cups
Now set the muffin tin in the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. The coconut will harden and create a delicious candy-like texture.
These no-bake pumpkin coconut cups are so good! With rich flavor from the coconut butter and so comforting with the pumpkin, warm spices, and chocolate chips, you can’t go wrong with this healthy pumpkin recipe!
Eat and Store Healthy Pumpkin Cups
Once they are set up, you can take them out of the muffin tin and store them in a container in the fridge so they’ll be ready whenever you want them!
You can change up what you garnish these pumpkin coconut cups with. Try dried cranberries and pecans, candied ginger and walnuts, or whatever else you can think of.
No matter what, this is the kind of “candy” you will feel good about giving your kids on Halloween… or snacking on yourself!
Give these easy-to-make, healthy, gluten-free, and vegan treats a try this season!
More Fall Recipes
- Homemade Pumpkin Butter
- Mashed Butternut Squash
- Pumpkin Pie Leather Roll-Ups
- Homemade Tomato Soup
- Pumpkin Granola
- Spiced Apple Butter
- Grandma’s Apple Cinnamon Cake
- Pickled Pumpkin: A Quick Pickle Recipe
- Pumpkin Cornbread with Maple Butter
- Roasted Pumpkin Wedges
- Pumpkin Kombucha
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
No Bake Pumpkin Coconut Cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch salt
- chocolate chips for garnish
- pumpkin seeds for garnish
Instructions
Coconut Butter
- Place the shredded coconut into a food processor. Turn it on and process until the coconut turns from a powder and into butter.
- Stop and scrape down the sides periodically. Keep processing until a smooth butter forms, about 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Coconut Cups
- Pour the coconut butter into a small pot. Add the pumpkin maple syrup, coconut oil and spices, then combine.
- Heat oven low heat to keep the coconut butter soft and allow the flavors to held together. Taste and add additional sweetener if needed.
- Line a muffin tin with paper cups, then divide the pumpkin coconut mixture evenly between the cups. Use a spatula (or your clean fingers) to press the mixture down into the cups.
- Top each cup with chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds, and gently press into each cup.
- Transfer the muffin tin to the fridge and chill for at least four hours. Once they have set up, remove from the muffin tin and store in a container in the fridge.
Notes
- If you don’t want to make your own coconut butter, you can use 1 1/3 cups softened store bought coconut butter (also called coconut manna).
- You can substitute 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice for the individual spices.
- These pumpkin coconut cups are only mildly sweet. If you’d like to make them a little sweeter I would add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, coconut sugar, or other non liquid sweetener.
I made these for my daughter as a Thanksgiving dessert. She enjoyed them – and I found them delicious as well. Are there other canned fruits that can be substituted for variations? Pumpkin has a unique texture and I’m not sure whether anything else would work – but if you have experimented, please share the results.
Thank you, and thank you for this recipe.
Hi Erlene. I haven’t tried using canned fruit and am having a hard time coming up with a substitute that would replicate the texture and thickness of pumpkin.
Had a difficult time making the coconut butter. It’s was beginning to warm and cook in the food processor and never became buttery after 15 minutes. Even had to add some water. I added 3/4cup of pumpkin instead of 1/2 cup and i could barely taste the pumpkin. Substituted cocoa nibs for the chocolate candy chips but instead of sprinkles on top I used much more and mixed it trough out the cups. Next time I’m using more pumpkin probably 2 cups and less shredded coconut butter.
Do these freeze well? Thankz
Just made these and stuck ’em in the fridge! Can hardly wait!! I had roasted a pumpkin for muffins and had just the right amount left. I spread the mixture into a 1/4 sheet pan and will slice in the morning. Thanks for this recipe!
I can not wait to try this recipe! Do you have a Print It option I am missing? I would love to add this to my recipe folder.
I happen to have a jar of coconut butter that I need to use. How much coconut butter does the recipe need. Would it be the same amount as the coconut before processed?
Hi Nancy, that’s a great question! 4 cups of shredded coconut yields about 1 1/3 cup of coconut butter, so that’s what you should use. Thanks!
I have a jar of coconut manna–will that work instead of the flakes?
Coconut manna is coconut butter :) So I would use the 1 1/3 c. That she mentions.
These look REALLY yummy! I need to make these!
Any idea how many calories per piece?
No idea, as I don’t count calories! I’m sure they are fairly calorie rich as there is a lot of coconut butter in them… but at least it’s a good for you fat!
I can never figure why people bother with canned pumpkin when it is soooooo easy to buy a pumpkin, stick it in the oven 350 for aprox 1 hr, and when it is tender to a fork, bring it out and take the meat and put it in a blender, I put in all my spices, sweetener and whalla, it is ready to use for whatever. I am thrilled to be able to make the coconut butter~! I didn’t see in here where it says to add the coconut oil, but I am guessing to the coconut while processing?? I hope my blender works cause I don’t have a food processer. Anyway these look great, can’t wait to try them!!
As much as I love doing things from scratch, sometimes I just don’t have the time for it! Organic canned pumpkin is cheap and so handy to have when you want to whip up something quick like these tasty treats. You should definitely make the coconut butter, it’s amazing! You’ll add the coconut oil to the pot when you add the pumpkin and spices.