Pumpkin pie balls are a great way to do something different with your leftover pumpkin pie. These delicious, poppable bites are loaded with pumpkin pie flavor, a cinnamon sugar coating, and a healthy dose of holiday cheer to keep the season going just a little longer. Then, they’re fried until crispy and extra-delicious.
If you’re like me, you probably think of turkey and ham when you think of Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers. I know that’s where I used to stop thinking about it. I’d make dishes like turkey cranberry salad or ham broccoli rice casserole with my leftovers and just leave it at that. Then, when I received six 8-inch pumpkin pies by mistake from the local store, and they wouldn’t take them back, I saw leftovers in an entirely new way. I knew these pumpkin pie balls would be an easy and delicious way to use leftover pumpkin pie.
These little delicious balls are easy to make because the existing crust helps bind the pie filling together, and with just a few other simple ingredients, you’ll have something so good that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Pie Cake Balls
- Limited Ingredients: Leftover pumpkin pie and a handful of other kitchen staples are all you need to make these.
- Easy: This recipe only takes a few minutes of work and about 20 minutes in the freezer to set.
- Delicious Flavor: These little balls explode with classic pumpkin pie flavor in every bite.
- Fun: These are a fun, unique way to use leftover pumpkin pie you might not have thought of before.
Ingredients
- Leftover Pumpkin Pie: This is what gives you all that delicious flavor, and the crust helps bind the filling into balls.
- Graham Cracker and Panko Bread Crumbs: Crushed graham crackers and panko create a holiday-themed coating that gets nice and crispy when fried.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream and milk create the wet coating that holds the graham cracker mixture in place.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact measurements.
Flavor Variations
- Graham Crackers: Use plain, cinnamon, or chocolate graham crackers for the coating. All of those flavors work very well with the pumpkin pie balls.
- Heavy Cream: You can use milk if you don’t have heavy cream.
- Pumpkin Pie: Leftover sweet potato pie also works well for this recipe.
How to Make This Pumpkin Pie Balls Recipe
1: Crush the leftover pumpkin pie in a large mixing bowl and form the mixture into 1-inch balls.
2: Place the balls on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 15 to 20 minutes.
3: Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Then, whisk the eggs and heavy cream in a shallow bowl. Finally, mix the crushed graham crackers and panko in another dish.
4: preheat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
5: Dip the frozen pumpkin pie balls into the egg mixture, then the crumb mixture, making sure to coat them entirely each time.
6: Place 4 to 5 pumpkin balls into the oil and fry until golden brown on all sides.
7: Remove the balls from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining balls.
8: Roll each pumpkin pie ball into the cinnamon sugar and enjoy!
Hint
Be sure your pumpkin pie balls are nicely frozen before frying them. Freezing them is what ensures they hold their shape when submerged in the hot oil.
Storage
Refrigeration time varies for these pumpkin pie balls, depending on when you made the pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is good for up to 4 days in the fridge, so store your balls accordingly.
For longer storage, freeze your pumpkin balls for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat the balls, defrost them if frozen. Then, microwave a few at 30-second intervals until heated through. Be aware that their coating won’t be crispy, but they’ll still be delicious.
Tips
- Really crush up that pie! The crust holds these pumpkin balls together, so you want it to be as crushed and uniformly mixed throughout the filling as possible.
- Be sure you freeze your pumpkin pie balls until they are solid, so they don’t lose their shape while you fry them.
- Work in batches when frying to ensure the oil doesn’t cool down too much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin pie balls are sweet treats similar to cake balls. Rather than cake and frosting, the pie filling and crust are smashed and rolled together to create balls.
Yes. This step is crucial. Although you may not want to wait, freezing the pumpkin pie balls is what keeps them from losing their shape when they’re added to the hot oil.
If you haven’t frozen the balls completely, they’ll get too warm and spread. If you crowd the skillet when frying the balls, the heat will lower too much, making it take too long to brown them and heat them through in the process.
Yes, you can! This works well for pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan pies.
Try These Pumpkin Pie Balls This Season
While you could enjoy our leftover pumpkin pie the old-fashioned way, why not get more creative? This easy, delicious pumpkin pie balls recipe is simple to make, and it’s a fun way to reimagine the flavor of everyone’s favorite classic. Give this one a try, and I know you and your family will absolutely love it.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Enjoy
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Pumpkin Pie Balls
Ingredients
- Leftover pumpkin pie (we used two 8-inch pies)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1½ cups panko bread crumbs, crushed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, crush leftover pie and form into one tablespoon size balls.
- Place balls on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 30 – 45 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs and heavy cream.
- In another dish, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and bread crumbs.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- Once balls have been frozen, dip the balls in the egg mixture then into the crumb mixture, making sure to cover the entire ball.
- Once all pumpkin balls are coated, place 4-5 balls into the hot oil at a time and fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
- Roll fried pumpkin balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Notes
- Really crush up that pie! The crust holds these pumpkin balls together, so you want it to be as crushed and uniformly mixed throughout the filling as possible.
- Be sure you freeze your pumpkin pie balls until they are solid, so they don’t lose their shape while you fry them.
- Work in batches when frying to ensure the oil doesn’t cool down too much.
Nutrition
