No-Bake Pumpkin Rum Balls Recipe
Pumpkin rum balls are a no-bake, adults-only treat made with graham crackers, toasted pecans, pumpkin purée and spiced rum. The graham crackers and pumpkin pie spice give them a pumpkin pie flavor, and they’re easy to make ahead for Halloween, game day, or Thanksgiving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
🔸 Tastes like pumpkin pie, with a boozy kick — Graham crackers, pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice give you the pie flavor, and the spiced rum adds the kick.
🔸 No oven needed — Everything is mixed in one bowl, then chilled.
🔸 Make ahead — The flavor improves overnight, so they’re ready when you are.
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No-Bake Pumpkin Rum Balls
These rum balls have a soft, fudgy texture and a warm spiced rum flavor. They’re made with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin purée and a little less rum than my classic rum balls, so the pumpkin and spice come through. If you’d rather use pumpkin cookies and a chocolate coating, try my Halloween rum balls.
Spiced rum complements the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in the pumpkin spice blend used in both the rum ball mixture and the coating.
Pumpkin Rum Ball Ingredients
- Graham crackers — The cookie base that gives these rum balls their pumpkin-pie flavor.
- Toasted pecans — Add rich, nutty flavor and a little texture.
- Powdered sugar — Sweetens the mixture and helps bind everything together.
- Pumpkin pie spice and salt — Adds warm cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg flavor. The spice is the main seasoning, and the salt keeps the sweetness in check.
- Spiced rum — Gives the rum balls their signature boozy flavor and complements the pumpkin spice. Choose a rum you like, because you will taste it.
- Honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup — Adds sweetness and helps bind the mixture.
- Pumpkin purée — Adds real pumpkin flavor and moisture. Use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla — Adds warmth and a bit of sweetness.
How to make pumpkin rum balls
Here’s a quick summary of how to make pumpkin rum balls. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Grind the crackers and pecans. Process them in a food processor until fine. This step matters, because coarse crumbs don’t pack well.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Sift the powdered sugar, salt and spice together, stir the pumpkin, rum, vanilla, and honey together, then combine everything.
- Scoop and chill. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow rum balls to set up.
- Roll and coat. Roll into balls and toss in the spiced sugar. Chill again. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving
Pumpkin Rum Balls FAQ
Yes. Use the same weight of vanilla wafers. The flavor will be less like pumpkin pie and more cookie-like. You may need to adjust the sweetener, as vanilla wafers are sweeter than graham crackers.
• Make sure the crackers and pecans are ground fine. Coarse crumbs don’t pack tightly.
• Press the scoop against the palm of your hand to pack the mixture before rolling.
• If it still crumbles, mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons of pumpkin purée or honey until the mixture holds together when you squeeze a small amount in your hand.
Yes. The flavor develops even more after a day, so they are a good make-ahead treat. Roll them in a little more powdered sugar before serving if the coating has absorbed.
Store them in an airtight container, and see the storage and freezing section for how long they keep.
Tips for Success
- Don’t skip toasting the pecans — Toasting nuts brings out their flavor, and skipping this step makes a noticeable difference (and not in a good way).
- Use pure pumpkin purée — Pie filling has spices and sweeteners, it will not taste the same.
- Use a cookie scoop — This ensures that they are all uniform in size, and it makes quick work of scooping the mixture.
- Chill the mixture — You can scoop then chill, or chill then scoop – whichever you find works easiest for you. If the mixture is too loose (goopy), it needs to set up a little, so I would chill it first, then scoop. If your mixture has a great consistency, scoop first, then chill the rum balls before rolling them.
Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations and substitutions
- Non-alcoholic rum balls — Swap out the rum for apple cider or apple juice.
- Chocolate dipped — Instead of rolling in powdered sugar, dip in melted chocolate, then roll them in orange sanding sugar or sprinkles.
- Nut-free — Swap out the pecans for pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
- Walnuts — If you prefer walnuts, swap them for the pecans.
- Gluten-free — Swap out regular graham crackers for certified gluten-free graham crackers.
More Rum Ball Recipes
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Pumpkin Rum Balls
Ingredients
Rum Balls:
- 10 ounces graham crackers 2 packages or 18 sheets
- 1 cup toasted pecans 100g
- 1 cup powdered sugar Also known as confectioners or icing sugar / 120g
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
- ¼ cup spiced rum 50ml or 1 airplane size bottle
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons honey Maple syrup or corn syrup can also be used
- 2 tablespoons pure pumpkin purée
Sugar Coating:
- ½ cup powdered sugar 60g
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, process graham crackers and pecans until finely ground. Set aside. (You may have to do this batches if you have a smaller food processor.)
- In a large bowl, sift together 1 cup powdered sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- Stir together pumpkin purée, rum, vanilla, and honey, then add to the bowl with powdered sugar.
- Add graham cracker/pecan mixture to the bowl with the powdered sugar and stir together until uniform.
- If your mixture has a scoopable consistency: Scoop the rum balls, then place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap, then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.If the mixture is too loose to scoop cleanly, cover and chill for 30 minutes, then scoop.
- Combine powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice for the sugar coating in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Remove scooped rum ball mixture from the refrigerator, then roll into balls with your hands, then toss in sugar mixture to coat.
- Place on parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Chef’s Notes
- You may want to roll the rum balls in powdered sugar again before serving, if the sugar coating has absorbed.
- To coat pumpkin rum balls: Use orange sanding sugar or granulated sugar in place of powdered sugar for half of the rum balls for a variety of colors.
- If your mixture is falling apart when rolling, please read the FAQ section for tips.
- If your mixture is too dry, mix in 1 – 2 teaspoons of honey or pumpkin, until mixture holds together when you squeeze a small amount in your hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. Use your preferred nutritional calculator using the products and brands you are using for exact information.
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Originally published 9/2/19, most recent update 10/13/26.
I made these for a gathering and they were a HIT! Easy recipe to pull together and the flavor is spot on. I tend to think of rum balls as more of a Christmas Cookie, but with the pumpkin twist made it a delight for fall! I am not a big pumpkin spice girl – but I did love these. Will make them again!! ❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Karen!! What a lovely review, I really appreciate it! And, thank you for taking time out of your day! <3 <3