A can of pumpkin puree costs about two dollars and most of it ends up in a pie. These thirty two pumpkin recipes are the argument for spending the rest of it properly. Half the list is savory and that is on purpose: pumpkin alfredo that tastes like a better sauce rather than a health swap, chicken enchiladas with a pumpkin sour cream sauce and no canned red sauce anywhere, a coconut curry, a Thai laksa, crockpot sloppy joes and a beef stew where the pumpkin quietly thickens the whole pot. The other half is the fall baking you came for: soft glazed cookies, a cake roll, cinnamon rolls off a tube of crescent dough, creme brulee and a no bake delight in four layers. Roasted or straight out of the can, it all works, and the recipes say which is which.
Table of Contents
- 1. Spiced Pumpkin Soup
- 2. Pumpkin Alfredo
- 3. Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta Bake
- 4. Pumpkin Coconut Curry
- 5. Pumpkin Risotto
- 6. Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- 7. Easy Pumpkin Masala
- 8. Pumpkin Delight
- 9. One-Pot Lentil Pumpkin Stew
- 10. Pumpkin Pancakes
- 11. Creamy Pumpkin Sage Pasta
- 12. Best Pumpkin Cookies
- 13. Pumpkin Beef Stew
- 14. Chicken Pumpkin Quinoa Chowder
- 15. Thai Pumpkin Laksa
- 16. Pumpkin French Toast With Whipped Pumpkin Butter
- 17. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- 18. Pumpkin Gnocchi
- 19. Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants
- 20. Pumpkin Creme Brulee
- 21. Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Applesauce
- 22. Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl
- 23. Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
- 24. Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup
- 25. Steamed Pumpkin Buns
- 26. Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- 27. Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
- 28. Spicy Black Bean Chicken Pumpkin Enchiladas
- 29. Crockpot Pumpkin Sloppy Joes
- 30. Pumpkin Cake Roll
- 31. Roasted Pumpkin With Chili Yogurt and Coriander Sauce
- 32. Vegan Pumpkin Sweet Potato Risotto
1. Spiced Pumpkin Soup
This is a pumpkin soup with three other things hiding in it. Onion and garlic soften with cinnamon and allspice, then sweet potato, carrot and pumpkin go in, along with a whole eating apple, a liter of vegetable stock and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Twenty minutes of simmering, a knob of butter, and a stick blender does the rest. The vanilla is the part worth trusting: you want a hint of it, not a flavor, so add it carefully.
Get the full tutorial at Fuss Free Flavours.
2. Pumpkin Alfredo
Alfredo with a cup of pumpkin puree stirred through it, which sounds like a health swap and tastes like a better sauce. Six tablespoons of butter, two cloves of garlic, two thirds of a cup of half and half, half a cup of parmesan grated off the block and an eighth of a teaspoon of nutmeg go together over medium low heat. The important bit is saving a cup of the fettuccine water and adding it back a quarter cup at a time until the sauce is the thickness you want.
Get the full tutorial at Yellow Bliss Road.
3. Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta Bake
Pumpkin, penne, cheddar, onion and parsley, baked together in the least likely casserole on this list. The writer behind it fully expected to spit out the first bite and ended up going back for seconds, which is about the most honest endorsement a savory pumpkin dish can get. If you have a household that thinks pumpkin belongs in pie and nowhere else, this is the dish that argues the other side, because it just reads as a creamy baked pasta with a little more color than usual.
Get the full tutorial at Love Grows Wild.
4. Pumpkin Coconut Curry
About six hundred grams of pumpkin, cut into even cubes, in an Indian inspired coconut curry. Black mustard seeds pop in hot oil first, then red onion, garlic, ginger and fresh chili, then the ground spices: cumin, garam masala, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and chili powder. Tomatoes, coconut milk and a little maple syrup finish it. The optional step is the good one, roasting the pumpkin at 390 degrees for about thirty minutes first so it caramelizes instead of just softening in the sauce.
Get the full tutorial at Lazy Cat Kitchen.
5. Pumpkin Risotto
A vegan risotto that does not taste like a compromise. Two cups of arborio rice, six cups of vegetable broth added slowly, chopped shallots, two tablespoons of fresh sage and a cup of dry white wine build the base, then a fifteen ounce can of pumpkin puree, nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan, nutmeg and white pepper go in. Raw pepitas roasted with a little oil and salt go over the top, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze at the table is what makes people ask what is in it.
Get the full tutorial at Watch Learn Eat.
6. Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
There is nothing cozier on a chilly fall evening than a bowl of creamy roasted pumpkin soup. You roast the pumpkin to bring out its sweetness, then blend it silky smooth with warm spices and a swirl of cream. It is a comforting, savory way to enjoy pumpkin beyond dessert, and it comes together with simple pantry staples.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
7. Easy Pumpkin Masala
This started life as aloo masala, the south Indian dry spiced potato dish, out of a well used Indian cookbook. The change is simple: most of the potato comes out and pumpkin goes in. Pumpkin behaves like a sponge with spices, soaking up far more than potato does, which is why the swap works rather than just being different. Fresh tomatoes and a heavy hand with the spice mix do the rest, and it wants plain rice underneath to catch everything.
Get the full tutorial at The Iron You.
8. Pumpkin Delight
Four layers, no oven time after the crust, and it feeds a crowd. The base is flour, graham cracker crumbs, softened butter and chopped pecans pressed into a dish. On top of that goes a cream cheese and powdered sugar layer lightened with whipped topping, then a pumpkin layer built from vanilla or white chocolate instant pudding, milk and a can of pumpkin puree with pumpkin spice, then more whipped topping and the rest of the pecans. It wants three hours in the fridge to set properly.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
9. One-Pot Lentil Pumpkin Stew
Two cups of brown lentils, pumpkin, and the sort of vegetables already in the drawer: onion, celery, carrot, garlic and a bay leaf, all in one pot. It runs about an hour and five minutes start to finish, and most of that is hands off simmering. Soaking the dried lentils in water while you do the chopping speeds the cooking noticeably, which is the tip worth stealing. It is vegan as written, and a spoonful of Greek yogurt on top adds protein if you want it.
Get the full tutorial at CenterCutCook.
10. Pumpkin Pancakes
Two cups of flour, five teaspoons of baking powder and a cup of pumpkin puree, which is a lot of lift for a fairly heavy batter and exactly why these come out tall. Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg go in dry, then milk, eggs, oil, vanilla and the pumpkin get poured in and stirred just until it comes together, lumps and all. Let the batter rest five to ten minutes before it hits the pan. Quarter cup scoops, three to four minutes, then flip. Makes twelve.
Get the full tutorial at Somewhat Simple.
11. Creamy Pumpkin Sage Pasta
If pumpkin has only ever reached your table as dessert, this is the dinner that changes it. Bow tie pasta gets tossed in a sauce built from vegan butter and flour cooked out, three cups of almond milk added a cup at a time, two sage leaves, a cup of pumpkin puree, nutmeg and black pepper. Sliced cremini mushrooms and chopped broccolini go in with it. The sauce needs about ten minutes to simmer and thicken before the pasta joins, so do not rush that part.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
12. Best Pumpkin Cookies
These really are the best pumpkin cookies, soft and pillowy with just the right amount of warm spice. You mix up a simple pumpkin dough with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom in it, chill it anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours so the cookies hold their shape, then scoop and bake them until tender. Once they are fully cool, a glaze of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla goes over the top, and that glaze is part of the cookie rather than a decoration. They are the perfect fall treat for lunchboxes, bake sales or an afternoon with coffee.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
13. Pumpkin Beef Stew
Three pounds of beef, dredged in flour and browned in butter in small batches, then simmered for three full hours in beef stock with three cups of pumpkin puree, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Potatoes, carrots and thyme sprigs only go in for the last thirty minutes, which is the difference between vegetables and mush. The pumpkin is not doing a flavor trick here, it is thickening the whole pot and giving it body. It makes ten servings, so plan on leftovers.
Get the full tutorial at Honey and Birch.
14. Chicken Pumpkin Quinoa Chowder
A whole chicken goes into twelve cups of water and boils about twenty five minutes, then comes out to cool and be shredded, and the broth it left behind becomes the soup. Into that go pie pumpkin in chunks, onion, a cup of quinoa, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and sage, simmering twenty to twenty five minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Spinach, half and half and a cup of pumpkin puree go in at the very end. Eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Wholefully.
15. Thai Pumpkin Laksa
Sesame oil, garlic, ginger, a red fresno pepper and green onions go into the pot first, then broth and about three cups of cubed pumpkin simmer fifteen to twenty minutes until fork tender. Blend half to three quarters of it smooth and return it, which gives you a soup that is creamy and still has something to chew on. Peanut butter, soy, fish sauce and a can of coconut milk go in, broccoli cooks in it, and rice noodles, cilantro, mint, pomegranate and cinnamon roasted chickpeas finish the bowl.
Get the full tutorial at Half Baked Harvest.
16. Pumpkin French Toast With Whipped Pumpkin Butter
The custard is four eggs, two thirds of a cup of milk, half a cup of pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, whisked in a rectangular dish so the bread can lie flat in it. Texas toast holds up best, two to three minutes a side in a buttered nonstick pan. The whipped pumpkin butter is the reason to bother: a stick of room temperature butter beaten two minutes, then a third of a cup of pumpkin, maple syrup and spices beaten in. It keeps five days.
Get the full tutorial at Life Made Simple Bakes.
17. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
A twelve ounce package of crescent roll dough, separated into two rectangles with the perforations pressed firmly shut, is the whole shortcut. Half a cup of pumpkin puree gets spread over each one, then pumpkin pie spice and a third of a cup of brown sugar, and they roll up and get cut into eight slices each with a serrated knife. Twenty to twenty two minutes at 350 degrees in a lined nine by nine pan. Cream cheese frosting goes on the second they come out.
Get the full tutorial at The Novice Chef.
18. Pumpkin Gnocchi
The potato gets baked, not boiled, and that choice is the entire recipe. Boiled potato carries water, and water means more flour, and more flour means tougher gnocchi. So one eight ounce baking potato goes through a ricer, then a cup of pumpkin puree, an egg, a cup and a half of flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper come together into a soft dough. Boil them until they float, then serve in browned butter with sixteen crisped sage leaves and parmesan.
Get the full tutorial at Recipes Food and Cooking.
19. Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants
Three tubes of crescent rolls, with every triangle cut lengthwise in half, which is how one batch turns into forty eight of these. The filling is two ounces of softened cream cheese beaten with half a cup of canned pumpkin, a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice and a third of a cup of sugar. A scant teaspoon on each triangle is the limit, because overstuffed ones leak everywhere as you roll them. Each rolled croissant goes through cinnamon sugar, then bakes at 375 for fifteen to eighteen minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen.
20. Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Brown sugar whisked with three egg yolks, then a cup of heavy cream added slowly, then a cup of pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Fill the ramekins halfway to three quarters, set them in a baking dish and pour warm water halfway up the sides, then bake at 325 for thirty five to forty minutes. It should still jiggle. Four hours in the fridge, then granulated sugar on top and a torch, or the broiler if you watch it closely.
Get the full tutorial at My Organized Chaos.
21. Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Applesauce
Eight apples, about three pounds, cored and cubed, with a fifteen ounce can of pumpkin, half a cup of water, three tablespoons of maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Low for four to six hours until the apples mash easily. A potato masher gives you a chunky sauce and an immersion blender right in the crock gives you a smooth one, so the texture is your call. It keeps ten days in the fridge and three months frozen.
Get the full tutorial at The Real Food Dietitians.
22. Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl
Half a cup of soaked raw cashews is what makes this thick enough to eat with a spoon rather than drink through a straw. They go into the blender with three quarters of a cup of canned pumpkin, half a cup of milk, five ice cubes, two or three tablespoons of maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg, and pulse until smooth. Five minutes, one serving. Apple slices, walnuts and chia seeds on top are what turn it from a smoothie into something that eats like breakfast.
Get the full tutorial at The Almond Eater.
23. Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
A spiced pumpkin sheet cake, baked at 350 degrees for about thirty minutes in a nine by thirteen pan, then poked all over with the handle of a wooden spoon while it is still warm so the caramel can sink into the holes. Once it is completely cool, the topping goes on: cool whip beaten with cream cheese and two cups of powdered sugar, spread right to the edges, with crushed pecans scattered over. It is a make ahead cake that feeds a crowd.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
24. Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup
A pound of pumpkin, a quartered Granny Smith apple, a quartered onion and two garlic cloves left in their skins all go on one lined baking sheet with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees. Then they get blended with a cup and a quarter of vegetable stock and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne. There is no cream in it anywhere, and it still comes out velvety, because roasting and blending do that on their own. Fifty minutes, two generous servings.
Get the full tutorial at As Easy As Apple Pie.
25. Steamed Pumpkin Buns
Two hundred and fifty grams of pumpkin cubes worked into three hundred grams of flour with instant yeast, sugar and a pinch of salt, which gives you a naturally orange dough and no food coloring anywhere. That is version one. Version two makes a second small white dough and rolls the two together so each bun has a spiral through it, which is what the photo shows mid assembly. One batch makes about twenty four small buns, steamed twenty minutes.
Get the full tutorial at China Sichuan Food.
26. Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
This one tastes like alfredo and is built like a bechamel. Butter and flour cook together until the roux smells nutty and turns golden, then two cups of nonfat milk go in a splash at a time with constant whisking, and it thickens over eight to ten minutes. Off the heat, in go a cup of pumpkin, three ounces of cream cheese in chunks, fresh sage, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne. Save a cup of pasta water to loosen it. Thirty minutes total.
Get the full tutorial at Well Plated.
27. Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
Five ingredients, ten minutes, no oven and nothing to set. Two four ounce cups of nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt get beaten with a cup of canned pumpkin until light and fluffy, then half a cup of reduced fat whipped cream cheese and four ounces of fat free whipped topping get folded in with two tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice. Divide it into glasses, dust the tops with more spice, and serve straight away or chill it for later.
Get the full tutorial at Midlife Healthy Living.
28. Spicy Black Bean Chicken Pumpkin Enchiladas
Chicken enchiladas with a pumpkin sauce and not a can of red enchilada sauce in sight. A can of pumpkin puree blends with tomato sauce, sour cream, garlic, three tablespoons of chili powder, two teaspoons of cumin and cayenne. That sauce goes into the pan, into the shredded chicken and into the filling with black beans, sauteed onion and jalapeno. Warm the corn tortillas twenty seconds in the microwave first, because cold ones crack and warm ones roll. Bake at 350 for twenty to thirty minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Ambitious Kitchen.
29. Crockpot Pumpkin Sloppy Joes
Sloppy joes where everything goes into the crockpot and nothing gets browned first, which is the entire appeal on a weeknight. The pumpkin is not a stunt, it is doing what tomato paste and sugar usually do, adding body and a little sweetness, and the finished thing tastes like a regular sloppy joe. It is written paleo, whole30 and gluten free. Serve it on gluten free rolls, spooned over a baked potato, or scooped up with tortilla chips.
Get the full tutorial at Primally Inspired.
30. Pumpkin Cake Roll
A pumpkin cake roll looks like a bakery showpiece but is so doable at home once you know the trick. You bake a thin spiced pumpkin sponge, roll it warm, then fill it with a creamy cream cheese filling and slice into pretty pinwheels. It is a classic fall dessert that is as fun to make as it is to serve.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
31. Roasted Pumpkin With Chili Yogurt and Coriander Sauce
An Ottolenghi dish, and it behaves like one. Around one and a half kilos of pumpkin gets cut into wedges and then smaller pieces with the skin left on, tossed with two teaspoons of cinnamon and olive oil, and roasted at 200 degrees celsius for forty to sixty minutes. Larger pieces need the full hour. Two sauces go over it: Greek yogurt stirred with sriracha, and coriander blended with garlic and oil. Roasted pumpkin seeds on top. Best served at room temperature.
Get the full tutorial at Drizzle and Dip.
32. Vegan Pumpkin Sweet Potato Risotto
Three cups of vegetable stock, a cup of arborio rice, a quarter cup of diced onion, a teaspoon of minced garlic, a tablespoon and a half of apple cider vinegar and a dash of nutmeg, with pumpkin and sweet potato doing the creaminess that dairy usually handles. Thirty minutes of prep and thirty of cooking, and most of the cooking is standing there adding stock and stirring, which is either the worst part or the best part depending on your week.
Get the full tutorial at Diary of an ExSloth.
