The 23 Pumpkin Recipes I’d Make Before The Season Ends
Published Oct 10, 2026
23 pumpkin recipes for breakfast, dinner, and dessert, including pumpkin pancakes, pasta, risotto, chili, snickerdoodles, pie, and a homemade pumpkin latte.
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‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin! Once fall hits, I am all about pumpkin recipes. The first cold morning of the season, I am making pancakes with it, and by the end of October it has worked its way into pasta, soup, and about four kinds of cookies. There is no pacing myself. That is how this list of pumpkin recipes got so long. These are the ones I come back to every year; most are really easy pumpkin recipes that use one can and whatever is already in the kitchen.
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23 Pumpkin Recipes
Breakfast and drinks come first. Then the pumpkin recipes for dinner, pasta, risotto, soup, chili, and mac and cheese, nearly all of them vegetarian. The back half is the pumpkin baking recipes, pie in three versions, cookies, bars, and a no bake cheesecake. If you came straight here for dessert, skip ahead.
Breakfast Ideas with Pumpkin
No Bake Pumpkin Balls
Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
Muesli with Pumpkin Seeds
Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Pumpkin Banana Muffins Recipe
Pumpkin Beverage Recipes
Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Recipe
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
Pumpkin Recipes for Dinner
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Pumpkin Chili
Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Pasta with Crispy Sage
Pumpkin Risotto Recipe
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe
Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
Pumpkin Bar Recipe
Mini Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
Tips for Making Pumpkin Recipes
- Steer clear of big pumpkins when selecting fresh ones. Look for small “sugar” or “pie” pumpkins for cooking and baking. These pumpkins are sweeter and have a smoother texture, which is less fibrous. You want your squash to have a dull surface; if it’s shiny, that means the pumpkin is not ripe.
- Don’t throw out the seeds. They make a delicious snack and a wonderful garnish for autumn soups and salads. Learn how to roast pumpkin seeds and properly store them so they last you all season long.
- Use canned pumpkin puree whenever needed. It retains that wonderful texture and subtle sweetness, and for some recipes, like pumpkin pie, I prefer it since it has less moisture than the fresh variety. But if you have trouble finding canned pumpkin in your local grocery store, why not give homemade pumpkin puree a try?
- Roast the squash first to enhance its flavor if used in soups. Roasting a pumpkin elevates any soup to dinner party status!
- Bulk up curries and stews with pumpkin. The mild flavor of pumpkin means it soaks up all those aromatic flavors and spices easily, making it a perfect base for those hearty dishes.
- Add sweetness to baking recipes with grated pumpkin. It gives a beautifully subtle sweetness to cakes and baked goods. If your grated pumpkin is a little too wet, give it a squeeze before using it and monitor it during baking – the added moisture may mean it needs a bit longer in the oven.
Troubleshooting
These two terms are often used interchangeably, though their textures may differ. Homemade pumpkin puree tends to have more water content and the texture may run slightly thinner than the storebought canned variety. In contrast, canned pumpkin puree typically has a denser and more thicker texture due to the processing and canning.
No! Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar, spices, and sometimes thickeners. You would typically use that for pumpkin pies and other desserts. Pumpkin puree, on the other hand, is cooked and mashed pumpkin, usually with no added ingredients other than pumpkin itself. Pumpkin puree is what you want to add to pumpkin recipes for dinner or other savory dishes like soups and pastas.
Pumpkin has a naturally sweet and earthy flavor that pairs well with a variety of ingredients and spices. For baking pumpkin recipes, maple, vanilla, apples, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon are great accompaniments. Savory pumpkin recipes may include ginger, sage, thyme, coconut, and pecans or walnuts for a crunch.
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