These easy Perfect Pumpkin Recipes will keep you smiling this fall and all year ’round. From pancakes, muffins, and drinks, to cheesecake and ice cream, here are some of my very best pumpkin recipes!
The Best Pumpkin Recipes
Come fall, there’s no denying the popularity of pumpkin. It’s everywhere. From home decor to eats & drinks, it’s pumpkin mania. And while I’m not here to help you decorate with these orange beauties, I do have a few Perfect Pumpkin Recipes up my sleeve!
Pumpkin is a very versatile ingredient. While it can easily go either sweet or savory, it’s most popular in desserts and drinks and breakfast-y type recipes. Our youngest is bonkers for pumpkin cream cold brew and I regularly get messages from friends making my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. And me? I’m currently inserting pumpkin pancakes on our menu every chance I get!
Read on to learn a bit more about pumpkin, plus some of our favorite pumpkin recipes!
Is Pumpkin a Fruit?
You might be surprised to learn that, from a scientific perspective, pumpkin is technically a fruit. Just like many people are surprised when they hear that rhubarb is a vegetable!
To put it simply, a fruit is the edible portion of the plant it grows on, developed from a flower and containing seeds. Pumpkins fall squarely into this category because we eat the fleshy portion of the pumpkin’s interior that’s loaded with seeds.
Meanwhile, vegetables are the edible portion of plants that include leaves, stems, bulbs, and roots. Obvious examples of vegetables are root vegetables like carrots, beets, and potatoes.
Are Pumpkin Puree and Pumpkin Pie Filling the Same Thing?
No, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same thing. I am sure to call out each specific ingredient in all my pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin puree is pumpkin that has been cooked and then blended into a smooth puree without any added ingredients. A can should read “100% pure pumpkin” and the ingredients list should have only “pumpkin”, just like the label on this Libby’s pumpkin can.
Pumpkin pie filling is pumpkin puree plus sugar, salt, and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Pumpkin pie filling is a quick, easy way to incorporate pre-sweetened, pre-spiced pumpkin flavor into recipes. Just be sure to read the can labels, so you get exactly what a specific recipe calls for.
19 Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try
These easy pumpkin recipes will keep you smiling this fall and all year ’round. From pancakes, muffins, and drinks, to cheesecake and ice cream, here are 19 of my very best pumpkin recipes!
These savory Pumpkin Biscuits with Candied Ginger are a delightful fall twist on a classic biscuit. Perfect with soup or simply eat them with butter and honey.
These Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies are packed with pumpkin flavor. They're topped with a dollop of sweet frosting and sprinkled with toasted pecans for some crunch.
For a special and impressive dessert, make this Pumpkin Layer Cake with Creamy Cinnamon Whip. Lightly spiced pumpkin cake and flavorful whipped cream make this one to remember.
On cool mornings, bake thesePumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! They're cozy with warm spices and deliver a sprinkling of chocolate in every bite. So many people love this recipe!
Pumpkin Pie Cream Puffs are a fun, unexpected pumpkin dessert. Each cream puff is layered with a dreamy pumpkin pie filling and fluffy maple-sweetened whipped cream!
This Fluffy Whipped Pumpkin Spiced Butter recipe is lusciously creamy and scented with the beautiful flavors of fall. Enjoy it with biscuits, muffins, pancakes, waffles, popovers, or even toast!
Chocolate and pumpkin were made for each other. Try these Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Buttercream for a fun, decadent treat.
With a homemade gingersnap crust and creamy, pumpkin-infused cheesecake filling, this Perfectly Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake is a great choice when you want to change up your pumpkin pie routine. This dessert has graced our Thanksgiving table many times over the years!
Keep things easy this holiday season with this No-Bake Pumpkin Icebox Cake! Spiced pumpkin ice cream, crunchy pecans, and ginger cookies are layered together and frozen to create a fall-inspired spin on the classic icebox cake. It's a refreshing make-ahead dessert!
Pumpkin and Fudge Layer Bars with Crunchy Streusel
Go beyond brownies, and make Pumpkin and Fudge Layer Bars with Crunchy Streusel! The flavors and textures going on in these handheld sweet bites will have everyone reaching for more.
These gorgeous Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Latte Cupcakes combine pumpkin with classic snickerdoodle flavors for a wonderful sweet treat. Plus, they're adorable!
Moist and perfectly spiced, these Pumpkin Muffins with Oats and Chocolate Streuselmake a great breakfast or snack. The buttery oat and chocolate topping is impossible to resist.
This Starbucks copycat Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew recipe features a lightly sweetened cold brew plus a rich pumpkin cream foam topper that's sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice!
Rich and fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes feature buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Topped with a lightly sweetened maple cinnamon whipped cream, these are a family favorite for sure!
Beautifully colored and richly creamy, this Pumpkin Ice Cream is flavored with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, and sweetened with brown sugar. It's a refreshing way to enjoy pumpkin!
These Pumpkin Pie Truffles are a delightful fall treat! The truffle filling is made from crisp golden Oreos, tangy cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Then they're coated in either white chocolate or dark chocolate, your choice!
To do so, place leftover pumpkin puree in a freezer-safe baggie, with the air squeezed out, or in an airtight freezer-safe container. Then freeze for up to 3 months.
You can also portion out leftover pumpkin puree into an ice cube tray, freeze it, then pop out the frozen pumpkin cubes into a freezer-safe baggie or container. It’ll keep well for up to 3 months.
