20 Pumpkin Recipes That’ll Get You Pumped for Halloween

Written by: Michael Matthews

Savory Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles

You can make pumpkin waffles with cinnamon and other spices, although not everyone wants to eat dessert for breakfast. If you’d rather have a hearty breakfast, you’ll want to serve up these savory waffles with sage sausage or crispy bacon.

They’d also be right at home on a brunch spread, especially if you’re hosting guests over an autumn weekend.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Get all the flavor you love about cheesecake in the form of a healthy pumpkin muffin. Not only do they taste awesome, but these muffins are low in sugar.

To make the macros even leaner, you can swap out the flour. Half of it can be replaced with protein powder, and for the other half, use white whole-wheat flour or ground oats so you’re getting complex carbs.

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Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup

Not only does pumpkin make a tasty, creamy soup, but it can be used to make the bowl as well. This is a great recipe to serve for a fall dinner party or after taking a family trip to the pumpkin patch.

But since there are a lot of steps, like making from-scratch sage pesto and fried pumpkin seeds, you may want to reserve it for Thanksgiving. And since you’ll only use about half the pesto and pumpkin seeds, they’ll be a welcome addition to your post-holiday leftovers.

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Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

At the end of summer, pumpkin lovers are craving their favorite fall flavor before the weather cools down. This easy oatmeal is the perfect breakfast to help you transition from one season to the next.

Mix all the ingredients in a glass jar at night, and you’ll have a chilled pumpkin oatmeal to enjoy the next morning. It takes less time to assemble than quick oats with double the protein. Plus, it keeps in the fridge for up to four days.

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Baked Pumpkin Pudding

When pudding is baked, you wind up with a variation of textures. The outside gets denser and a bit chewy, whereas the inside stays super creamy. It’s a lot like eating just the filling inside of a pumpkin pie, making this dessert recipe a great alternative if you want to avoid crust.

And like pumpkin pie, it can be served at room temperature or slightly chilled, so you can make them a day ahead.

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Pumpkin Walnut Scones

Eating pastries for breakfast isn’t usually a good option for every day. But that’s why you’ll want to keep this healthy pumpkin scone recipe in your back pocket – or better yet, stuck on the fridge.

It’ll help you get through fall without picking up pumpkin pastries at your favorite café. And unlike other scones, these aren’t loaded with butter and sugar, but keep you full through the morning with healthy fats from tree nuts and coconut.

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Zucchini Spaghetti with Peaches & Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Why add pumpkin seeds to basil pesto? Instead of using all olive oil, this recipe uses a mix of fats with coconut oil and pumpkin seeds.

Not only will pepitas add nutritional value like vitamin E and copper, but the variety of healthy fats will keep you fuller longer. That way you can eat lean, low-calorie zucchini noodles for dinner without getting hungry for a snack soon after.

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Pumpkin Ricotta Pancakes

These are like classic pancakes – only better. And that’s not just because of the pumpkin flavor and spices. There’s also ricotta in the batter, which makes the pancakes thick and fluffy.

The cheese also ups the protein by a few grams and gives the pancakes a richer flavor.

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Savory Pumpkin Pie with Quinoa Crust

There’s no replacement for traditional pumpkin pie, but with this savory option, you can have it guilt-free for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Rather than starting with pastry, the crust is made from a wholesome mix of quinoa and egg. While the quinoa boils, the fresh produce for the filling – pumpkin, zucchini, onion, and garlic – gets roasted.

This pie doesn’t take a lot of prep work, but it will require patience since you’ll be waiting for the oven on three occasions.

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Coconut-Pumpkin Ice Cream

You can turned canned pumpkin into incredible homemade ice cream – no gadgetry required. The secret is to ditch the heavy cream, using cottage cheese and Greek yogurt instead. That way the blended mixture is able to get nice and thick after a couple hours in the fridge.

And you’ll end up with greater nutrition too. This healthy ice cream has 12 grams of protein and half as much fat.

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Pumpkin-Leek Stuffing

Forget the boxed stuffing mix. This is the perfect recipe for Thanksgiving. It doesn’t just have bread and seasonings, but contains some of the best parts of the cornucopia.

The stuffing is loaded with fresh pumpkin, sweet onion, leek, fennel, and thyme. There’s also applesauce for moisture and to add even more flavor from the fall harvest.

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Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

Enjoy the flavors of a pumpkin spice latte without taking a trip to the coffee shop. This cake is already amazing because it tastes like your favorite fall latte, but it also has a swirl of spiced pumpkin running through it.

Even though a cake is way more indulgent than a cup of coffee, one serving has fewer calories than a grande latte – not even counting the whipped cream.

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Pumpkin Empanadas

Empanadas are like pocket pies that can be stuffed with savory or sweet fillings.

The most common varieties on restaurant menus are chicken and beef, but pumpkin is a popular dessert filling south of the border. That’s because pumpkins originate from Mexico, which is why they’re an important part of American food traditions.

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnabon will be a thing of the past once you have these homemade cinnamon rolls. They’re more than just sugar with almond flour, coconut flour, protein powder, and real pumpkin.

The cinnamon roll dough is low-sugar, but you’ll get all the flavor you crave from the walnut and raisin swirl sweetened with a touch of honey. And topping it all off is a tasty pumpkin protein icing.

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Pumpkin Superfood Smoothie

Skip the pumpkin spice latte and enjoy your favorite fall ingredient in this pumpkin smoothie instead. It’s green thanks to spinach, but you don’t have to worry about tasting it. Along with the pumpkin, there’s also pistachios and a touch of honey.

You might miss the usual cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves; yet you won’t be without spice. This green smoothie has turmeric for a multitude of health benefits, such as aiding digestion and reducing inflammation.

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Pumpkin Pesto Dip

Pesto on its own doesn’t make a great dip, but it’s deliciously scoopable with a few more ingredients. Pumpkin puree thickens it up, and pistachios and Parmesan add depth of flavor.

To make this pumpkin appetizer, just add everything except the olive oil to a food processor. After the ingredients have been combined, slowly add the olive oil until it’s well blended.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Protein Mousse

This pumpkin mousse is definitely decadent, but it’s also full of healthy proteins from whey, Greek yogurt, and low-fat cream cheese.

After you blend everything together, the result is basically a spoonable pumpkin cheesecake served in a glass. It’s a dessert that’s so nutritious, you can go back for seconds or even thirds without worrying about the macros.

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Pumpkin Shrimp Curry

In America, we tend to think of pumpkin as a sweet ingredient, but in Asian cuisine the squash is often used for savory curries too.

First, a Malaysian spice blend is ground into a paste using a blender or food processor, and then it’s mixed with coconut milk to make the curry sauce. After that simmers for about 10 minutes, the pumpkin is added to cook in the coconut curry, followed a few minutes later by the shrimp.

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Whiskey & Bacon Pumpkin Seeds

You can roast pumpkin seeds with just a touch of cinnamon and sugar. Or you can take them to another level with a splash of whiskey.

You can use any kind of oil to make the coating, but why would you when there’s bacon fat? Along with a touch of molasses and sugar, bacon drippings make these whiskey pumpkin seeds even more sinful.

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Pumpkin Carrot Cake Protein Bread

When two desserts are combined – like the cronut – the result can wind up with double the calories. Yet this pumpkin bread is infused with carrot cake flavors, and it manages to get the best nutritional value of both without going overboard.

Carrots and pumpkins each pack a lot of vitamin A, which means you’ll get almost an entire days’ worth in one slice of this bread.

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