27 Pumpkin Recipes to Savor This Fall

Celebrate the season with pumpkin pancakes, soup, pie, and even a spritz.

Greens-and-Cheese Stuffed Cinderella Pumpkin
Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

While pumpkin certainly makes a wonderful pie, the squash is far more versatile than you might think, and these pumpkin recipes prove it. We love it in a velvety soup or cooked down into pumpkin butter, the ultimate seasonal spread for crackers or toast. Don't sleep on canned pumpkin, either — most of the recipes here, from Pumpkin Lasagna to Pumpkin-Banana Bread French Toast, use the helpful ingredient shortcut. Here are our favorite ways to cook, bake, and sip with pumpkin.

01 of 27

Coconut Pumpkin Chicken Curry

Pumpkin Chickpea Curry

Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser

Thanks to canned pumpkin and coconut milk, this fragrant curry comes together in under an hour. Browned skinless chicken thighs and a can of chickpeas make it hearty enough for dinner.

02 of 27

Pecan-Pumpkin Cream Pie

Joanne Chang's Pecan-Pumpkin Cream Pie
Tara Donne

No need to choose between pecan pie and pumpkin pie when you can have both in a single slice. This pie from pastry chef Joanne Chang is baked in two phases to yield a gooey, syrupy pecan filling on the bottom and a velvety pumpkin custard on top, all beautifully accented with whipped cream stars.

03 of 27

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Diana Chistruga

Silky smooth and delicately spiced, this pumpkin cream soup is one of those fantastic recipes that yields an amazingly delicious dish with very minimal effort — it's table-ready in just 45 minutes.

04 of 27

Praline Pumpkin Bars

Praline Pumpkin Bars

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Topped with decadent brown sugar frosting, these cakelike bars are loaded with fall flavor — earthy and sweet pumpkin, warm spices, and toasty pecans.

05 of 27

Greens-and-Cheese-Stuffed Cinderella Pumpkin

Greens-and-Cheese Stuffed Cinderella Pumpkin
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

If you're looking for a savory pumpkin recipe that's guaranteed to impress, this is the one. Our stuffed pumpkin is filled with a nutty, creamy blend of Gruyère and feta cheeses; sweet, anise-scented fennel; and hearty green lacinato kale for a stunning vegetarian main dish fit for any holiday table.

06 of 27

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser

This dish's creamy, smoky sauce comes together in minutes with pumpkin puree, butter, toasted rosemary, and bacon. Toss with pasta for an elegant meal any night of the week.

07 of 27

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne

Bring the scents of fall into your kitchen with this warmly spiced pumpkin loaf, which requires just 25 minutes of hands-on time. It's lightly sweetened with brown sugar, making it perfect for breakfast or dessert.

08 of 27

Pumpkin Spice Shrub Spritz

PUMPKIN SPICE SHRUB SPRITZ

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell

Pumpkin spice drinks can be overwhelmingly sweet, but our pumpkin spice shrub adds a balanced acidity to this wine cocktail. Once the shrub is made, simply add it to a glass of ice with some Prosecco and soda water.

09 of 27

Pumpkin Tiramisu

original-201411-r-pumpkin-tiramisu.jpg

Timeless tiramisu gets a seasonal spin for a terrific alternative to pumpkin pie. This no-bake recipe layers silky pumpkin mousse and coffee-dipped store-bought ladyfingers to create a spectacular dessert that can be made up to two days in advance.

10 of 27

Pumpkin Butter

pumpkin-butter-ft-recipe1018.jpg
Justin Walker

Toeing the line between sweet and savory, this pumpkin butter is the season's go-to condiment, ready to bring autumnal flavor to everything from breakfast to dessert. You'll need a three-pound sugar pumpkin to make it; try it on toast with cream cheese, in whipped cream, or melted into a mixture of sage and brown butter for the best fall pasta sauce.

11 of 27

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes
Abby Hocking

Pumpkin butter does the heavy lifting here: It adds moisture and sweet, spicy flavor to these classic buttermilk pancakes, plus serves as a delightful topping. To achieve golden, evenly cooked pancakes with a lightly crispy bite, be sure to cook them over moderately low heat.

12 of 27

Pasta with Pumpkin Brown Butter Sauce

Pasta with Pumpkin Brown Butter Sauce
Abby Hocking

Use pumpkin butter as a tasty dinner shortcut in this satisfying pasta dish — you'll need less than a cup to give classic browned butter and sage sauce a welcome boost of fall flavor. The finishing touch of salty, savory Parmigiano-Reggiano provides a perfect hit of umami.

13 of 27

Candied Pumpkins with Piloncillo and Cinnamon

Candied Pumpkins with Piloncillo and Cinnamon
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Inspired by the traditional Mexican dessert calabaza en tacha, candied sugar pie pumpkin slices are drenched in a rich syrup made from piloncillo cones and drizzled with crema for a simple, seasonal treat.

14 of 27

Pumpkin-Banana Bread French Toast

Pumpkin Banana Bread French Toast
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn

Canned pumpkin adds earthy flavor to homemade banana bread, which gets transformed into decadent French toast. Dipped in a spiced custard and cooked in butter, the bread gets irresistibly crispy on the outside.

15 of 27

Curried Pumpkin and Buss Up Shut (Paratha Roti)

Curried Pumpkin and Buss Up Shut
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Fresh habanero chiles add a touch of fruity heat to the chunks of tender pumpkin and softened callaloo leaves in chef Nina Compton's seasonal curry. It's served with a crinkled, buttery roti to sop everything up.

16 of 27

Whole Baked Pumpkin Soup

Whole Baked Pumpkin Soup
Aubrie Pick

You'll need two pumpkins to make this six-ingredient soup — baking them whole traps the steam inside, resulting in a lush, velvety pumpkin puree and making the skins easy to remove. A simple reduction of dry white wine mingles with butter to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin.

17 of 27

Whole Roasted Pumpkin with Green Beans and Red Curry Rice

Whole Roasted Pumpkin with Green Beans and Red Curry Rice
Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer

Bring the whole pumpkin to the table on a rimmed baking sheet or platter and spoon the saucy rice, studded with spoonfuls of tender pumpkin, into shallow bowls. 

18 of 27

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Sarah Kieffer

"I like pumpkin pie alright, but in all honesty I will always take a slice of anything else over it, especially if cheesecake is an option," says cookbook author Sarah Kieffer. "But pumpkin pie swirled into cheesecake? I will never say no." The cream cheese enhances the pumpkin filling without making everything too sweet.

19 of 27

Pumpkin Lasagna

Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
Karen Mordechai

No-boil noodles and canned pumpkin make this cozy dish easy enough for a weeknight. Nutty Parmesan, warm sage and nutmeg, and earthy Swiss chard help usher in the fall flavor.

20 of 27

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie
Abby Hocking

The addition of browned butter gives the pumpkin a subtle butterscotch flavor in this smooth and creamy custard pie filling. Should you have any leftovers, they can be kept for two days in the fridge or at room temperature.

21 of 27

Pumpkin Bisque with Spicy Shrimp

Pumpkin Bisque with Spicy Shrimp

© Emily Farris

Elegant and unexpected, this pumpkin bisque features fiery prawns against a creamy base made with leeks, white wine, and a Cajun spice blend. The soup is even better if you make it a day in advance of serving.

22 of 27

Mini Spiced Pumpkins

Mini Spiced Pumpkins
© David Malosh

Enveloped in orange glaze and topped with a stem of twisted dark licorice, these mini bundt spice cakes are transformed into tiny pumpkins for a festive fall treat.

23 of 27

Spiced Pumpkin Lassi

Spiced Pumpkin Lassi
Marcus Nilsson

Cinnamon sticks and star anise are bloomed in oil and cooked with fresh pumpkin and milk before everything is blended to a velvety puree. After it's chilled, the puree gets mixed with yogurt, sugar, and water for a rich and creamy seasonal lassi.

24 of 27

Pumpkin Layer Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Pumpkin Layer Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
© Con Poulos

Perfectly moist and delicately spiced, this classic pumpkin cake is slathered in a simple vanilla buttercream frosting — it has a lovely tang thanks to the addition of mascarpone cheese.

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Pumpkin Parfaits

Pumpkin Parfaits
© Christina Holmes

Super-speedy pumpkin mousse is layered with whipped mascarpone cream and crushed chocolate wafer cookies for the supreme fall parfait — no oven required.

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Pumpkin Hummus

Pumpkin Hummus
© Christina Holmes

This effortless dip comes together with canned pumpkin and chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips or crudités.

27 of 27

Pumpkin Muffins with Crumb Topping

Pumpkin Muffins with Crumb Topping

A luscious cream cheese filling and cinnamon crumble topping make these moist, tender, lightly spiced muffins an extra-special autumn treat. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

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