:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/VegetarianPumpkinLasagna-ZoryanaIvchenk-MomentOpen-GettyImages-5b968b8ac9e77c0050dc7434.jpg)
Zoryana Ivchenk / Moment Open / Getty Images
Canned pumpkin is a fabulous and convenient way to enjoy the wonderful taste of fall. Pumpkin is rich, delicious, and creamy when cooked, and can be used to add moistness and indulgent flavor to so many sweet and savory dishes. Canned pumpkin can be used all year-round. Besides being tasty, it's good for you.
Our collection of recipes will inspire you to think beyond the usual desserts and teach you how to use canned pumpkin at every course, from soup to breakfast toast to pasta to even a spicy cheese dip.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
The Spruce / Diana Rattray
Swirls of cream cheese batter throughout these spiced and frosted pumpkin brownies make their tender cake-like centers even more special. Our pumpkin brownies are moist and creamy and pack in a lot of fall aromas and flavors thanks to the nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.
Make a pumpkin batter with flour, eggs, and spices, and use cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla to make the swirls. Bake for 35 minutes. Prep and serve in just 45 minutes.
Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
Our savory pumpkin and sage sauce is amazing on pasta; to cream some steamed rice and make it like a risotto; to use as a sauce in veggie lasagna, or to use on grilled tofu. It's suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and you won't feel the need to use animal proteins as an add-on to your dish. Filling, creamy, healthy, and also gluten free, this is a great sauce to make in big batches and freeze.
Use pine nuts, walnuts, or pepitas to give texture to your preparation. Ready in 20 minutes.
Pumpkin Pancakes
The Spruce / Bahareh Niati
Prepared baking mix and canned pumpkin make a quick and easy breakfast or brunch dish. Eggs, milk, spices, and the baking mix make fluffy and healthy pancakes that you could also freeze for future use. Spread butter, and drizzle them with maple syrup, add pepitas for crunch, and serve them with a side of berries. Add chocolate chips before turning once they're on the griddle, or use a chocolate spread.
Use seltzer to make a fluffier batter, or add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to help your batter fluff up. Ready in 20 minutes.
Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
A fancy homemade cinnamon-spiced graham cracker crust is the base of a luscious double layer pumpkin filling. Mix graham crackers, butter, cinnamon, and sugar to make and bake a crust in barely 15 minutes. Use cream cheese, sugar, and eggs to make the first layer of a white and creamy filling. Pumpkin and spices color and flavor the remaining cream cheese mixture and make the second layer.
Bake for 50 minutes, and let cool off before decorating with whipped cream. Prep and serve in less than 1 hour.
Continue to 5 of 7 belowPumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Filling
The Spruce / Diana Rattray
Inspired by whoopie pies, our recipe brings you a chewy pumpkin cookie filled with a creamy and sugary mixture. Make them as a holiday treat for your next Thanksgiving dinner party instead of the more traditional desserts, or bag them individually to give to friends and family during the holidays.
Nutmeg and cinnamon flavor the cookie dough. The creamy filling can be replaced for store-bought cream cheese filling if you're pressed for time. Add chocolate chips for the filling for a different version. Bake, cool, fill and serve in 1 hour.
Pumpkin Cake Roll
The Spruce / Diana Rattray
Our pumpkin cake roll is filled with a scrumptious cream cheese filling, then rolled, chilled, dusted with powdered sugar, and sliced for a pretty, swirly presentation. Although the final product seems complex to achieve, the recipe is actually pretty easy, you just need to be attentive to your sponge-like cake batter and roll it carefully using a kitchen towel. Prep and bake in 1 hour.
Spiced Pumpkin Pecan Muffins
Klaus Arras / StockFood Creative / Getty Images
These baked treats are good to tuck into school lunch boxes, great for an afternoon tea, or amazing served warm with butter and a strong cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Add pumpkin puree and plenty of spices to your usual muffin ingredients to make moist little cakes that could double as desserts if you just add vanilla frosting.
Try tossing in a few pecans, raisins, or dried cranberries to give texture and chewiness, or serve with fruit preserve and whipped butter. Prep and bake in just 35 minutes.