‘Tis (finally) the season for all things pumpkin! Thanks to its mellow sweetness, the ways to incorporate this quintessential fall ingredient — from pumpkin spice to pumpkin puree — into your recipe lineup are almost endless. Whether you’re craving a classic like pumpkin bread or you’re looking to shake things up a bit, we’ve rounded up five pumpkin-infused recipes to welcome fall — some sweet, some savory. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Biscuits
Courtesy of Nashville’s famed Loveless Cafe, these pumpkin spice biscuits are the perfect way to add a hint of fall to your brunch spread. To make a batch, simply use Loveless Cafe’s famous biscuit mix and add some pumpkin pie spice. For extra flavor, the pros at Loveless Cafe suggest topping your biscuits with their sweet potato butter.
Pumpkin Spice Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 bag Loveless Cafe biscuit mix
- 2⅔ cups whole buttermilk
- ½ + ⅛ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice for biscuit mix
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice for topping
- Sweet potato butter for serving
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice to biscuit mix and stir together in a large mixing bowl.
- Follow instructions on biscuit mix packaging, adding 1 tsp vanilla to the buttermilk.
- Just before baking, sprinkle 1/8 cup sugar and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice over top of the biscuits.
- Serve with sweet potato butter.
Nutrition
RELATED: The History of Southern Biscuits (Plus a No-Fail Recipe!)
Pumpkin Pecan Bread
Studded with pecans for added flavor and texture, this pumpkin bread recipe comes from Jamie Tarence of Family Savvy. The recipe was passed down to Jamie by her mother, and it makes two large loaves or five mini loaves. The result is a delicious dessert that’s perfect for serving at your next gathering, or just keeping it to yourself; we won’t judge.
Pumpkin Pecan Bread
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 can pumpkin
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups plain flour
- 3 cups sugar
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½-¾ cup chopped pecan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray bread pans with Baker's Joy or Pam.
- In small bowl, mix wet ingredients — eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla — until blended.
- In medium bowl, toss flour, sugar, soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until blended.
- Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring just until blended (over mixing will make bread tough).
- Fold in pecans.
- Divide batter evenly amongst pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees approximately 45 minutes or until bread begins to pull from sides of pans.
- Let bread cool before removing from pans.
Nutrition
Pumpkin Spice Cake ‘Push Pops’
These pumpkin spice cake push pops from Susannah Brinkley Henry of Feast + West are sure to bring back childhood memories. In addition to cake mix ingredients, to make a batch of these, you will need a set of push pop holders (which you can find on Amazon) and pumpkin cream cheese. This is the perfect single-serving dessert, and they make a fun addition to any fall gathering.
Pumpkin Spice Cake Push Pops
Ingredients
For the Push-Pop Cakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 15 oz pureed pumpkin canned or homemade
For the Frosting
- ¾ cup butter divided
- 6.5 oz pumpkin cream cheese Savannah uses Bruegger's Bagels
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
For the Topping
- ¼ cup chocolate sprinkles
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 12x18-inch sheet pan, two 9x12-inch sheet pans, or 24 cupcake tins.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugars, melted butter, and eggs until well mixed. Gradually stir in dry ingredient mixture until combined. Stir in pumpkin puree until incorporated.
- Pour batter into sheet pans or tins, filling about 3/4 inches deep. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In a medium skillet, heat the butter on low heat until melted. Stir occasionally until butter turns frothy, then stir continuously. Allow the butter to turn brown with dark specks; it will smell nutty. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter, pumpkin cream cheese, bourbon, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, and heavy cream. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Meanwhile, prepare the push-pop containers. Cut the cake into circles. Cut the sheet cakes with a circular biscuit cutter small enough to just fit into the push-pop containers. With the biscuit cutter, cut the cake or cupcakes into small pieces. (Cupcakes may need to be sliced horizontally as well.)
- Prepare a piping bag with a star nozzle and fill with frosting. To make a push pop, place one cake circle in the base of the push-pop containers. Working in a circular motion, top the cake circle with a swirl of frosting. Top with a pinch of chocolate sprinkles. Add another cake circle, frosting, and more sprinkles. Repeat once more (three layers total) and top with both sprinkles and pumpkin seeds. Serve or cover with lids if not enjoying right away.
Nutrition
Pumpkin Veggie Burgers
This pumpkin burger from Romy of In Love With Bliss puts a unique twist on classic veggie burgers. Romy’s recipe calls for Hokkaido pumpkin — otherwise known as red Kuri squash. This gives the burgers a slight kick. To top off her burgers, Romy adds veggies, guacamole, cucumbers, tomatoes, and ketchup. She says also suggests incorporating some roasted onions, jalapeños, and mayonnaise.
Pumpkin Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
- ½ Hokkaido pumpkin or squash deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 8.5 oz canned cannellini beans rinsed
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oats
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp guar gum optional
- 1½ tsp Ras el Hanout
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp coriander
Instructions
- Boil the pumpkin in a pot of water for about 10 minutes until it's soft. Then drain and set aside.
- While the pumpkin is cooking, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion until golden brown. The darker you roast your onion, the more roasty flavor your burger patties will have.
- Mash the cannellini beans in a bowl with a fork. Add the boiled pumpkin cubes and mash as well. (Note: it's okay if there are some lumps left.)
- Put all remaining ingredients in the bowl and mix well. Taste and season if necessary.
- Form 6 big (or 8 smaller) patties with your hands. Romy uses disposable gloves for this step because the dough is relatively wet and otherwise sticks to her hands and makes a mess.
- Fry the patties in a pan with a little oil over medium heat on each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
- Assemble your burger with desired toppings.
Nutrition
RELATED: 4 Autumn-Inspired Baked Pasta Recipes
One-Pot Pumpkin Curry
This one-pot pumpkin curry from Izzy Lassance of She Likes Food is the perfect weeknight dinner. It’s cozy, full of flavor and spice, and is sure to leave you feeling full and satisfied. Izzy says the key to making the perfect batch of curry is the spices and coconut milk. These are what lend this dish its classic curry flavor — and then Romy adds pumpkin puree for a creamy, slightly sweet upgrade.
One-Pot Pumpkin Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk full fat or lite
- 1 can fire petite diced tomatoes
- 1 small can green chiles Izzy uses mild
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp yellow curry powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Fresh lime juice about ½ a lime
- Cauliflower rice or other grain for serving
- Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, cashews, plain yogurt
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add oil, onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add in the garlic, ginger, and red curry paste and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add in all of the remaining ingredients, stir well, and then cover and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. Before you’re ready to serve, add in the lime juice, stir, and enjoy with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Enjoy this quintessential fall flavor!
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