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October is finally here, meaning fall festivities are in full swing! Take advantage of one of the most popular fall crops with these delicious pumpkin recipes. From classic desserts to savory dinners, these highly-rated dishes are sure to be a hit. Try options like our Whole Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin and Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal to add some autumn flavor to your menu.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
These super-tender pumpkin sugar cookies are perfectly spiced with just the right amount of pumpkin pie spice. The optional frosting is a sweet addition that adds even more warm fall flavors. Add just a touch of orange food coloring to the frosting to make these pumpkin sugar cookies pop. While you may be tempted to use all the dough, the cookies get tougher the more times you roll, so it’s best to re-roll the scraps only once.
Whole Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin
Sure to be a centerpiece dish at your next fall gathering, this pumpkin-centric recipe is just the right size for a crowd. In this meal, pumpkin plays a triple role: cooking vessel, serving bowl and part of the meal itself. Choose a Long Island Cheese pumpkin for its creamy flesh or a Cinderella pumpkin. The hearty stew, filled with farro and veggies, simmers inside the pumpkin while the flesh cooks and softens.
Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese
This easy pumpkin risotto with goat cheese uses sweet and earthy canned pumpkin as a flavor base and creamy goat cheese to add creaminess and tang. Toasted pumpkin seeds add texture and nutty notes. Parsley adds mild fresh flavor, but any chopped fresh herb would work just as well.
Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin
This pumpkin baked oatmeal is warm and comforting with the combination of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. The pecans add toasty flavor to this easy breakfast dish that’s perfect for guests. Serve with yogurt for creaminess and maple syrup for added sweetness.
Fudgy Flourless Pumpkin Brownies
Pumpkin spice meets chocolate: a match made in heaven. The hypnotizing smell that fills your kitchen when these brownies are done baking is unbeatable. If you don’t have canned pumpkin puree on hand, you can make it from scratch. If you don’t like pumpkin, butternut squash and sweet potato purees will work interchangeably, too.
Rotini with Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
William Dickey
This creamy pumpkin pasta sauce, spiked with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese, is a great fall alternative to traditional tomato-based sauce. Here, we serve it with pasta, but it can also be used on pizza or as a dipping sauce alongside fresh-baked breadsticks.
Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup
This quick and easy vegan pumpkin black bean soup is filled with veggies. Convenient canned pumpkin, beans and coconut milk flavored with curry make it a hearty fall meal.
Pumpkin-Spice Latte Overnight Oats
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
Enjoy the cozy flavors of fall with this recipe for pumpkin-spice latte overnight oats! It’s a convenient make-ahead breakfast inspired by the beloved fall drink, complete with real pumpkin and a creamy yogurt topping. Blending all the ingredients gives the oats a smooth texture and helps meld the flavors that you’ll reach for again and again.
High-Protein Pumpkin Bread
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
This easy pumpkin bread gets a protein boost from yogurt and a nutty pumpkin seed topping. Warm spices combined with pumpkin make this the perfect fall breakfast. Bake a loaf on the weekend and enjoy it during the week as you dash out the door. If you like your pumpkin bread a little sweeter, drizzle it with the optional glaze after it cools.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This healthy pumpkin sheet cake is perfectly spiced from the pumpkin pie spice blend, a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. A tangy, sweet cream cheese frosting helps balance the flavors. This cake is perfect for any fall gathering.
Pumpkin-Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Rolls
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
These pumpkin-goat cheese puff pastry rolls combine sweet pumpkin with savory goat cheese for the perfect fall appetizer. Opt for pre-crumbled goat cheese to keep the pinwheels dry and easy to slice. If you want to tip these easy rolls to the sweeter side, add a little pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon or cloves to the pumpkin mixture.
Gnocchi with Bacon & Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
Get into the fall spirit with this one-pan gnocchi with a creamy pumpkin sauce. Some pumpkin and other squash sauces can be cloyingly sweet, but not this one–it’s savory all the way, thanks to the bacon, garlic and thyme.
Four-Bean & Pumpkin Chili
This healthy vegetarian chili has a fragrant touch of cinnamon for added flavor. Let diners top it with whatever suits their taste.
Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Lightly sweetened cream cheese fills the center of these copycat Starbucks pumpkin muffins, while pepitas add a great crunch factor. Whole-wheat flour amps up the fiber in these healthy breakfast muffins. Be sure not to overfill the muffin with the cream cheese filling or else it will overflow when baking.
Vegan Pumpkin Soup
This vegan pumpkin soup, filled with spices and creamy cashews, can make an easy weeknight dinner or be elevated to a vegan main dish worthy of a holiday dinner by serving it in a hollowed-out freshly roasted pumpkin.
Pumpkin Pie Crisp
This cozy dessert features all the flavors you know and love in a pumpkin pie, but without the hassle of rolling a crust. The creamy pumpkin filling is complemented by the warm spices in the pumpkin pie spice blend and maple syrup. Oats and pecans add a lovely crunch to the topping. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Canned pumpkin adds mellow background flavor and works to thicken up this turkey pumpkin chili. Smoked paprika adds flavor with a hint of spice. This chili is on the thicker side—if you want it thinner, add a bit more water.
Pumpkin Curry Soup
This easy soup recipe mixes in allspice, curry powder, spicy chiles and ginger to give this pumpkin curry soup a Jamaican feel. While habanero is traditional, jalapeños provide a mellower kick.
2-Bite Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are a festive dessert for any gathering, especially Thanksgiving. Feel free to sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top to amp up the warm, cozy flavors. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own with a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Use leftover pumpkin puree in muffins, soup and more.
Healthier Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting
Deliciously warm spiced cake layers are rolled together with slightly tangy cream cheese frosting. This pumpkin jelly roll tastes decadent, but each serving is under 200 calories and has less than 20 grams of sugar. Don’t be intimidated by this jelly roll–so long as you work quickly while the cake is warm, it’s hard to mess it up or crack the cake.