10 Fun Pumpkin Recipes to Try This Fall

I’m not a pumpkin person. You know who I’m talking about? Those people who love all things pumpkin – selfies with pumpkin lattes, kids in pumpkin patches, pumpkin crafts splashed across their walls, cozy pumpkin candles filling their pumpkin loving homes. That’s just not me. So, it’s a little weird that I voluntarily signed up to write about 10 pumpkin recipes to try this fall. But let me tell you – I’m glad I did! It was actually really fun to try a bunch of pumpkin recipes. My kids and friends were fans of many of them. And now we have some new fall favorites that we certainly would not have discovered otherwise.

Whether you’re a pumpkin person or not, I’d like to challenge you to these 10 pumpkin recipes to try this fall. You may be surprised. The bonus is that pumpkins are actually considered a superfood. That’s right – move over kale, there’s a new nutrient rich food in town.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dip
So yummy! Simple. On the sweet side for sure. Good for parties! My kids loved this.
Recipe: ¼ cup sugar
¾ cup creamer
2 cups whipped cream (whip from heavy whipping cream or cool whip)
4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup pumpkin puree (from a can)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Directions: Combine all ingredients and mix. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve in a bowl for spooning out or dipping. Pair it with graham crackers, pretzels, fruit, or get creative.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Power Balls
Tasty! Healthy. Not too sweet. Excellent snack food. My kids weren’t crazy about them, but my health-conscious, low calorie-loving friends devoured them!
Recipe: ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup pumpkin puree (from a can)
1 ¼ cups old fashioned oats
½ cup flax seeds
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla infused maple syrup
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Scoop into bite-sized amounts with a spoon and roll into balls. Place on a cookie sheet or a plate lined with parchment paper. Place back in the refrigerator and keep cold until serving.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Cobbler
Wow, this was good. My kids loved this recipe! Definitely on the sweet side. Good for taking as a dessert to a potluck.
Recipe: 1 ¼ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups hot water
Directions: Combine all the ingredients for the main part. Separately combine the topping ingredients of the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread the main part into a greased dish. I used a 10” square pan. Sprinkle topping over it. Pour the hot water over it. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Pancakes
This was my cheat! I used a mix from Trader Joe’s and it was really good. My kids are pancake connoisseurs and they loved these! Side note, Trader Joe’s has more things pumpkin than should be legal.
Recipe: 1 cup Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix
2 tbsp melted butter
¾ cup milk
1 egg lightly beaten
Directions: Preheat griddle to medium heat. Combine all ingredients. Do not over mix. Pour batter on griddle to desired pancake size. Flip to cook on each side. Add chocolate chips if your kids are like my kids.
Recipe inspiration found on the back of the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix box.

Pumpkin French Toast
Not as simple as the pumpkin pancakes, but still pretty darn easy and oh so yummy. Kids loved these! Surprisingly light for French toast.
Recipe: 4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
½ cup pumpkin puree (from a can)
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
slices of thick bread
Directions: Warm up griddle to medium heat. In a bowl combine all ingredients but the toast. Pour into a medium sized plate with a lip to it, or you can use a small baking pan. Dip bread into the mixture, turning over to each side. It doesn’t need to soak all the way through. Cook on the griddle until each side is cooked thoroughly. Serve with whipped cream and syrup.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
It was delicious, but a little heavy for me. If you like pumpkin flavored coffee drinks, you should definitely give it a try. My kids loved having sips of it sans coffee.
Recipe: 1 cup half and half
2 tbsp pumpkin puree (from a can)
2 tbsp vanilla infused maple syrup
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Warm to medium heat, mixing constantly. Transfer to a container for serving. Let cool. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
Tastes just like the pumpkin pie spice you’d find at your local grocery, but with zero additives. If you make a lot of things using pumpkin pie spice in the fall, then do yourself a favor and make a batch.
Recipe: 2 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
Directions: Combine all ingredients. Store in a jar or plastic baggie.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Sounds so weird, right?! I was so surprised to discover how yummy and creamy this was. The kids loved it too. It would be a perfect side dish for fall dinner parties or even Thanksgiving.
Recipe: ½ lb. macaroni pasta
½ lb. spirals pasta
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Drain. In a medium pot, melt butter, whisk in flour, add milk, add cheese and pumpkin, and keep whisking. Pour over pasta and serve. Since we have kids, we salted individual servings rather than the whole dish.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Butter
Yum! Smooth and sweet. Similar to apple butter, but with more texture. Perfect for dipping just about anything, spreading on toast, putting on ice cream, or mixing into a shake. Make some and keep it on-hand all fall and winter.
Recipe: 2 15 oz. cans pumpkin puree
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup apple juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp lemon juice
Directions: In a microwave-safe dish, combine all ingredients except the lemon juice. Mix. Cook for 6 minutes covered. Mix. Cook an additional 6 minutes. Mix. Cook an additional 3 minutes. Mix. Carefully remove the hot dish. Mix in the lemon juice. Let sit. Store in the refrigerator once cooled to room temp.
Recipe inspiration found here.

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
Let me start by saying I don’t get overnight oats. Oatmeal takes 1 minute to cook in the microwave. What exactly is the appeal of putting them in a jar or bowl for an overnight experience? Truthfully, this recipe was kind of a bust. It tasted good enough, but there was definitely too much liquid. In the future, I would half the milk or just microwave it all together in the morning. Ha!
Recipe: ¼ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup whole milk
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp maple syrup
Directions: Combine all ingredients. Place in a jar or a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve in the morning.
Recipe inspiration found here.

If you try any of these, please let us know how they worked for you. Share photos in the comments or on our social media. Or, if you have some pumpkin favorites to tell us about, please share those!