What to Make with Canned Pumpkin Puree

It seems like people either love or hate pumpkin things. I’ve found that when people think they don’t like pumpkin, it’s actually that they just don’t like pumpkin spice, which can be overwhelming when it’s not properly used (or it's overused).

Pumpkin minus the spices is pretty mild. When it comes to canned pumpkin, the USDA doesn’t have strong guidelines to define “pumpkin,” so any sort of squash-like vegetable can be used, which means flavor can vary by brand. 

The test kitchen’s favorite pumpkin puree is Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin. Libby’s uses Dickinson pumpkins, which are known for having tender flesh and a sweeter flavor. Tasters found Libby’s canned pumpkin puree to have a smooth consistency, prominent pumpkin flavor, and subtle squash notes.

(Keep in mind that canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie mix or filling are not the same thing.)

The recipes below all call for pumpkin puree. Some of these recipes are meant to have prominent pumpkin spice flavor (like the Pumpkin Spice Muffins), and others have judicious amounts of pumpkin spice or no pumpkin spice at all to let the pumpkin flavor shine through. So whether or not you’re a fan of the spice, there’s bound to be a pumpkin recipe here that you’ll love.

Our Pumpkin Spice Muffins are supermoist and lightly flavored from the addition of pumpkin puree. They are made for pumpkin spice lovers, as they have pumpkin spice in both the muffin and the crunchy streusel topping.

Using a quick-bread method (stirring together the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining them) ensures that our Pumpkin–Chocolate Chip Snack Cake doesn’t get overmixed (so it will be nice and tender). Mini chocolate chips complement the mild pumpkin. 

For a company-worthy dessert, there’s our Maple-Pumpkin Stack Cake. It has four layers of pumpkin cake with maple-sweetened whipped cream spread over each one. Some toasted pecans tossed on top add a bit of crunch. 

You won’t find any pumpkin spice in our Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream Sauce—just lots of browned butter, toasted hazelnuts, and frizzled sage. Cooking the pumpkin with cream and adding Parmesan cheese turns it into a decadent sauce.

Everyone’s favorite way to use canned pumpkin is in pumpkin pie. And we won’t disappoint you there. Here are three of our favorite pumpkin pie recipes.

We know holidays can be busy, so that’s why we developed our Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie with Maple-Cinnamon Whipped Cream. You can make the whole pie up to two weeks ahead and freeze it. When you’re ready to serve it, simply let it thaw for 5 hours at room temperature, whip up the topping, and spread it over.

Our Rum Pumpkin Chiffon Pie has a meringue-based filling, so it is exceptionally light and airy. A graham cracker crust and some crumbled gingersnaps on top add lots of complementary flavor and crunch. 

Finally, for a real showstopper, there’s our Pumpkin Praline Pie, which has a luscious custard filling and a crunchy pecan praline top, making it the best combination of pumpkin pie and pecan pie.