Nearly 30% of Americans say that fall is their favorite season. The crisp air, the changing leaves, and the delicious pumpkin recipes – what’s there not to like?!
Let’s start fall early this year and start making our favorite autumn recipes now. Here are 4 delicious pumpkin recipes you should try this year.
1. Pumpkin Cupcakes
For a trendy treat, you can try one of the many pumpkin spice recipes online. These cupcakes are simple, delicious, and pair well with cream cheese or buttercream frosting.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1/2 t salt
- 3/4 t ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t ground ginger
- 1/2 t ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 3/4 cup walnuts (optional)
If you don’t have cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg or don’t want to buy them separately, some grocery stores have fall spice mix which is a blend of these warm spices.
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar together until smooth, mix in eggs and pumpkin and blend
4. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition; stir in chopped walnuts or pecans.
5. Prepare paper muffin cups with cooking spray and flour to prevent them from sticking
6. Place paper muffin cups in a muffin tray and fill each cup about 2/3 full
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
Once the muffins are cooled, you can frost them. And if you are looking for equally tasty but healthy pumpkin recipes, check out this fruit sweetened pumpkin muffins recipe.
2. Stuffed Pasta With Pumpkin-Bacon Sauce
You heard it here first – pumpkin can also be a savory ingredient! So as you’re browsing easy fall recipes, don’t forget about how versatile this gourd can be. This stuffed pasta recipe takes about 45 minutes to an hour including prep time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this delicious dinner dish:
- 24 stuffed shells (frozen)
- 1 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup chicken stock (*can use vegetable stock)
- 3 1/2 cups non-fat milk
- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups grated fontina cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Start by preheating the oven to 350°F
2. Prepare a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray
3. Arrange frozen shells in the prepared baking dish
4. Cook bacon per package instructions or cook in a medium-size pan for 10-15 minutes
5. Remove most of the bacon fat from the pan reserving about 1/4 cup
6. Cook the onions in the bacon fat until translucent (about 6-8 minutes)
7. Stir in the flour and add chicken stock and milk
8. Stirring constantly, allow the mixture to simmer and thicken before adding pumpkin puree, rosemary, thyme, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper
9. Bring the mixture back up to simmering before pouring the sauce over the shells
10. Top the shells with fontina cheese and bake for about 35-40 minutes (top should be bubbly and brown)
This tasty comfort dish can be served with a fall salad, garlic bread, or roasted vegetables. It can also be served as a side on Thanksgiving!
3. Pumpkin Butter
Can’t decide between sweet or savory pumpkin recipes? Try pumpkin butter! It’s a versatile, spreadable form of pumpkin for pasta sauces, toast, or graham crackers.
Ingredients:
- 1 (3-pound) sugar pumpkin, stemmed, seeded, and halved lengthwise
- 1 T vegetable oil/canola oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 3 T honey
- 1 t apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Don’t be intimated by the use of a full pumpkin. It takes some effort to seed it but it’s worth it!
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Brush halved pumpkin with oil and arrange cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
3. Bake for about 50 minutes or until tender, remove from oven, and cool for 10 minutes
4. Remove pumpkin flesh and place into food processor; add apple cider, Brown sugar, honey, vinegar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves until well-blended
5. Remove mixture from food processor and put into a saucepan over medium heat until simmering; reduce to low and stir while it reduces about 25 minutes
6. Remove from heat and let cool for about 30 minutes
You can serve the pumpkin butte right away or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. Use butter within 2-3 weeks of preparation to ensure freshness.
4. Pumpkin Pancakes
Who says you can’t have pumpkin for breakfast? This pancake recipe is one of the best pumpkin recipes for fall.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 t baking powder
- 1/4 t baking soda
- 1/2 t kosher salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin butter
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 T granulated sugar
- 1 T unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
If you haven’t made your own pumpkin butter (recipe above) you can find pumpkin butter at specialty grocery stores.
Preparation:
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl
2. Mix together pumpkin butter, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and eggs in a medium-sized bowl
3. Combine dry and wet ingredients in a large bowl
4. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat and spoon about 1/3 cup of batter at a time
5. When pancakes start to bubble on one side, flip them; total cook time is about 5-8 minutes per pancake
Serve pancakes with butter, syrup, fruit, or nuts. You can also refrigerate any extra batter and make more pancakes the next day!
Ready to Try These Pumpkin Recipes?
There you have it – 4 of the best sweet and savory pumpkin recipes to try this season. And why wait? Make fall last longer by getting into the kitchen now!
Build your culinary repertoire to show off for friends and family this fall. And once you’ve mastered these pumpkin recipes, check out the huge library of other recipes we have on our website!
