25 Pumpkin Recipe Ideas for Fall

There’s just something about fall that has me reaching for pumpkin (either the puree in a can or the little orange pie pumpkins). While pumpkin pie is always a favorite and this Pumpkin Custard Pie is pretty damn close to perfect, there are plenty of other amazing pumpkin recipes you should make this year. To help, I’ve rounded up 25 of our Best Pumpkin Recipes That Aren’t Pie. They’re all recipes I’ve made many times and love to make year after year. From baked goods to breakfasts to savory recipes to desserts, there’s a little something for everyone! Grab that can of pumpkin and let’s get started! (PS the number one recipe is the last recipe, don’t miss it!)

25. Pumpkin Spice Latte

Save a trip (and all the added syrups) to your local coffee shop with this easy recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte! Made with real pumpkin, this recipe comes together with pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, warm milk and maple syrup. Serve over strong coffee or an espresso shot (and whipped cream + sprinkles of cinnamon, of course!) Each latte comes together in about five minutes and if you make a larger batch of the pumpkin latte base, you can store it in your fridge all week long.

24. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, 3 Ways

Who wants expensive snack foods when you can roast pumpkin seeds?! Rinsed and dried thoroughly, pumpkin seeds tossed in a little butter and salt and roasted till crisp and golden make the easiest (FREE!) snack. Roast ’em classic salted, sweet with cinnamon sugar or even smoky with a ranch seasoning. I like to set out a bowl of each for Halloween night! They also make a great addition to soups and salads.

23. Pumpkin Overnight Oats

A fun fall twist on Overnight Oats! These Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats come together with just a handful of pantry staples and they make a perfect grab and go breakfast on busy weekday mornings! Rolled oats soak overnight in milk, Greek yogurt, and pumpkin puree. Serve straight out of the jar (stored refrigerated overnight) and top with some chopped pecans, drizzle of maple syrup, and/or mini chocolate chips. Prep takes just five minutes the night before and if you make 4 jars on Sunday, you’ll have easy weekday breakfasts taken care of!

22. Pumpkin Gnocchi

Made with ricotta, Parmesan, pumpkin purée, and flour, this gnocchi recipe is the perfect way to use up any remaining pumpkin. Simply form the mixture into pillow shapes, boil for about 3 minutes (till they float), and toss in a brown butter and sage sauce. Best eaten right away while still super tender, this is a dish you just gotta make on a lazy weekend!

21. Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Cubes of day old brioche soaked in pumpkin custard make the most amazing bread pudding with a crisp top and creamy center. This pumpkin dessert recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd, drizzled with some quick and easy caramel sauce or served with a scoop vanilla ice cream, it’s sure to become an instant family favorite. Pumpkin bread pudding is great served warm on a cold evening or served as an alternate Thanksgiving dessert. Great the next day, too!

20. Pumpkin Risotto

Simmering slowly in warm broth till creamy and tender, arborio rice makes the perfect base for this pumpkin risotto recipe. Creamy and rich with Parmesan cheese and butter, you just gotta stir (for about 30 minutes) to create this dinner recipe that can be served vegetarian alongside a simple green salad or over the top with roasted chicken or seared scallops to impress your next crop of dinner guests. Spooned over with plenty more grated Parmesan, risotto’s rich flavor and silky texture will have you reaching for the pot again and again.

19. Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

Rich, flakey, buttery, and oh so fall with the addition of pumpkin, these maple glazed pumpkin scones rival any you’d get from your local coffee shop (for way less money, too!). Key ingredients and steps to flakey success include cold butter and not over mixing the scones together (dense scones no thank you!). Unmixed scones freeze well, form the scones, pop ’em in the freezer and pull out only as many as you want to bake! Once baked and slightly cooled, drizzle with maple glaze which will form the cutest little crackle top as it cools.

18. Pumpkin Chili

Believe it or not, pumpkin goes great in savory dishes, too! Adding depth and flavor (but NOT a dessert-y taste!), pumpkin melts right into this easy pumpkin chili recipe. Full of beef, beans, tomato and spiced with cumin and chili powder, this pumpkin beef chili is ready in no time (less than an hour) making it perfect for weeknight dinners or the next football watch party. Serve with corn bread and fixings like sour cream, green onions, and a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese. Freezes well and tastes even better the next day.

17. Pumpkin French Toast Bake

This Pumpkin French Toast Bake is so easy to make and can feed a crowd, making it perfect for serving on an autumn morning! Made ahead the night before and then baked as your coffee brews, chunky cubes of bread soak up a rich and delicious pumpkin spice custard while a brown sugar, butter and pecan topping bakes to perfection, becoming crisp like a streusel. Serve with maple syrup and dig in! Great on any holiday morning, for brunch, or any morning that you’d rather not stand over a hot skillet!

16. No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

No water bath here! No worries of a cracked cheesecake top! No turning on the oven for any reason! This delicious No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake comes together with a sweet graham cracker crust and creamy pumpkin cream cheese filling swathed with clouds of whipped cream. Allow it to chill overnight for perfect slices (or anytime it firms up enough) then top each serving with more whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or gingersnap crumbs. Make it ahead of time to save some much needed oven real estate for Thanksgiving Day! Keep chilled until ready to serve.

15. Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta with Sage Brown Butter

This pumpkin alfredo pasta comes together in about 20 minutes and is super easy to make. The garlicky, Parmesan riddled cream sauce gets a twist from pumpkin puree creating a beautiful orange color and subtle hint of sweet. Before serving, we drizzle on some brown butter with sage for the ultimate fall pasta dish! We made ours with fettuccine but rigatoni would be amazing in this recipe as well. If you need more substance to this dish you can add grilled chicken or italian sausage. Serve warm with additional Parmesan if desired. Bon appetit!

14. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

Spiced with all the flavors of fall and filled with a sweet cream cheese filling, this pumpkin swirl bread is the perfect addition to your fall baking list! You could wrap a loaf up in parchment paper and twine for the perfect hostess gift or simply pull some slices out of the oven and serve them slightly warm with your morning cup of coffee! To make: pour half the prepared batter into pan. Dollop cream cheese mixture over batter, spreading as evenly as possible. Spoon remaining batter over cream cheese mixture, spreading to cover cream cheese filling.

13. Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip

All the ingredients come together in this super easy, 5 minute, one bowl, pumpkin cheesecake dip recipe! Perfect with gingersnaps, graham crackers, apple slices or even pretzels! Great for Halloween or Friendsgiving! Add all ingredients to a bowl and whip with hand or stand mixer until fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best made 1 day ahead of time to allow the flavors to meld together. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving. Serve and store chilled.

12. Pumpkin Pancakes

Fluffy, lightly spiced Pumpkin Pancakes bursting with fall flavor and the tender, custardy middle is thanks to pumpkin purée. Buttermilk makes these fall flavored pancakes super tender and irresistible. Slap ’em onto a hot griddle and wait for that gorgeous golden color. Spoon a pat of butter on top and pour warmed maple syrup generously. Serve with extra maple syrup, whipped cream and even toasted pecans. Freeze extras for hectic school week mornings and pop in the toaster. Or save ’em for a lazy weekend brunch with the family. Either way, pumpkin pancakes are sure to become an autumnal tradition in your house too!

11. Pumpkin Roll

Thin layers of spiced pumpkin cake twirled into a perfect spiral around luscious cream cheese filling make one pretty impressive Pumpkin Roll. You can even make this show stopping dessert ahead of time (or freeze for up to a month). Tip for perfect spirals: Roll up the still-warm pumpkin cake in a powdered sugar-dusted dish towel for seamless results without cracks! Refrigerate rolled and filled in the same towel wrap until ready to slice and serve.

10. Creamy Pumpkin Soup

In just about 30 minutes you’ll be ladling warm bowls of this Creamy Pumpkin Soup. Fragrantly sauteed onion, garlic, and fresh thyme infuse pumpkin simmered with savory broth and cream for an unbeatably cozy, fall chocka bowl of goodness. Crown each bowl with a drizzle of cream, crack of pepper, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Bring crusty bread along for the ride! Perfect to make ahead for a grab and reheat lunch or meal prep, this also makes an outstanding starter on Thanksgiving Day. Or with Grilled Cheese, an entire lunch or light dinner.

9. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If there’s one thing kids will eat…it’s anything with chocolate. Luckily for veggie-resistant little ones, Pumpkin hides out perfectly happily in these super easy-to-make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Brown sugar and pumpkin come together for soft, pillowy, cakey (not chewy!) cookies studded with melty pools of chocolate. No mixer necessary (or chilling cookie dough!) so whip these babies out for the lunchbox, bake sale contribution, or next movie night (along with some cold milk).

8. Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Who knew pumpkin and mac and cheese were BFFs?! Sneaky veggies for veggie-haters (they’d never guess the veggie hiding inside the cheese sauce!), Pumpkin makes this Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe next level creamy and rich (and that deep golden hue comes courtesy of pumpkin too!). Sharp cheddar cheese envelops each nubby piece of elbow macaroni; crispy and buttery crumbs blanket the top and get gorgeously crisp in the oven. Take it up a notch by topping with crumbled bacon! Ready in no time and perfect for Thanksgiving or as a weekday meal, and don’t forget there will be leftovers so you can enjoy again later!

7. Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Spiced pumpkin sheet cake + tangy sweet thick slathered-on cream cheese frosting = Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. These easy to make bars come out of the oven straight into a crowd’s (and your own) heart. Pumpkin (and frosting!) makes these easy bars moist, flavorful, and downright addictive. And since they bake up in a sheet pan there’s tons to share (no scooping batter or frosting, perfect for when you want a crowd pleaser dessert minus the fuss involved with cupcakes). Perfect for potlucks, office parties, school events, or tailgates, and there’ll almost certainly be leftovers, happily keeping in the fridge for up to 5 days.

6. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

If you want to take pumpkin cheesecake to the next level, you must try these pumpkin cheesecake bars! Spiced pumpkin cheesecake custard baked over a sweet and spicy gingersnap crumb crust makes the ultimate pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe! They’re rich, decadent and oh-so creamy! And they’re SO EASY to make. Plus there’s no springform pan involved! Chill until set, slice and serve. Add a drizzle of caramel and dollop of whipped cream. YUM! Great make ahead dessert for Thanksgiving.

5. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Rich, moist, bakery-worthy, domed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins bursting with melty pools of chocolate and flecked with cinnamon & nutmeg. Made with just a bowl and a whisk, these amazing muffins stay moist for days and are easy to pack in lunchboxes, serve at holiday brunches and freeze! The trick to bakery-worthy muffin tops? Starting to bake them in a HOT oven then reducing the oven’s temperature. Genius! You can freeze extra muffins to pull out on mornings when a grab and go breakfast will suffice. Or just enjoy them as a snack, addition to the lunch box, or alongside a cup of coffee.

4. Pumpkin Dump Cake

Pumpkin pie custard meets yellow cake mix in this super easy fall dump cake recipe! All you do is stir together a creamy and spiced pumpkin custard layer, top it with yellow cake mix then drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake it then enjoy gooey, creamy pumpkin pie flavored goodness with a crunchy buttery crisp top similar to a cobbler! Add chopped pecans if desired and serve slices warm alongside vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Pumpkin Dump Cake is the perfect easy dessert for when you’re craving fall flavors but short on time!

3. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Take cinnamon rolls to a new level by adding pumpkin right into the soft and pillowy sweet yeast dough! Next roll it in cinnamon brown sugar goodness, bake ’em and smother them in sweet vanilla cream cheese icing that oozes into all the perfect nooks and crannies of these AMAZING pumpkin cinnamon rolls! You CAN prep these rolls the night before, allowing them to complete their rise in the refrigerator overnight, then pull them out in the a.m., shape them and bake. So worth waking up to the smell of these rolls baking!!

2. Classic Pumpkin Pie

This Classic Pumpkin Pie recipe is the PERFECT blend of pumpkin, spices, heavy cream and brown and white sugars creating the BEST rich and silky-smooth pumpkin pie filling! It never cracks and has the perfect texture and flavor. This easy recipe allows you the flexibility of using a homemade or a store bought pie crust. Make sure to allow the pumpkin pie to cool before slicing and it’ll be the star of your Thanksgiving table! Add a dollop of whipped cream if you please!

1. Classic Pumpkin Bread

This Classic Pumpkin Bread recipe is sure to become your FAVORITE! Soft, moist crumb bursting with warm spices, NO walnuts or chocolate chips (add ’em if you want, but trust me you won’t need ’em), no mixer (one bowl mess), comes out of the oven with a perfectly crackly, domed top and bakes up two loaves (eat one, share/freeze the other). Slice up a thick piece and serve with coffee or tea. Takes about 15 minutes of your time, and you’re welcome.

Final Thoughts

Pumpkin is good any time of year, but there’s something special about baking with it when the weather turns cool. Whether you start with a quick latte or go all in on cinnamon rolls, there’s a pumpkin recipe here for every fall day. Pair them with a pumpkin cocktail! If you’ve had your fill of pumpkin, check out our favorite apple desserts for the season instead!