25 Delicious Recipes to Make with Leftover Canned Pumpkin Purée

updated Oct 18, 2024
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Impossibly Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Stylist: Rachel Perlmutter

While there are many pumpkin recipes that use a full can of pumpkin purée, there are others that don’t. Finding a good use for leftovers can sometimes prove challenging. When in doubt: freeze it! Simply spoon the leftover purée into an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer. After the cubes are frozen, remove them from the tray and store in a freezer container or zip-top bag. Defrost them in the fridge the night before you’re ready to cook.

Pumpkin purée is an incredibly versatile ingredient. You can stir pumpkin purée into your favorite chili, add it to your morning smoothie, stir it into oatmeal, or jazz up mac and cheese.

Whether you find yourself with a one tablespoon or one cup of leftover canned pumpkin purée, here are 25 delicious ways to use it up.

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Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Pumpkin purée is the key for a richer, truer pumpkin flavor in your PSL. If you freeze leftover pumpkin purée in two tablespoon portions, your pumpkin spice-loving future self will thank you.

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2 / 25
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

These pumpkin cookies combine warm pumpkin spice flavor with tangy cream cheese frosting for the perfect pairing. Plain puréed pumpkin plays a key role in the flavor and texture of these soft and pillowy cookies.

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Impossibly Creamy Pumpkin Mousse

This easy pumpkin mousse has silky whipped canned pumpkin, mascarpone cream cheese, and crunchy graham cracker crumbs.

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Pumpkin Crunch Skillet Pancake

This pumpkin crunch skillet pancake plays up some of our favorite fall flavors, and the batter comes together quickly with pantry staples, thanks to pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice.

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Pumpkin Icebox Cake

Layered with graham crackers and pumpkin whipped cream, this no-bake dessert will impress everyone this fall.

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7 / 25
Pumpkin Banana Bread

Ripe, speckled bananas and earthy pumpkin give each spiced slice of this fall quick bread a moist texture and natural sweetness.

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Pumpkin Pancakes

These extra-fluffy pancakes are loaded with real pumpkin, buttermilk, and sweet spices. Bonus points if you serve them with pumpkin spice syrup.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made with canned pumpkin and warm baking spices.

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Easy, Foolproof Pumpkin Roll

This delicately sweet and warmly spiced roll cake tastes just as gorgeous as it looks and bakes up tender and moist. Here's a pumpkin roll that anyone can make!

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Pumpkin Spice Frozen Latte

A blended frozen coffee drink made with ice, coffee concentrate, milk, syrup, pumpkin spice, and pumpkin purée.

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One-Pot Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

This vegetarian one-pot pasta, which is made with mostly pantry staples, is ready in 15 minutes flat.

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Fluffy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Here, a super-soft, pillowy dough made with a double dose of pumpkin (pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice) gets swirled with spiced brown sugar and pumpkin-butter filling, and then blanketed with a generous layer of maple cream cheese icing over the top.

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Pumpkin Spice French Toast

Everything you love about the iconic pumpkin spice latte (espresso powder and all) transformed in quick and easy French toast.

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Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage

It's not autumn until you've made freshly made pasta with a pumpkin cheese filling and sage butter sauce.

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5-Ingredient Pumpkin Dip

It combines the spirit all your favorite pumpkin treats (like pumpkin pie, pumpkin mousse, and pumpkin cheesecake!) into one of our easiest-to-put-together sweet recipes.

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Make-Ahead Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Thick cubes of brioche bread are infused with rich custard packed with warm spices and a double dose of pumpkin, then topped with a brown sugar-pecan streusel.

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Pumpkin Ice Cream

Whipped together with pumpkin purée and warm baking spices, this no-churn pumpkin ice cream practically screams fall.

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Soft and Easy (Lofthouse-Style) Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft and easy Lofthouse-style pumpkin cookies come together with just five ingredients, and are finished with cream cheese frosting.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake meets pumpkin pie, all layered on a classic graham cracker crust.

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Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Spice Lattes

This pumpkin spice latte recipe keeps warm in the slow cooker and doesn't even require an espresso machine, so you can cozy up and stay inside instead.

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Pumpkin Waffles

Easy-to-make pumpkin waffles make for an autumn brunch favorite.

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Frozen 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter-Pumpkin Bites

You only need 3 ingredients for these frozen treats: chocolate-covered pretzels, pumpkin purée, and peanut butter!

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Pumpkin Scone

The secret to making these pumpkin scones ultra-fluffy? Don't over-mix the batter.

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Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake

An easy single-serve pumpkin pie mug cake with a gingersnap crust and snappy spices.

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