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Published: 10/14/2021Updated: 02/18/2022
Do you have leftover fresh or canned pumpkin purée? I’m sharing 30+ recipes that use up the last of your pumpkin puree, plus best ways to store it. I bake a lot of pumpkin treats in the fall season and I know many of you do too, so this post is extra handy!
It’s easy to bake with pumpkin during the fall season (pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!) because it’s a versatile and delicious ingredient that brings moisture and flavor to baked goods. I usually bake with canned pumpkin puree because that’s what’s easiest, so it’s often I have 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup leftover in the can. Or if I make a big batch of homemade pumpkin puree (this homemade pumpkin puree tutorial is great), I usually have leftovers.
Does this sound like you? Is leftover pumpkin puree taking over your life? Maybe not in the dramatic way I just described (LOL), but this post will solve that problem! 😉
How to Store or Freeze Leftover Pumpkin Purée
Store in the refrigerator: Fresh or leftover canned pumpkin puree lasts for about 1 week in the refrigerator. Remove leftover pumpkin puree from the can and spoon into a container with a tight lid or into a bowl that you can cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store fresh pumpkin puree the same way—tightly covered.
- Baking with Leftover Pumpkin: If other ingredients in your recipe must be at room temperature, bring the pumpkin puree to room temperature too.
How to freeze pumpkin puree: You can freeze fresh or canned pumpkin puree for up to 3 months. To freeze, spoon into a zipped-top bag, lay flat, squeeze out any air, and lay flat in the freezer. You can also freeze in a tightly-sealed container—the less air in the container the better—or in ice cube trays. Once frozen in ice cube trays, remove pumpkin cubes and place in a sealable container. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator and if there is excess liquid after thawing, drain it.
1 Standard 15 Ounce (425g) Can of Pumpkin is Almost 2 Cups
Pumpkin weighs 8 ounces per cup, so there’s a little less than 2 cups in a 15 ounce can. That being said, however, you could certainly use 1 can for 2 recipes that each call for 1 cup (about 225g) of pumpkin—you won’t notice anything is missing. Just leave out 1 Tablespoon of pumpkin (about 15g) from each recipe. (You could even add a Tablespoon or 2 of unsweetened applesauce to replace pumpkin puree.) From the lists below, you can mix and match recipes to build up to 2 cups.
- Why don’t some recipes use the entire can of pumpkin puree? Some can’t withstand that extra moisture and weight. If you used the whole 15 ounce can in these pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars, the bars won’t set up properly since there’s not enough dry ingredients. (But just double the recipe and use the whole can!)
Recipes That Use Leftover Pumpkin Puree
Measure the amount of pumpkin you have leftover, then find that amount listed below.
These Recipes Use More Than 1 Cup of Pumpkin Puree
- Pumpkin Bread (1 and 1/2 cup; about 340g)
- Pumpkin Muffins (1 and 1/2 cup; about 340g)
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies (1 and 1/2 cups; about 340g)
- Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins (1 and 1/2 cups; about 340g)
- Mini Pumpkin Pies (1 and 1/4 cups; about 285g)
- Pumpkin Streusel Bars (1 and 1/4 cups; about 285g)
- Pumpkin Pancakes (1 and 1/4 cups; about 285g)
These Recipes Use 1 Cup (225g) of Pumpkin Puree
- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
- Pumpkin Donuts
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Whole Wheat Mini Pumpkin Muffins
- And Jocelyn’s Pumpkin Fritters look delicious!
- Something savory: Jessica’s Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
These Recipes Use 1/2 Cup – 3/4 Cup (115-170g)
- Mini Pumpkin Muffins (3/4 cup; about 170g)
- Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups (2/3 cup; about 150g)
- Pumpkin Roll (2/3 cup; about 150g)
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (2/3 cup; about 150g)
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (1/2 cup; about 115g)
- Harvest Spice Bread (1/2 cup; about 115g)
- Pumpkin Granola (1/2 cup; about 115g)
- Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecakes (1/2 cup; about 115g)
- Healthier Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (1/2 cup; about 115g)
Use Less Than 1/2 Cup (115g) of Pumpkin Puree Here:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (6 Tbsp; about 86g)
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (6 Tbsp; about 86g)
- Pumpkin Spice Roll Cookies (6 Tbsp; about 86g)
- Jessica’s Pumpkin Pecan Granola looks wonderful (1/3 cup; about 72g)
- Pumpkin Spice Truffles (1/3 cup; about 72g)
- Pumpkin Coffee Creamer (2 Tbsp; about 30g)
- Soup: Add 1-4 Tablespoons to Minestrone Soup when you stir in the spinach
- Hummus: Add 2-3 Tablespoons to homemade hummus (I usually add it to homemade garlic parmesan hummus when adding the tahini)
- Yogurt: Stir a couple Tablespoons + pinch of cinnamon into vanilla/plain yogurt
- Oatmeal: Stir a couple Tablespoons into cooked oatmeal or 1/3 cup into pumpkin pie overnight oats (tried and loved Ashlea’s recipe!)
- Smoothie: Add a couple Tablespoons to your usual smoothie ingredients or make a pumpkin smoothie
- Yogurt Popsicles: Skip the blueberries and replace them with 1/4 cup (about 60g) pumpkin in these blueberry yogurt swirl popsicles
What are your favorite uses for leftover pumpkin puree?
And These Recipes Use An Entire Can of Pumpkin
As it turns out, recipes that use an entire standard 15 ounce can (425g) of pumpkin are few and far between. If you’re in no mood for making more recipes with pumpkin, the following recipes (conveniently) use the whole 15 ounce can.
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin Cake
- Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Tart (this looks incredible and I love Annalise’s recipes)
- Pumpkin Chili
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
PS: Wherever there’s pumpkin, there’s pumpkin pie spice and you can make your own with this homemade pumpkin pie spice blend and free printable labels for your spice jars.
