• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Simply delicious oil-free vegan recipes

  • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Category
    • Recipes by Tag
    • Recipe Box
  • About Me
    • Press
  • NewsBites
  • Shop!
  • Website

What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin

November 30, 2008 By Susan Voisin 21 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy.

What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin
I’m willing to bet that immediately after Thanksgiving, Google sees the number of searches for “leftover turkey” skyrocket. A comparable search for vegetarians would have to be “leftover pumpkin,” though having half or two-thirds a can of leftover pumpkin after the holidays is certainly not a strictly vegetarian problem.

Many recipes call for just a half or a whole cup of pureed pumpkin, but the standard can contains about 1 1/3 cups. I hate to think of all the pumpkin that goes into a storage container, then into the refrigerator, and finally into the garbage after a few days. It’s needless waste since there’s plenty you can do with that pumpkin once everyone’s finished devouring your pumpkin cheesecake.

I’ve tracked down a wealth of recipes that use less than a can of pumpkin. So before that leftover pumpkin starts to grow a green coat, get up and put it to one of these good uses:

Mary's Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Bake it! Try pumpkin bread, biscuits, cookies, muffins, or pumpkin-raisin scones. If you don’t have quite enough pumpkin leftover, don’t open another can; just top off what you have with some applesauce or mashed sweet potato.

Stir a few spoonfuls into a bowl of oatmeal. Add some pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves) and maybe a few raisins, and you’ve got a breakfast that will brighten up your day.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles

Indulge in pumpkin waffles or pancakes. This recipe is good for either one, but you can also add a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin to your favorite recipe.

Make ice cream. Or how about pumpkin pie wontons?

Get very ambitious and make pumpkin pasta or pumpkin pretzels or gnocchi. I’m thinking that pumpkin cream cheese looks like a winner.

Mexican Pumpkin Soup served with air-fried tortilla chips

Make soup. Check out Toor Dal Pumpkin Soup, Hearty Pumpkin Soup, and Mexican Pumpkin Soup. Or just add it to your favorite vegetable soup or stew recipe for an instantly thick and flavorful broth.

Drink it! Try a nog or a smoothie or Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate.

Spiced Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

Don’t feel like eating it? Treat yourself to homemade pumpkin body scrub or a pumpkin facial (veganized, as necessary).

Finally, if you’re just plain sick of pumpkin, you can always freeze your leftovers until inspiration strikes or give it to your dogs (mine love it!) Of course, I’ve got over two dozen pumpkin recipes right here on this blog that might stimulate your appetite for pumpkin!

What’s your favorite use for leftover pumpkin?

If you have pumpkin left over from making your pumpkin pie, don't throw it away! Here are over twenty ways you can use that last bit of canned pumpkin.

Filed Under: How-To, Non-Recipe Tagged With: Holidays, Pumpkin and Winter Squash Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes

Get NewsBites!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive new recipes & tips by email!

Privacy Policy
Previous Post: « Mushroom, Lentil, and Wild Rice Timbales
Next Post: Thai Seitan on Lemongrass Skewers »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maureen

    September 11, 2010 at 11:33 am

    In the past I’ve made pumpkin cornbread. Absolutely fantastic!

    Reply
  2. Natalya

    November 26, 2010 at 11:07 am

    I really just thought of vegan version while scrolled Facebook and found leftover turkey pie… and 3 posts below found yours! Yummy!
    My friend makes pumpkin soup with coconut milk, and i bake pumpkin pieces in a turkish way – in an oven sprinkled with honey until semi-transparent and soft

    Reply
  3. KathyF

    November 26, 2010 at 11:08 am

    Pumpkin is very good for dogs. It’s good for digestion, either to firm up loose stools or the other way. Sorry, I hate to bring up such a gross subject, but maybe someone can use the tip!

    Reply
  4. Christine

    November 26, 2010 at 1:39 pm

    I’ve done the pumpkin oatmeal before and that is yummy. I’ll also mix pumpkin puree with some whole wheat pasta, adding some flax oil, garlic, nutmeg and a little bit of brown sugar, and toasted walnuts on top. With a side of greens, it’s a great easy dinner!

    Reply
  5. Stinkypup

    November 26, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    I just used my leftover pumpkin to feed to my dog who has a tummy ache (not from leftovers). If you think your dog may have a bowel obstruction, then pumpkin will help move things along.

    Reply
  6. Lori

    November 27, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    I mix it in with soy vanilla yogurt.

    Reply
  7. Corinne

    November 27, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    I made a lentil, mushroom and pumpkin lasagne (recipe found here:http://www.healthbites.net/2011/05/16/homemade-lentil-mushroom-olive-and-pumpkin-lasagne/) It’s so delicous, and so packed full of nutrients, particularly when you use wholemeal lasagne sheets.

    Never tried pumpkin oatmeal – will definitely have to give that a go!

    Reply
  8. Tané Tachyon

    November 27, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    I definitely used to mix leftover mashed yams into pancake batter for my children back in the day, so yeah, I imagine pumpkin would be great as well. These days, though, I’m more likely to mix leftover pumpkin puree in with lentil curry.

    Reply
  9. Amy

    November 28, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    Pumpkin hummus is really good–I got my recipe from here: http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2011/10/pumpkin-hummus-with-honey.html

    Reply
  10. Kelly

    October 31, 2012 at 9:19 am

    Roasted, pureed, baked and blended!
    http://thingsthatareawesome.com/2012/10/31/cest-lhalloween/

    Reply
  11. Laura T.

    January 27, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    Do you have the pumpkin sausage recipe? We got some squash in our vegetable box this week and I thought that might be nice, but the link doesn’t work any more and it’s not on that site at all now it seems 🙁

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      January 27, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      I don’t have a pumpkin sausage recipe, but I’ll bet I can figure one out. Let me see what I can do, and I’ll get back to you.

      Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      January 27, 2013 at 2:09 pm

      Laura, here’s an idea. Roast or steam your squash. Mash up a 1/2 cup’s worth and then use it instead of 1/2 cup of the water in the sausage recipe at the bottom of this recipe:

      https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/10/pasta-with-peppers-and-sausage.html

      If the dough seems too dry, add more mashed squash. You should be able to do this with any gluten sausage recipe.

      Reply
      • Laura T.

        January 27, 2013 at 4:38 pm

        Hi Susan
        Thanks for getting back so quick! These look great. I’m guessing you can’t make these without gluten? I’m mildly intolerant (although I do sometime succumb to dough-based temptation…) but it’s not a huge issue.

        Reply
        • Susan Voisin

          January 27, 2013 at 5:15 pm

          I don’t have a gluten-free sausage recipe–yet–but I do have a falafel that uses sweet potato. If you’re interested, you could make these with squash instead of potato, and you could even season them more like sausage: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/01/sweet-potato-falafel-with-yogurt-tahini.html

          Reply
          • Laura T.

            January 28, 2013 at 11:50 am

            That sounds like a great idea 🙂 Thanks again.

  12. Susan

    November 29, 2013 at 9:26 am

    Ha! Ha! If it’s just a little bit, I just eat it! 😉

    Reply
  13. Tam May

    October 1, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    Always love your recipes and suggestions, Susan :-). There are so many things you can do with leftover pumpkin, especially since you can use it as a substitute for eggs in a lot of vegan baking. I use it in a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe that I have, which is delicious, and also for soup. You can also put leftover pumpkin in oatmeal.

    Tam

    Reply
  14. Tim Hordo

    August 15, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    My favourite way to use leftover pumpkin is either in a quick soup, or in pumpkin pie pancakes, both very quick, easy and delicious!

    Reply
  15. Minnie

    November 1, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    I learned a macrobiotic recipe years ago, pumpkin, or butternut squash, tahini or PB, a bit of miso mixed for a toast spread or dip. Love it. With butternut squash and BP, sweet and salty, yum!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to My Kitchen!

Susan VoisinI'm Susan Voisin, and I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based dishes with no added oil. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Find It Fast

  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Ridiculously Easy Recipes
  • Weight Watchers Recipes
  • Recipes by Tag (ingredient, gluten-free, etc.)
  • Complete Recipe Index

Find a Recipe

Allergens

All of my recipes are vegan, dairy-free, and fish free. To find recipes free of other allergens, click on an icon below.

Gluten FreeNut FreeSugar FreeSoy Free

Footer

Fall Favorites

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin

See More Fall Favorites

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Photos, original recipes, and text © Susan Voisin. All rights reserved. Do not republish content without permission.

Nutritional information is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. This site has no affiliation with Weight Watchers™️ and cannot guarantee accuracy of Points™️.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 · Susan Voisin · Privacy Policy· Log in