Pumpkin is one of the prized ingredients of fall – pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread. But did you know that the canned pumpkin you’re buying at the store probably isn’t pumpkin? It’s most likely winter squash. The FDA says that pumpkin and squash are sometimes mixed intentionally to obtain a desirable consistency, and labeling those items as pumpkin is in compliance with the regulations because the contents do contain pumpkin.
But does this really matter when it comes to making the perfect pumpkin pie? We let Bon Appetit do the heavy lifting. They compared two Libby’s pumpkin pie recipes to their own from scratch, all pumpkin version. The winner? Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie.
Here are some of the tastiest and easiest “pumpkin” recipes to whip up, thanks to the convenience of canned pumpkin.
Pumpkin pie spice caramel corn is a great make-and-take snack for Thanksgiving morning turkey bowl games or for snacking after the dishes are done.
Kick Thanksgiving morning off right with pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.
Soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon sugar frosting get a kick from a secret ingredient: cinnamon butter spread.
These healthy pumpkin pie-inspired bars are made with grated pumpkin, if you’re feeling like stepping away from the canned pumpkin.
Easy pumpkin swirl chocolate brownies give a tasty fall twist to traditional brownies.
Tart orange and spicy pumpkin pack a one-two punch in these pumpkin spice cookies with orange buttercream frosting.
Pumpkin pie snickerdoodle bars are a fun twist on traditional pumpkin bars.
An almond/raisin/coconut crust is the base for this semi raw pumpkin cheesecake.
Serve each guest an individual pumpkin pecan pie in a jar.
This pumpkin trifle is full of pantry staples like a spice cake mix, pudding and canned pumpkin.
These mini pumpkin pie tarts feature a brown sugar and pecan crumb topping.
Low-fat gooey pumpkin cake … I think that says it all!
This spiced pumpkin cheesecake is described as more of a pumpkin pie with a cheesecake twist.
Cream cheese filling is sandwiched between moist pumpkin cookies in these pumpkin pie whoopie pies.