Use it up · Vegetables

Pumpkin

Have extra pumpkin? Here’s how to choose, store and prep pumpkin, plus 6 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Small "pie" or "sugar" pumpkins are best for cooking. Canned pumpkin purée is plain pumpkin; pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and spiced.

Best season: Fall. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Pantry: Whole: weeks to months in a cool, dry place; canned: about 12 months unopened
Fridge: Opened purée: about a week, covered
Freezer: Purée: 12 months

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University System.

🔪 Prepping it

Halve, scoop and roast cut side down until soft, then scoop and mash. Leftover purée goes into oatmeal, pancakes, muffins and chili.

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: pumpkins. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Pie pumpkin. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	26 kcal	1%
Protein	1.0 g	2%
Total fat	0.1 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.1 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	6.5 g	2%
Dietary fiber	0.5 g	2%
Total sugars	2.8 g
Sodium	1.0 mg	0%
Calcium	21 mg	2%
Iron	0.8 mg	4%
Potassium	340 mg	7%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 168448 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

6 recipes, the ones that use the most pumpkin first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.