Top 5 Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Colder weather, the leaves changing color, and all things pumpkin bring me so much joy! It’s the main reason why I love fall so much! As thanksgiving approaches, I have rounded up all my favorite pumpkin recipes to inspire you! From breakfast, to side dishes, to desserts I have got you covered. So grab your pumpkin puree and flax milk and get cooking! 

1. Pumpkin Pie

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
• 2 eggs
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1 & 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
• 1⁄4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 1 & 3⁄4 cups mashed pumpkin
• 1 cup flax milk

1. Whisk eggs
2. Add sugar, spices, and salt.
3. Add pumpkin, flax mylk
4. Pour mixture into pie shell.
5. Bake at 375F for 55 minutes.

2. Pumpkin Chia Pudding 

• 6 Tablespoons chia seeds, (I used white chia seeds)
• 1½ cups flax milk
• ½ cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon almond butter
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• Toppings: coconut whipped cream, chopped pecans and/or granola

1. Stir together chia seeds, milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, almond butter, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla (if using) in a bowl. 
2. Let mixture soak for 5 minutes. Give it another stir to break up any clumps and divide mixture evenly between three containers. 
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. You’ll want to wait until you’re ready to serve the chia pudding before adding your toppings.
4. When you're ready to enjoy, top chia pudding with coconut whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can also add granola, chopped pecans and /or an extra drizzle of almond butter.
5. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

3. Pumpkin Spice Bread 

• ⅓ cup  extra-virgin olive oil*
• ½ cup maple syrup 
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup malibu mylk 
• 1 tbs teaspoons pumpkin spice blend 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease the loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs, and beat well. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined.
4. Pour info loaf pan. Bake muffins for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the loaf on a cooling rack to cool.

4. Pumpkin Soup 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• Tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
• ½ cup Flax Milk 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds (you can roast the seeds if you’d like—see note—but you won’t need them for this recipe).
2. Slice each pumpkin halve in half to make quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin.
4. Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
5. While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool.
6. Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. I prefer to use my stand blender, which yields the creamiest results—working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.
7. Taste and adjust if necessary (I thought the soup was just right as is, but you might want to add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it a little sweeter).
8. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.

5. Pumpkin Overnight Oats

• 1/4 cup yogurt 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Flax milk 
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats 
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional) 
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt, almond milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla and 1 tablespoon maple syrup until well combined.
• Stir in oats, chia seeds and pumpkin pie spice. Taste and add more maple syrup if you want it sweeter. Pour into a glass jar or container and place in fridge for 4 hours or overnight. Makes 1 serving of pumpkin overnight oats.