What to do with leftover pumpkin puree: Instructions for storing and freezing pumpkin puree, and 40+ recipe ideas to use up leftovers.
I have another entry for you in my “Waste Not” series, a series dedicated to reducing food waste in the kitchen.
Last time we tackled What to Do With Leftover Buttermilk. Today let’s chat about pumpkin puree.
What is pumpkin puree?
Canned pumpkin puree is a glorious product of convenience. It’s pure pureed pumpkin in a can (literally the ingredient list just reads, “pumpkin”) without the time and effort of processing an actual pumpkin in your kitchen.
A traditional 9-inch pumpkin pie usually uses a whole can of pumpkin puree, but many other recipes? Not so much. Pumpkin has A LOT of moisture in it, so a little goes a long way when cooking and leftovers are inevitable.
What to do with leftover pumpkin puree?
When it comes to pumpkin leftovers, you have three options: refrigerate them, freeze them, or use them.
Refrigerating Pumpkin Puree
How long will pumpkin puree keep in the fridge?
Pumpkin puree keeps just fine in the refrigerator for up to a week. Transfer the puree to an airtight container (I’m partial to glass or Pyrex because it doesn’t pick up that pumpkin smell like plastic does) and store for up to 7 days.
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Freezing Pumpkin Puree
Can you freeze pumpkin puree?
Yes! You can store pumpkin puree in the freezer for long-term storage with no loss in quality or texture change.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Puree
Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bags in whatever portion sizes you are most likely to use. It will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Using Leftover Pumpkin Puree
(The best option) Make that extra puree into something amazing. There are a ton of recipes out there that use a partial can of pumpkin puree. I’ve rounded up a bunch of them here and divided them up by amount needed. It’s a good looking bunch. Go nuts!
P.s. Scroll past the recipes for some extra pumpkin puree stats and a cute little infographic.
Things to Make With Most of a Can (1 cup or more) of Pumpkin Puree
(1 1/2 cups) Chocolate & Pumpkin Oreo Cake by The Road to Honey
(1 1/2 cups) Hot Pumpkin Spice Drink by The Worktop
(1 cup) Classic Pumpkin Bread
(1 cup) No-Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake by Snappy Gourmet
(1 cup) Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies by Trial and Eater
(1 cup) Quick Stovetop Vegetarian Chili with Red Peppers, Corn and Black Beans by Two Healthy Kitchens
(1 cup) Pumpkin Pie Smoothie by Platings and Pairings
(1 cup) Healthy Pumpkin Oat Muffins by Platings and Pairings
(1 cup) High Protein Pumpkin Flatbread by Kiddielicious Kitchen
(1 cup) Simple Maple Pumpkin Puree by Blender Happy
(1 cup) Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dessert Shooters by Sugar Spun Run
(1 cup) Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts With Chocolate Whiskey Glaze by My Kitchen Love
(1 cup) Pumpkin Polenta With Roasted Vegetables by Natalies Health
(1 cup) Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins by Marshas Baking Addiction
(1 cup) One Bowl Gluten-free Vegan Pumpkin Bread by Beaming Baker
(1 cup) Slow Cooker Pumpkin Maple Oatmeal by 3 Yummy Tummies
Things to Make With Half of a Can (1/2 cup to less than 1 cup) of Pumpkin Puree
(3/4 cup) Small-batch Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
(3/4 cup) Sour Cream Pumpkin Muffins by Domesticate Me
(2/3 cup) Pumpkin Angel Food Roulade by Food Done Light
(2/3 cup) Pumpkin Pancakes by Longbourn Farm
(2/3 cup) Pumpkin Breakfast Bars by Brazilian Flair in the USA
(2/3 cup) Pumpkin Roll by Salu-Salo
(6 tablespoons) Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies by A Saucy Kitchen
(1/2 cup) Amazing Pumpkin Pancakes for Two
(1/2 cup) Mini Skinny Pumpkin Pie With Graham Cracker Crust
(1/2 cup) Small No-bake Marshmallow Pumpkin Cheesecake
(1/2 cup) Pumpkin Granola Bars with Pecans & Chocolate by A Virtual Vegan
1/2 cup) Double Pumpkin Granola by Live Eat Learn
(1/2 cup) Small-batch Shortbread Pumpkin Pie Bars
(1/2 cup) Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-free) by Vegan Huggs
(1/2 cup) Vegan Whole Wheat Pumpkin Drop Biscuits by Healthy Slow Cooking
(1/2 cup) Pumpkin Pie Smoothie by Domesticate Me
(1/2 cup) Southwest Pumpkin Risotto by Veggie Inspired Journey
(1/3 cup) Mini Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
(1/3 cup) Pumpkin Spice Waffles by Supergolden Bakes
(1/3 cup) Pumpkin Donuts With Maple Glaze
(1/3 cup) Pumpkin Donuts With Cream Cheese Glaze
(1/3 cup) Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Things to Make With Just a Little (1/4 cup or less) of Pumpkin Puree
(1/4 cup) Small-batch Mini Pumpkin Eclairs
(1/4 cup) Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
(1/4 cup) Pumpkin Caramel Sauce (vegan!) by Veggies Don’t Bite
(1/4 cup) Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies
(1/4 cup) 2 minute Paleo Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Bun by Athletic Avocado
(1/4 cup) Pumpkin Cheesecake Profiteroles by The Flavor Bender
(1/4 cup) Skinny Pumpkin Pie Martini by Lipgloss and Crayons
(1/4 cup) Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cupcakes by Cook With Kushi
(1/4 cup) Pumpkin Pie For One by Zag Left
(2 tablespoons) Coconut Flour Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake by Leelalicious
(2 tablespoons) Small-batch Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
(2 tablespoons) Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Two Ways (Light and Decadent)
(2 tablespoons) Paleo Pumpkin Pie Microwave Soufflé by Physical Kitchness
(2 tablespoons) Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte by The Rising Spoon
(1 tablespoon) Small-batch Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
(1 tablespoon) Small-batch Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
More in the Waste Not Series:
What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream
What to Do With Leftover Pesto
What to Do With Leftover Pie Dough
What to Do With Leftover Buttermilk
What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites
What to Do With Leftover Egg Yolks
Pumpkin Puree Stats
Here are some handy stats on a standard 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree:
Volume to Weight Conversion
(1 15-ounce can) 1 3/4 cup = 427g
1 cup = 244g
1/2 cup = 122g
1/3 cup = 81g
1/4 cup = 61g
1 tablespoon = 15g
1 teaspoon = 5g
Substituting With Pumpkin Puree
1 egg = 1/4 cup puree
1 cup oil = 1 cup puree
1 cup butter = 3/4 cup puree
I put all this info together in a cute little infographic for easy reference. You can download it here or Pin it here.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I can’t stand wasting food and those cans of pumpkin puree are HUGE!! I actually have some in my fridge right now and plan on using this weekend. I never thought of freezing it, but will have to remember for next time 😉 Great round up of recipes!
Have a lovely weekend, Tracy!!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com says
I love how you have given the amount needed for each recipe! It makes it so easy to scroll through and pick a recipe that fits your amount of leftovers! Thanks so much for including my Granola Bars :O)
Natalie's Health says
Wow this is great! Thank you so much for making this post. So many lovely fall recipes 😉 Everything looks soooo delicious. Thank you for including my Pumpkin Polenta 😉 Sharing!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite says
Thank you so much for including my recipe! What a great way to organize this all!
Jenn says
Love this!! Rarely does a whole can get used at one time. So many great options here. Thanks for including my risotto!! Sharing!
Minna | Kiddielicious Kitchen says
What a great post! And thank you for including our High protein pumpkin flatbread!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
I just love the idea for this post! So many times, I’ve carefully wrapped the remaining portion of a can of pumpkin and stashed it in the fridge, hoping inspiration would strike and I could use it before it went bad! And … so many times, I ended up throwing it out, after all! This post is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much for sharing our chili – the pumpkin is the perfect, creamy base – and hopefully that will be perfect inspiration for someone else with a little leftover pumpkin, too! 😀
Rachel @ athletic avocado says
Thank you for including my recipe 🙂
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
Thank you so much for including my recipe! I love how you listed the recipes along with the amount of pumpkin puree needed. Definitely bookmarking to make a few of these for myself and sharing.
Tracy says
Thanks, Joanie! And it was my pleasure. I love your little Pumpkin Pie for One. It’s so cute!!
Christine says
Love this list — the polenta link is no longer working FYI, but just the inspiration and knowing that cooking is less precise than baking and I can go ahead and really adjust to what I’ve got left in that open can of pumpkin — totally doing goat’s cheese/pumpkin polenta with roasted brussel sprouts and chicken for lunch. 🙂 Thanks for the idea!
Sarah says
Very helpful. Thank you for your incredible list to help us waste less. I had no idea I could freeze it without it losing water or changing texture. Just in case I need it for the holidays
Lelah says
I really enjoyed your post. It was very thorough and informative. I just opened a can of pumpkin puree and only used half and stumbled across your post while looking for a way to use up the leftovers. I think I’ll try the pumpkin oatmeal. Thank you!