Plenty of fall recipes call for just part of a can of pumpkin puree, which is how so many of us end up with a half-used can sitting in the fridge with no plan for it. A standard 15-ounce can holds roughly 1 ¾ cups of puree, and every idea below uses somewhere between ¼ cup and 1 cup, so you can mix and match until the can is empty. None of them are pumpkin pie.
One quick tip before you start: don’t store leftover pumpkin in the open can. Scoop it into a covered container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it in measured portions so it’s ready the next time a recipe calls for “½ cup canned pumpkin.” And make sure you’re working with pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced.
1. Stir it into overnight oats
Our Pumpkin Overnight Oats use just ¼ cup of pumpkin puree per jar, which makes them the easiest way to chip away at a leftover can. Stir it into ½ cup of old-fashioned rolled oats with ½ cup of milk, ¼ cup of vanilla yogurt, a little chia seed, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of maple syrup. It takes about 5 minutes to mix, then the fridge does the rest overnight.
In the morning it tastes a lot like pumpkin pie filling you’re allowed to eat for breakfast. Top it with chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch. If you have more pumpkin to use up, stir together a few jars at once so breakfast is handled for several days.
2. Blend it into a protein shake
The pumpkin protein shake I make every fall morning takes ⅓ cup of pumpkin puree and about 5 minutes. Blend it with a small frozen banana, a scoop of vanilla protein powder, 2 tablespoons of rolled oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, a cup of almond milk, and a handful of ice.
The frozen banana is what makes it thick and creamy without ice cream, so don’t skip it. It’s a good one to keep in mind for the busy weeks around the holidays, when a filling breakfast you can drink on the way out the door is worth a lot.
3. Bake a batch of pumpkin snickerdoodles
Our Pumpkin Snickerdoodles need ½ cup of pumpkin puree for a batch of 24 cookies, and they’re ready in about 30 minutes. The pumpkin goes into the dough along with 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, and cream of tartar gives them that classic snickerdoodle tang before each ball gets rolled in cinnamon sugar. That half cup is just enough to add flavor and moisture without turning the cookies cakey.
4. Work it into cinnamon roll dough
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls use ½ cup of canned pumpkin right in the yeast dough, which turns it a soft golden orange. The filling is brown sugar with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and the pan of 12 rolls gets finished with a cream cheese and caramel frosting.
These are a weekend project: plan on a little over 3 hours from start to finish, with most of that time hands-off while the dough rises. They’re worth it for a holiday breakfast, and they’re a delicious way to use up pumpkin when you have a bit more time.
5. Whip up a 5-minute pumpkin dip
Our Pumpkin Dip takes a full cup of pumpkin puree and only five ingredients: 4 ounces of cream cheese, the pumpkin, a cup of powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of cloves. Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, add the rest, and it’s ready in about 5 minutes. One batch serves around 12.
Serve it with gingersnap cookies, sliced apples, or cinnamon graham crackers. It’s an easy appetizer to bring to a Friendsgiving or set out while the turkey rests.
6. Bake pumpkin pancakes on a sheet pan
Sheet Pan Pumpkin Pancakes use 1 cup of canned pumpkin and bake the whole batch at once, so nobody has to stand at the griddle flipping. The batter comes together with flour, brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs, allspice, and cinnamon, and the full recipe takes about 22 minutes and cuts into 24 squares.
Because it’s one big pan, you can top different sections with different things, like chocolate chips on one end and chopped pecans on the other, so everyone gets the pancake they want. It’s a good way to feed a houseful of holiday guests.
7. Make soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies use 1 cup of canned pumpkin for 24 soft cookies, and they take about 20 minutes. The pumpkin keeps them soft and moist, and the chocolate chips make them an easy sell with kids.
If you’ve already made one of the smaller recipes above, this is the one that finishes off the can. And if you’d rather start with a full can (or two), our pumpkin slab pie bakes classic pumpkin pie in a single sheet pan for a crowd. For the spice blend that shows up in almost every recipe here, mix up a jar of our homemade pumpkin pie spice.
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