24 Desserts That Use an Entire Can of Pumpkin Puree

October 21, 2020

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Celebrate a classic fall flavor with these dessert recipes featuring pumpkin puree. Look for unseasoned pumpkin puree, so you can control the sodium and spices that go in your dessert. These recipes use the entire can of pumpkin, so you’re not left with an open can in your fridge. Desserts like Pumpkin Pie Nice Cream and Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake with Streusel Topping are delicious, seasonal and easier to make thanks to the handy shortcut of canned pumpkin puree.

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Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel

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This riff on the Thanksgiving favorite combines a traditional pumpkin pie filling with swirls of sweetened cream cheese. And since it's only Thanksgiving once a year, we've topped it all off with a buttery spiced-pecan topping. This easy pie recipe will please anyone at your table this holiday.

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Pumpkin-Coconut Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche Glaze

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This sumptuous pumpkin-coconut cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and a caramelly topping is adapted from a recipe that chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, author of the cookbook Latin Superfoods, developed for her family's Thanksgiving dinner. The combination of coconut and pumpkin is a flavor profile that nods to Moreinos Schwartz's childhood in Brazil. We've cut down on the sugar and the calories in a traditional cheesecake for this version of the treat but left all of the flavor and silky texture of the original.

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Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake with Streusel Topping

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A dump cake recipe is exactly what it sounds like--you simply dump all of the ingredients into a pan and bake. There isn't a step where you stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture; instead, it goes into the baking pan in three stages and the result is a pudding-like cake with a streusel-like topping. The two parts together are delicious (and you'd be hard-pressed to find an easier fall dessert)!

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

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Indulge your PSL obsession with these pumpkin spice cookies. Instant espresso powder gives these soft, cakey cookies a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Spread with cream cheese frosting (with more pumpkin pie spice flavors) and sprinkle with cinnamon to finish. And, go ahead, drink a pumpkin spice latte while you eat them for the full PSL experience. After all, it's only fall for so long (though we'd eat these cookies year-round). To make these cookies kid-friendly, simply omit the espresso powder.

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Pumpkin Pie Nice Cream

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Can't get enough pumpkin spice and pumpkin? Get those fall flavors you love in this dairy-free and vegan ice cream alternative made with bananas and pumpkin puree. This easy and healthy dessert contains no added sugar, unless you use the optional maple syrup--which is a delicious touch. Add some chopped pecans to make it really special.

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Basic Crustless Pumpkin Pie

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This low-fat crustless pumpkin pie is a perfect dessert for the dieters at your holiday meal or people who are watching their carbs.

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Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

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This decadent, moist cake features a creamy pumpkin-spiced custard atop a shortbread-like crust. The cake mix is a convenient shortcut for making the buttery crust. Serve with whipped cream.

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Pumpkin Spice Pudding

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The key to making this healthy, smooth pudding is constant slow whisking. A staff favorite, this recipe is one you'll want to pin for an easy make-ahead dessert.

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Pumpkin Pecan Pie

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This recipe mash-up marries the sweet, subtle flavor of pumpkin with the nuttiness of pecans. Not only do the pecans create a beautiful pattern on top, their addition to classic pumpkin pie also creates an amazing textural combination of creamy and crunchy. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream to make it even more delicious.

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Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

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This easy slow-cooker pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap-and-walnut crust is full of all your favorite fall flavors. Cooking dessert in the slow cooker frees up oven space, making this healthy dessert perfect for entertaining. It might just bump your regular old pumpkin pie off the Thanksgiving menu. To make this recipe gluten-free, swap out the regular gingersnap cookies for gluten-free gingersnaps.

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Pumpkin Roll Cake with Pecan-Cream Cheese Filling

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Many pumpkin roll cakes have the starring ingredient only in the cake, which is a missed opportunity to enjoy all the flavor, plus you end up with leftover canned puree sitting in your fridge. Here, the remaining pumpkin is whipped with cream cheese, pecans and crystallized ginger for a tangy filling.

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Pumpkin Tart with Pecan-Shortbread Crust

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A pleasant tang, courtesy of Greek yogurt in the filling, and a mascarpone cheese whipped cream topping take this healthy pumpkin dessert recipe above and beyond classic pumpkin pie.

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Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

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One of the tasters of this dairy-free pumpkin pie called it a "vegan's dream come true." The filling has just the right amount of spice, while the crust--made with part whole-wheat flour--has a wonderful nutty flavor and crispy texture. The pie is great as is, but to really please the plant-based eaters at your Thanksgiving table, top it with Coconut Whipped Cream (see Associated Recipes).

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Pumpkin Dump Cake

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This pudding-like pumpkin cake has a luscious cream cheese swirl amid the spiced pumpkin layer. Organic cake mix is "dumped" on top, then the cake is smothered with butter. Once baked and cooled, the mix forms a sweet and crispy topping.

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Cranberry-Orange Almond Crunch Pumpkin Pie

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Bran cereal, almonds, and dried cranberries make a quick but pretty topper for this crustless pumpkin pie.

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Pumpkin-Maple Pie

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This maple-flavored pastry and pumpkin mixture is lower in fat and calories than the old-fashioned version, but it is every bit as good.

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Red Velvet Pumpkin Bars

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These simple bars are lightened up with pumpkin and fat-free yogurt, but taste as decadent as red velvet cake.

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Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake

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You don't have to have pumpkin pie to still enjoy pumpkin and spice in a Thanksgiving dessert. Pumpkin helps keep this cake tender and moist while, delicate spices add the classic Thanksgiving flavors.

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Spiced Pumpkin Pie

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This boldly spiced classic pumpkin pie recipe can be made with canned pumpkin puree, a roasted pie pumpkin or roasted squash. Make your own healthy pastry dough or look for a store-bought frozen pie crust without any partially hydrogenated oils.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap-Walnut Crust

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We pulled out a few of our favorite EatingWell tricks to achieve plenty of creaminess in our pumpkin cheesecake without all the saturated fat of a typical recipe: nutrient-packed canned pumpkin and pureed nonfat cottage cheese replace some of the cream cheese. A touch of pumpkin pie spice warms up the flavor. For the crust, shop the natural-foods section for gingersnaps without any hydrogenated oil. Simple toasted walnuts are an elegant garnish. Or try making candied walnuts. Just be careful not to eat all of them before they make it to the cake!

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Ginger-Chocolate Crunch Pumpkin Pie

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An easy gingersnap topping jazzes up this crustless pumpkin pie.

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No-Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

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This luscious swirled cheesecake dessert is a no bake, mix-and-chill recipe. Plus, each slice is under 200 calories!

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Pumpkin Cake with Dried Cranberries

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This pretty pumpkin-cranberry Bundt cake is a delicious alternative to holiday pumpkin pie.

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Maple-Apple Pecan Crunch Pumpkin Pie

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Cooked apple slices top a crustless pumpkin pie in this dessert recipe. Chopped nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup top it off.

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