They aren’t limited to Jack-o’-lantern duty anymore. Whether you’re into eco-friendly composting, pumpkin pancakes or Pinterest-worthy seasonal accents, pumpkins can do a lot more than simply become lanterns with spooky faces.
When you complete that essential autumn ritual and choose the ideal pumpkin at a patch or supermarket, remember all the ways this fruit (yes, it’s technically a fruit) can be reused. Stretch your dollar by putting that pumpkin to work for two, three or even four more purposes.
What to Do With Your Pumpkin After Halloween
Whether it ends up as something tasty or a crafty project, you can extend a pumpkin’s usefulness well beyond the big night.
The Top Choice? Eat Your Pumpkin
Using your pumpkin as food is likely the most delightful option. There’s a pumpkin recipe suited to nearly every part of the gourd — even the fibrous innards.
While carving pumpkins may not match the flavor of varieties like sugar or pie pumpkins, they’re still serviceable for most of these recipes.
1. Make Pumpkin Puree
It might not sound thrilling by itself, but pumpkin puree is a versatile kitchen staple that keeps on giving.
It’s extremely adaptable: you can transform it into pumpkin muffins, breads and soups later on — or into a classic Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. Puree is the foundation for many items on this list.
Making puree is straightforward: boil, roast or steam your pumpkin, following directions like those at Good Housekeeping. If your Jack-o’-lantern had a real candle, trim away any scorched parts or melted wax before cooking.
Puree freezes nicely for later; zip-top freezer bags pressed flat work well for stacking.
2. Brew Pumpkin Spice Latte
Cozy up at home with a homemade pumpkin spice latte. Save both time and money while making your quiet moments comfier. Here’s a recipe from Champagne-Tastes.com that can even be made vegan.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
- 4 ounces brewed espresso (the recipe includes tips if you don’t own an espresso machine)
- ½ cup milk or coconut milk
- Optional: 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and/or a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
Directions
- Brew espresso and heat/steam milk. If you lack a milk steamer, warm milk on the stove and use a handheld frother or immersion blender to make foam (froth is optional).
- Place 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree into each coffee cup. Split the espresso between the two cups and stir to combine the pumpkin and coffee.
- Pour milk into each cup, holding back foam with a spoon, then top with froth. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.
- Note: Real pumpkin can leave sediment that settles if the drink rests. If not serving right away, stir again before drinking.
3. Enjoy a Pumpkin Cocktail or Pumpkin Beer
If you prefer something boozier than a latte, pumpkins can add a seasonal twist to cocktails too.
SeriousEats.com shares an easy pumpkin liqueur recipe you can mix with vodka. And a pumpkin martini is a delightful Halloween treat.
Feeling festive? Liquor.com has 11 pumpkin-forward drink ideas, from a pumpkin toddy to pumpkin nog — something to suit many palates.
4. Bake a Pumpkin Lasagna
Looking for dinner inspiration for Nov. 1? Try this comforting vegetarian pumpkin lasagna.
Taste of Home describes it as a “comforting fall dish” — who doesn’t love comfort food?
5. Make Pumpkin Butter
This seasonal spread is wonderful on toast, blended into smoothies or spooned over oatmeal. Freeze extra pumpkin puree and you can enjoy pumpkin butter beyond the season.
Try the simple recipe on Oh She Glows — it’s vegan, if that matters to you.
6. Snack on Roasted Seeds
Roasted pumpkin seeds are a classic for good reason. A handful provides iron, magnesium, zinc and fiber in a tasty package.
To roast: dry the seeds, toss with olive oil and salt, then bake on a sheet. Experiment with toppings like salt-and-pepper, chili powder or cinnamon and clove to suit your taste.
7. Make Vegetable Stock with the Guts
Instead of discarding the fibrous insides, use them. Combine them with other vegetable scraps like carrot tops and onion ends to create a rich stock.
8. Bake Pumpkin Gut Bread
If you want something heartier than soup, try Diana Johnson’s pumpkin gut bread recipe at Eating Richly. She figures two loaves can be made for roughly $2.
9. Cook Pumpkin Risotto
Turn those guts into a cozy main course with this tasty pumpkin risotto, adapted by Gothamist from a New York Times recipe.
10. Make Pumpkin Pickles
If you love pickles, try pickled pumpkin. For a sweeter preserve to pair with desserts or cheese, see this pickled sugar pumpkin recipe from Serious Eats.
11. Dry Pumpkin Skin into Chips
Turn pumpkin skin into an entirely different kind of chip — crunchy and satisfying.
Use a dehydrator or your oven to dry the peels into crispy chips for snacking or garnishing dishes, as recommended by Gina Harney of Fitnessista.
Decorate With Pumpkins
Even after Halloween passes, autumn lingers. Pumpkins are excellent for enhancing your home, garden and holiday arrangements.
12. Use Pumpkins as Serving Bowls
Cut down on tableware and décor by hollowing pumpkins to serve soup or cider directly from them.
Sanam Lamborn of My Persian Kitchen shows an easy way to make a pumpkin bowl.
13. Turn a Pumpkin into a Planter
Keep your fall displays alive by using a pumpkin as a planter for small potted plants.
The planter should last a few weeks; later you can bury it in the garden to break down naturally.
14. Create a Pumpkin Bird Feeder
Feeling crafty? Feed local birds by making a simple pumpkin bird feeder from Instructables.
15. Save Them for Your Thanksgiving Table
No need to buy extra table décor — keep one or two pumpkins for your Thanksgiving setup. Browse Pinterest for ideas and inspiration.
Pick uncarved, healthy pumpkins and they can last into November. Cornell University horticulturist Steve Reiners told NPR that an intact pumpkin “can last 8 to 12 weeks.”
16. Make Pumpkin Snowmen
Three white pumpkins — or three painted white pumpkins — stack up into a trendy snowman for your porch. See this cute craft idea. You’ll get a head start on winter décor, and if you’re entrepreneurial you might even sell finished pieces.
Get Creative
If you don’t want to eat or display pumpkins, here are other imaginative options.
17. Relax With a Pumpkin Face Mask
Out late at a Halloween gathering? Give your skin a boost—pumpkin contains vitamins A, C and E that are good for skin health.
Mix pumpkin with honey and milk for a simple DIY mask, per this recipe from Beautylish. It’s an inexpensive beauty treat to try at home.
18. Build a Pumpkin Catapult
If you’d rather fling your pumpkin than cook or craft with it, build a pumpkin catapult or trebuchet. It’s more involved than other ideas here but can be great family fun in the driveway.
19. Transform a Pumpkin Into a Canvas
Pumpkin painting gives kids a creative outlet without carving tools. All you need is craft paper, paper plates and washable paints. For more techniques, check out The Artful Parent.
20. Save the Seeds
If you’re not keen on eating seeds, save them for planting next spring. Kids enjoy watering seeds and watching tiny sprouts appear like magic.
Growing your own pumpkins reduces costs and provides more homegrown ingredients for next season’s recipes.
21. Compost Your Pumpkin
At minimum, toss leftover pumpkin into your compost to enrich your soil for next year. Chop it up and add it to the pile, then mix it into garden soil in spring.
If you want more creative pumpkin ideas, check out beyond jack o lanterns 11 creative and tasty ways to use pumpkins for additional inspiration.
Contributor Emma Hart is an experienced lifestyle writer and editor who covers seasonal living, frugal tips and home projects for Savinly. She is the author of “Southern Mischief: Lessons from the Homefront.”
