5 Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try This Fall

When I think of Fall, pumpkins automatically come to mind. You can put pumpkins on your doorstep, on your dining room table, mantle, every shelf….and you can also put pumpkins in a lot of dishes! I’ll be honest, I was not always a huge fan of consuming pumpkins. Especially the soup kind. To this day, I’ve not yet found a pumpkin soup I would crave, but I do like pumpkin in other things! Mainly sweet things, really. Here’s a roundup of the favorite pumpkin recipes here on the blog.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I started with my favorite! I love this pumpkin bread. Not only is it super easy and quick to whip up, but it’s also very delicious. Pumpkin loaf is perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors during the holidays as well. Not to mention it’s gorgeous! This loaf is also very versatile. You can have it plain or include different add-ins such as extra pumpkin seeds, nuts, or even chocolate chips (a personal favorite of mine!).

Apple Pumpkin Crisp

I don’t know what took me so long to add pumpkin to my favorite apple crisp! I’m glad I finally did. This crisp is the perfect fall treat. I am a texture person and love the crisp topping and smooth, hot fruit underneath. Top it with ice cream or whipped cream if you like. I vote that it’s even good for breakfast. Because why not?

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Donuts

These baked donuts are the perfect treat. Whip them up for dessert, or take them to share at your next hayride! I mean, these seem like they’d be great at a hayride with some apple cider, right?

Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin pie, and my dear husband loves it even more. This vegan version skips the eggs and heavy cream, but is still so smooth and has the perfect, firm, pumpkin pie texture.

Nut-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Okay, so I kind of cheated and added a second pumpkin pie. However, this one is especially for my nut-free friends of whom I have a lot!

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What do you like making with pumpkin?

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Vegan Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I have been working on perfecting this pumpkin spice bread for literal years now. I debated keeping it to myself, but I think everyone needs this deliciousness in their lives - especially when the leaves start changing color and the cool weather rolls in. Every year, I make a bunch of loaves and share them with friends, family, and even neighbors and it is always a hit.

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By now, I’ve experimented with packaging them and baking them all sorts of ways. I’ve tried the cardboard loaf pans you bake them in, I’ve tried mini loaves, I’ve tried tin foil. I’ve tried with a streusel on top, plain, and settled on these pumpkin seeds.

After much trial and error, my favorite way to bake and share is baking them in a 4-cavity mini loaf pan (get one from Amazon here). The packaging is hard to find for this size, but I find that wrapping them up in some parchment or brown paper with twine makes for a seriously adorable way to present. One can even add a tag with a note to personalize them!

The chocolate, nuts, and pumpkin seeds are totally optional. I like to add just a little bit to the bread since I’m the kind of person who takes the chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies. Walnuts are a great addition, however, as is some chocolate. You could even put pumpkin seeds in the batter as well as use them for topping if you like! Totally up to you!

Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Loaf

what you need:

Dry Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup flour

• ¼ cup powdered sugar

• 2 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 ¾  tsp ground cinnamon

• ¾  tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp nutmeg

• ¼ tsp cloves (optional)

• 4 TBSP - ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

• 4 TBSP  - ¼ cup walnuts (optional)

• 4 TBSP  - ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Wet ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 ½ cup pumpkin puree (or 1-15 oz. can pumpkin if using canned)

• ½ cup non-dairy milk

• 4 TBSP vegetable oil 

• 1 TBSP maple syrup

• 1 ¼ tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

• Pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips (or chunks) to top (optional)*

what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients and brown sugar together (brown sugar, pumpkin puree, non-dairy milk, vegetable oil, maple syrup).

3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, EXCLUDING the seeds and chocolate together.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

5. Fold in the nuts and chocolate, if using.

6. Spoon mixture into lightly greased loaf pan.

7. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the loaf passes the toothpick test.

*Note: if using pumpkin seeds/chocolate on top, press them down in the batter a bit before baking
**Note: To make enough mini loaves using a 4-cavity pan (as pictured), double the recipe

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What is your favorite seasonal sweet bread?

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Pumpkin Donuts (vegan)

I don't know about you, but I love donuts. Something about that cute little hole in the middle (and when there's no hole in the middle, there's tasty stuff like jelly or cream!). Well, in the fall, with pumpkin everything coming out and little donuts everywhere, I thought it would only be appropriate to try and make my own! I mean, why not?

They were a little denser than your traditional donuts from Mr. Horton but still delicious. I love pumpkin pie, so this was right up my alley - with the right spices and pumpkin taste.  In true fall fashion, they are dipped in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. Yum!

These are even husband-approved, which is a pretty big deal when he doesn't usually prefer donuts. These babies are best fresh, but you can store them overnight if you need to.

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts

What you need:

For the donuts:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

• 1 1/8 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 TBSP melted vegan butter or coconut oil

For the (optional) topping:

• 1/4 cup fine cane sugar

• 1 TBSP cinnamon

• 1 TBSP vegan butter or coconut oil

What to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, spices, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients.

3) Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick, not pourable.

4) Put the batter in a plastic bag, cut the corner, and squeeze evenly into all donut pan cavities.

5) Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the donuts pass the toothpick test (come out clean).

6) Cool on a wire rack. While the donuts are cooling, mix the cane sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl, and the vegan butter or coconut oil in the other.

7) Once cool, dip the donuts into the butter and then into the sugar mixture. You can flip the donut and repeat the process on the other side, but one side is sufficient.

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What's your favourite Autumn donut? Are you on the pumpkin bandwagon?

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Vegan Pumpkin Pie (nut-free)

Fall is here, once again, and once again, it's time to consume our favourite seasonal yummies!

It's no secret that pumpkin pie is a craved thing in our household. I do, however, refuse to make it until it gets chilly out. So how perfect that the temperatures have finally dropped! To be honest though, as much as I love Autumn and everything about it, I was sad to see Summer go. Probably because Winter is ahead, and the last Winter was so long and unbearable that I have no heart left to face the upcoming one. But at least there is pie!

I always look forward to picking out my perfect pie pumpkin. If you ask my husband, I love small, round, and cute things, so it's naturally something I love to do. Even though making homemade pumpkin puree is a real chore sometimes, the difference in taste is worth the extra effort. Sure, it's a mess and opening a pumpkin is not as easy as opening a can, but you'll thank yourself when you taste the finished product. 

The best part? It freezes well, so you can use it all year round - if it lasts that long! Anyway, this year, I wanted to try making a pie that was nut-free. I know I use a lot of cashews in my recipes (I just love cashews!), so I wanted to try something new that was more allergy-friendly. Pumpkin pie seemed like a great place to start since it's that time of the year. 

While this pie takes a little longer to get firm than the cashew version, it is still crazy delicious. By the way, if you hop over to that recipe, I give a little rundown as to how to make your pumpkin puree the easy way :)  

Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Nut Free)

What you ned:

• 2 1/3 cups pumpkin puree

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 3 TBSP arrowroot powder

• 1/4 tsp of each: cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, & cardamon

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 pie crust (unbaked)

What to do:

1) Make pumpkin puree by cutting open and cleaning your pumpkin. Drizzle some olive oil on it and bake in the oven until tender. Remove from oven, scoop out the flesh into the food processor, and process until very smooth.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3) Prep pie crust.

4) Mix all the ingredients for pie filling and whisk until perfectly blended.

5) Put filling into prepped pie crust and bake for 55-60 minutes.

6) Let cool completely - for a firmer pie filling, put in the fridge for a few hours.

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I like my pie cold and topped with coconut whipped cream. What about you?

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The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Those who know me well, know that I love pumpkin pie. In the fall, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and never get tired of it. I've always loved eating it, but it was only a few years ago I started making pumpkin pies with my aunt. She has a delicious recipe and so we'd make it all the time from scratch. When I say "from scratch," I really do mean, we buy a pumpkin and we buy some flour and by the end of the day, it's a pie. I wish I could grow the pumpkins and the wheat, but this girl can't be all the kinds of awesome. 

A while back, I saw the first pie pumpkins of the season in the store, and I knew it was time. I snatched that pumpkin up so fast and ran home. The result was the pie I will be sharing with you all today!

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To be clear, I’m not one of those people who eat pumpkin pie all year round - though my husband definitely would love that (he likes it even more than me!). However, I do look forward to pumpkin season every year. It makes Fall, well, Fall.

I recommend you use your own puree for this recipe - and pretty much every other pumpkin recipe you bake this season. It adds a richness and sense of accomplishment that opening a can doesn't quite have!

The puree is really simple to make: just cut open and clean your pumpkin, drizzle some olive oil on it and bake in the oven till tender. Then scoop it all out into the food processor and process until very smooth.

I usually freeze the extra puree so that I can have all sorts of pumpkin snacks (not to mention a bonus pumpkin pie sometime in the year!) later.

The best part about this pie is that it comes together quickly, once all the more tedious ingredients (the puree and the crust) are prepared. I didn’t include a pie crust recipe, but they are easy to find. For a non-traditional crust, you could use the nutty crust that I use for my chocolate dream pie!

For the non-nut lovers, there is a nut-free version of this recipe too! It takes a little longer to get firm, but is still delicious!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie | Maple Alps
Makes 1 pie

what you need

2 C homemade pumpkin puree
¼ C maple syrup (or more depending if you want it sweeter)
¼ C brown sugar
⅓ C almond milk
1-2 TBSP Arrowroot powder
¼ tsp each: cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, nutmeg (optional: cloves)
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup cashews (soak for 10 min in boiling water)
1 recipe for pie crust - unbaked

what to do

1) Make pumpkin puree by cutting open and cleaning your pumpkin. Drizzle some olive oil on it and bake in the oven till tender. Remove from oven, scoop out the flesh into the food processor, and process until very smooth.
2) Prep pie crust
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
4) Mix soaked cashews, almond milk, pumpkin puree and arrowroot powder in blender and blend until there are no cashew pieces left.
5) Transfer to a bowl and mix rest of ingredients in well.
6) Put filling into prepped pie crust and bake for 55-60 minutes

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How do you like your pumpkin pie? I like mine cold and with some coconut whipped cream!

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