Tis the season to figure out how to use up a can of pumpkin puree, since I've never really seen a recipe that calls for more than 1 cup. I love incorporating pumpkin into my meals, especially since it's so high in fibre and other nutrients like Vitamin A (if your vision is going downhill with remote work or school, this one's for you).
While I love everything about Thanksgiving, mostly fall colours and food & friend gatherings (in a small bubble), I think it's important to know what we're 'celebrating' before we go around saying 'Happy Thanksgiving!' by default. Since I'm no expert, I'll let you explore this question yourself, but I do think that this piece that raises important points.
Nonetheless, I'm a sucker for pumpkin, and I wanted to share with you some of my favourite healthy and easy ways to use up a can.
#1: Pumpkin Spice Muffins - Fluffy & hearty
Makes 12 muffins | Uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree
This is my favourite healthy pumpkin muffin recipe, and I've made it almost every year during pumpkin szn. They are super freezer friendly and are my go-to emergency breakfast/snack. Top with some peanut butter and cinnamon and you have yourself a treat.
Instead of the almond flour it calls for, I put oatmeal in my magic bullet and blended it into oat flour. Typically the amount of flour comes out is equal to how much oatmeal you put in. Student budget-friendly edit :)
#2: Pumpkin Spice Latte - Control how sweet it is!
Makes 1 latte | Uses 1 tbsp of pumpkin puree
What you'll need:
Coffee
Milk of choice (I love unsweetened vanilla oat milk for this!)
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
Sweetener of choice (brown sugar works the best), around 1/2 tsp
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Optional toppings: Coconut whip cream, caramel drizzel
Instrucions:
Brew your coffee as you normally would, but half the amount of water. For example, instead of 1 cup of water, I would use 1/2 cup of water for my regular 3 tbsp of ground coffee in my french press.
Warm up and froth the milk. If you have a milk frother like this, allow the milk to froth half way and then slowly add in the pumpkin, sweetener, and spice. If not, warm up the milk (do not let it boil) on a stovetop, and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into your prepared coffee, add any additional toppings, and there you have it!
#3: Pumpkin Spice Oats
Makes 1 serving | Uses 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree
For this recipe, simply follow the steps in my everyday oatmeal post, but whisk in 1/3 cup pumpkin puree instead of the mashed banana after the oats/water begin to boil. You may want to add some extra sweetener since pumpkin is less sweet than banana!
Happy pumpkin eating!
Christine