Ah finally, fall is here! Slightly cooler temperatures, cozy sweatshirts and ground covered in red leaves. What else could anyone possibly need? Maybe our favorite pumpkin recipes? We have a bunch of recipes that are making the list this year (thanks to some of our favorite bloggers). If you’re curious to see the recipes that we love, keep on reading. 

Whole Grain Pumpkin Spice Waffles (Recipe from Cookieandkate.com) 

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups (200 grams) oat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
• 3 large eggs
• Scant ⅔ cup milk of choice 
• Scant ½ cup melted coconut oil or 7 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup (122 grams) packed pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Suggested toppings: nut butter and/or toasted nuts, coconut whipped cream

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves. Whisk to combine.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the milk, coconut oil or butter, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the oat flour mixture. Stir with a big spoon until just combined (the batter will still be a little lumpy). Let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the oat flour has time to soak up some of the moisture. Plug in your waffle iron to preheat now.
4. Once 10 minutes is up, give the batter one more, gentle swirl with your spoon. The batter will be pretty thick, but don’t worry! Your waffles will turn out great. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area, and close the lid.
5. Once the waffle is deeply golden and crisp, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don’t stack your waffles on top of each other or they’ll lose crispness. If desired, keep your waffles warm by placing them in a 200 degree oven until you’re ready to serve. Repeat with remaining batter and serve with desired toppings on the side.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (Recipe from Cookienadkate.com) 

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour**
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
• Optional: 2 teaspoons raw sugar for a sweet crunch

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs, and beat well. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of oats, followed by a light sprinkle of raw sugar and/or pumpkin spice blend if you’d like. Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. These muffins are delicate until they cool down. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.
6. These muffins taste even better after they have rested for a couple of hours! They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).

Simple Pumpkin Soup (Recipe from minimalistbaker.com)

Ingredients for the Soup

• 2 sugar pumpkins (2 pumpkins yield ~2 1/4 cups (450 g) pumpkin puree)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (or sub water if oil-free)
• 2 medium shallots (diced // 2 shallots yield ~1/4 cup or 40 g)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced // 3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp or 9 g)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (DIY or store-bought)
• 1 cup canned light coconut milk (or sub other non-dairy milk with varied results)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar (or honey if not vegan)
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg

Ingredients for the Garlic Kale Sesame Topping (optional)

• 1 cup roughly chopped kale
• 1 large clove garlic (minced)
• 2 Tbsp raw sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops of the sugar pumpkins and then halve them. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out all of the seeds and strings (see notes for a link to roasting seeds).
3. Brush the flesh with oil and place face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the skin. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then peel away skin and set pumpkin aside.
4. To a large saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, shallot and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned and translucent. Turn down heat if cooking too quickly.
5. Add remaining ingredients, including the pumpkin, and bring to a simmer.
6. Transfer soup mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If using a blender, place a towel over the top of the lid before mixing to avoid any accidents. Pour mixture back into the pot.
7. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes and taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve as is or with Kale-Sesame topping.
8. For the Kale-Sesame topping: In a small skillet over medium heat, dry toast sesame seeds for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until slightly golden brown. Be careful as they can burn quickly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
9. To the still hot pan, add olive oil and garlic and sauté until golden brown – about 2 minutes. Add kale and toss, then add a pinch of salt and cover to steam. Cook for another few minutes until kale is wilted and then add sesame seeds back in. Toss to coat and set aside for topping soup.
10. Recipe serves 3-4 (as originally written). Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a few days and in the freezer for up to a month or more.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (Recipe from ambitiouskitchen.com)

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana
• ½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon almond or pecan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch each of nutmeg, ginger & allspice

Instructions 

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 1. 

Healthy Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte (Recipe from eatingbirdfood.com)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces brewed coffee, or 1-2 shots of espresso
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3 Tablespoons canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
• sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions

• With a handheld frother or blender: In a cup or sauce pan, mix together almond milk and pumpkin.
• Cook on medium heat on the stove top or microwave for 30-45 seconds.
• Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, spices and sweetener, place in a cup and use a frother to foam the milk. You can also use a blender — just process for 30 seconds or until foamy.
• Pour coffee into a large mug, add the foamy milk mixture on top.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!