10 Creative, Healthy Ways to Add Pumpkin to Every Meal
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Okay, adding pumpkin to basically everything during fall may feel a little played out, but admit it—you still want to do it. (We certainly do!) That’s why you need these healthy pumpkin recipes.
And these are not just your basic Thanksgiving desserts.
All of the dishes we found (or created) use pumpkin in surprising, creative ways that play up the squash’s nutritious attributes while skipping lots of sugar and white flour. The orange veggie, after all, is a great source of antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin C, fiber, and other important nutrients. There are options for every meal, too: pancakes, pie, you name it.
RELATED: Why You Should Eat Pumpkin Pie and Enjoy Every Calorie
Pro tip: If you’re using fresh pumpkin rather than canned, don’t forget to eat the nutrient-packed seeds, too.
Now put on a cozy sweater and get cookin’.
Healthy Pumpkin Recipes For Every Meal
Pumpkin Soufflé

The crustless treat is loaded with flavor but free from gluten, making it the perfect-for-all healthy pumpkin recipe to make for Friendsgiving.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
Crunchy Radish recreated the notorious PSL without dairy but with super spices like ginger and cinnamon.
Pumpkin Flaxseed Pancakes with Pomegranate Maple Syrup
Sunday breakfast before a day of apple picking: Instead of white flour and white sugar, these are made with spelt, flaxseeds, coconut oil, spices, and honey.
Coconut Pumpkin Custard

If coconut and pumpkin seem like an odd pairing, prepare to be surprised. This pumpkin custard is rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and fall flavors (nutmeg, anyone?).
Pumpkin Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread
We’ll take any excuse to work gooey (dark) chocolate chips into a healthy recipe, like this one from Ambitious Kitchen that geniusly combines zucchini and pumpkin bread into one.
RELATED: 6 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin
Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
This is a totally grain-free approach to the popular muffin, and it packs two of fall’s best flavors—pumpkin and apple—into one bite.
Pumpkin Hummus
If hummus is one of your go-to snack foods, why not pumpkin it up for autumn? Nutrition Stripped’s version is a little sweet, too, thanks to yummy maple syrup.
Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese
OMG, it’s really hard to believe but you don’t use cheese to make this creamy, delicious mac. Candice Kumai uses pumpkin and coconut milk to create a gooey sauce that’s better than any cheddar, for your body and your taste buds.
Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites

You can’t talk about healthy pumpkin recipes without bringing up a better way to make pie, and this approach turns the treat into adorable, bite-sized, nutritious desserts.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Balls
All the flavor of the fall-favorite coffee drink, but wayyyy healthier. Oats offer a hit of satiating fiber and vanilla protein powder adds protein (well, obviously). Plus, there’s still coffee, perfect for an on-the-go energizing breakfast.
The Nutritious Life Editors are a team of healthy lifestyle enthusiasts who not only subscribe to — and live! — the 8 Pillars of a Nutritious Life, but also have access to some of the savviest thought leaders in the health and wellness space — including our founder and resident dietitian, Keri Glassman. From the hottest trends in wellness to the latest medical science, we stay on top of it all in order to deliver the info YOU need to live your most nutritious life.
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