Pumpkin season is here, and I always end up with more canned pumpkin in the pantry than I know what to do with. So this year I went looking for the best healthy pumpkin recipes from other food bloggers and dietitians I trust, and rounded up eight worth making, then added two of my own.

This isn’t a “clean eating” list. A couple of these are treats, plain and simple, and that’s fine. Even in the Mediterranean diet they eat for joy and pleasure too. What they have in common is real ingredients: oats, chickpeas, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, instead of a box mix. Pumpkin itself is worth building a fall menu around too, and I get into why below.

Key Takeaways

• Pumpkin puree is naturally low in fat and has no cholesterol, and it’s a source of fiber, potassium and vitamin A.
• This roundup covers breakfast, muffins and treats, ten recipes in all, eight from other food bloggers and two of my own.
• A few of these lean on chickpeas, oats or Greek yogurt for extra fiber and protein, which matters for anyone watching cholesterol or blood sugar.

Why Pumpkin Belongs in a Heart-Healthy Fall

Pumpkin fits into a heart healthy diet as a nutrient-rich food. It’s high in beta-carotene and other carotenoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it gives you potassium, which helps support healthy blood pressure by balancing the effects of sodium.

In a review of 22 trials, higher potassium intake lowered blood pressure in adults, and it was linked to a lower risk of stroke. People who eat more carotenoid-rich foods also tend to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, though that is an association and not proof that pumpkin prevents heart disease.

Pumpkin has some fiber too, just not as much as beans, oats or barley. It’s naturally very low in saturated fat, according to USDA FoodData Central, so it’s an easy ingredient to use in place of higher saturated fat foods.

And it adds one more colourful plant food to your plate. In a review of 95 studies, every extra 200 grams of fruit and vegetables a day was linked with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

Pumpkin and the Portfolio Diet

Pumpkin isn’t one of the Portfolio Diet foods itself, but many of these recipes pair it with ones that are. Oats are one of the sticky fibre foods on my soluble fiber food list, and they show up in the baked oatmeal, the breakfast cookies, my protein balls and my pumpkin bread.

Chickpeas add plant protein to the blondies, and you’ll find more in my plant protein foods chart. Almond butter and flaxseed bring in nuts and seeds.

10 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

Scroll down to check out my top 10 healthy pumpkin recipes to try!

Healthy Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes

Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Oats — The Heart Dietitian

My own pumpkin loaf, made with oats, ground flaxseed and olive oil instead of butter, with just a third of a cup of maple syrup in the whole loaf. The same batter also makes 12 muffins.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal — Seasonal Cravings

Rolled oats, an egg, almond milk and pumpkin, cooked in the microwave in under five minutes. Karen Kelly’s version comes in at 5 grams of fiber a serving, and it’s the kind of breakfast you can make on the way out the door.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies — Next Level Baker

Oats, almond butter, maple syrup and dried cherries, no added white sugar. Freezes well, so it’s worth making a double batch.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffin Recipes

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-Free) — Oh My Veggies

Sweetened with applesauce and maple syrup instead of refined sugar, and no eggs or dairy. A good option if you’re baking for someone who needs both vegan and gluten-free.

Small-Batch Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins — Our Nourished Kitchen

Easy small-batch gluten-free & dairy-free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins! Yields 6 bakery-style muffins with tall domes using almond flour & pumpkin puree.

Moist Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins — Foodess, written by Jennifer Pallian, BSc, RD

A fellow Registered Dietitian’s recipe, and it sneaks a vegetable into the batter along with the pumpkin. Still a standard muffin with oil and sugar, but the zucchini adds moisture and a little extra fiber.

Healthy Pumpkin Treat Recipes

Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies — Lemons N Lyme

Chickpeas and pumpkin puree blended into a batter. Chickpeas bring plant protein and fiber that a typical blondie doesn’t have.

Pumpkin Popsicles — Seasonal Cravings

Plain Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree and a maple-sweetened chocolate drizzle. Per pop: 4 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber, and only 3 mg of cholesterol, according to the recipe’s nutrition info.

Ninja Creami Vegan Pumpkin Pie Protein Ice Cream — A Taste of Madness

Oat milk, pumpkin puree and protein powder instead of heavy cream. Worth knowing before you click through: this one needs a Ninja Creami machine, it won’t work in a regular freezer.

Pumpkin Protein Balls — The Heart Dietitian

My own no-bake protein balls, no protein powder needed. Almond butter, flaxseed, oats and pumpkin come together in about 5 minutes, for 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber a ball.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, 10 healthy pumpkin recipes to carry you through fall. A few are simple enough for a weekday morning, and a few are treats to save for the weekend. Which one are you making first? Comment below and let me know, I always love hearing which ones you actually try.

If pumpkin isn’t your thing, my Low Cholesterol Dessert Recipes are a good next stop.