10 Creative Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin In All Your Recipes

Instead of spending hours at the stove, whip up a batch of pumpkin apple butter from Dana Angelo White, M.S., R.D., author of the Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook

—it's exploding with flavor and you can make it in about an hour. With absolutely no added sugar and a hefty amount of vitamins and antioxidants, this velvety pumpkin-apple butter will be great slathered on just about everything.

Get the recipe: Instant Pot Pumpkin-Apple Butter

These Pumpkin Swirl Salted Brownies from NYC-based dietitian Natalie Rizzo have tons of good-for-you ingredients such as oats, pumpkin purée, and black beans. Not only does the pumpkin swirl basically taste like fall, but the 100 percent pumpkin purée adds vitamin C, potassium, and fiber to a dessert, so you can feel good having two. If you haven't baked with black beans, this is the recipe to try it!

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Swirl Salted Brownies

Pumpkin purée provides even more creaminess in this easy whole-grain risotto created by Kaleigh McMordie, R.D.N., of Lively Table. Plus, it adds even more fiber and beta-carotene to the dish. (See: Bowl Recipes That Make the Ultimate Warm Winter Comfort Food)

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Risotto

This warm and hearty slow cooker pumpkin curry care of Kara Lydon, R.D., blogger at The Foodie Dietitian, is sure to satisfy your belly on a cold fall or winter night. The pumpkin purée gives the dish its orange color and helps to thicken the curry. It's gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and packed with plant-based protein. (More: Easy Vegan Curry Recipes)

Get the recipe: Vegan Slow Cooker Pumpkin Curry

Puréed pumpkin not only provides a rich texture, but pumpkins are a good source of fiber with around 2.7 grams per mashed cup. That'll help keep you feeling full and it promotes healthy digestion. As a good source of potassium—a nutrient many people don't get enough of—pumpkin can help regulate blood pressure and improve muscle function. You'll get all of these benefits, plus a lovely dose of chocolate chips for good measure, in this pumpkin bread from Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., author of Read It Before You Eat It

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Get the recipe: Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips and Almonds

Thanks to your favorite autumn flavors and fiber-rich oats, this Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal is a delicious and satisfying way to start the day on a crisp fall morning. Not to mention the health benefits that come with it—beta-glucan, the type of fiber found in oats, has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels, and pumpkin is rich in vitamins A and C. These two antioxidants will keep your immune system running, which is crucial during cold and flu season.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal

Chili is warming, filling, and nutritious, especially when it's packed with beans. In this recipe created by Liz Weiss, M.S., R.D.N., at Liz's Healthy Table, a cup of pumpkin purée amps up the nutrition even further while also adding a nice subtle autumn sweetness to every spoonful.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Turkey Chili

"I use unsweetened pumpkin purée in this smoothie, versus pumpkin pie mix that's loaded with added sugar," says Amy Gorin, M.S., R.D.N. "But I do like just a hint of sweetness in my smoothie! So my sweetener of choice is pure maple syrup." Maple syrup boasts health-helping polyphenols, as well as the mineral manganese (great for stabilizing blood sugar) and the B vitamin riboflavin. This smoothie is also an excellent source of both protein and fiber.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

This one-pan meal courtesy of Kristen Smith, M.S., R.D., founder of 360 Family Nutrition, includes spiralized zucchini that is coated in a creamy, yet healthy yogurt Alfredo sauce topped with dollops of a delicious pumpkin ricotta mixture. The recipe keeps carbohydrates in check by replacing traditional pasta with spiralized zucchini noodles, while the Alfredo sauce replaces heavy cream with plain Greek yogurt.

Get the recipe: Spiralized Zucchini Alfredo with Pumpkin Ricotta

A few tablespoons of pumpkin purée give lattes a real pumpkin flavor—and without any of those sugary flavored syrups. Mixing the latte in a blender or with a frother is key for distributing the purée evenly and leaving a frothy milk top. (Related: This Iced Vanilla Golden Milk Latte Will Have You Bypassing the Café)

Get the recipe: All-Natural Pumpkin Spice Latte