With a change of season comes a change of menu. Out with the days of pasta salads and in with the soups, stews and hearty food – and pumpkin spice latte! 

The iconic pumpkin is synonymous with autumn, and they’re in season! Try our top recipes to make with pumpkin for a cosy taste of autumn.

 

 

Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin puree is traditionally an American thing that’s found in cans, but it’s super easy to make from scratch (especially if you want to make a last-minute pumpkin pie). It’s fresher, healthier and – we think – it's tastier. Use smaller pumpkins for this, as they’re typically sweeter and more flavourful. As a major bonus; it’ll make your house smell amazing!

 

Ingredients

  • One pumpkin
  • Salt (optional)

 

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200℃ or gas mark 6. 
  2. Cut your pumpkin in half (leave the stem, though. That’s way too tough). 
  3. Break apart the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh.
  4. Place flesh-up on a baking tray and sprinkle with salt, if desired. 
  5. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until flesh is fork tender.
  6. Scrape out the flesh and blend until smooth.



 

Spiced Pumpkin Syrup

Fancy a pumpkin coffee without going to a drive-thru? Then try this sensational syrup for your coffees at home! You can make all kinds of syrup easily, so if pumpkin isn’t your thing, you can also try vanilla, hazelnut or even gingerbread syrups for a cosy caffeine boost. 

This syrup recipe is super simple – and it’s really easy to adjust the recipe to your liking every time you make it.

 

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree (you can use tinned or homemade - see above!)
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 50g light brown soft sugar or dark brown sugar for a more robust flavour
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1sp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • 2 tsp ginger (ground is fine, but frozen and finely grated gives the syrup a punch)

 

Method

  1. Add the caster and soft brown sugar plus ½ cup of water to a pan and bring to a simmer.
  2. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk for two minutes until all the spices and pumpkin puree have combined.
  3. Decant into a sterilised Kilner jar or bottle and store somewhere dark and cool. 
  4. Add a glug to your next coffee for a cosy sip!



 

Cosy Autumn Crumble

We love, love, LOVE this recipe for a taste of autumn – and it makes your house smell fabulous while it’s being cooked too. It encapsulates everything we love about autumn. Pumpkins, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, topped off with a toasty crunch that’ll warm you from the inside out.

 

Ingredients

  • 150g plain flour
  • 100g butter or plant-based alternative
  • 4 tbsp porridge oats
  • 3tbsp Demerara or soft brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 apples (we love Granny Smith for this)
  • 3 – 4 plums
  • Sultanas or raisins
  • 1 – 2 tbsp honey
  • Cream or custard, to serve

 

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200℃ or gas mark 6. 
  2. Soak your sultanas and/or raisins in hot water.
  3. Add your flour and butter (or plant-based alternative) to a bowl and, with your fingers, blend the flour and butter until the consistency resembles breadcrumbs.
  4. Add porridge oats, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon to the mixture.
  5. Core and pit your apples and plums, slice and layer up in an ovenproof dish.
  6. Spread over a layer of pumpkin puree.
  7. Drain your sultanas and/or raisins, and add to the tray, followed by a generous drizzle of honey
  8. Sprinkle over the crumble mixture and add to the oven for 20 – 30 minutes until the crumble topping is golden and bubbling. 
  9. Serve with custard or cream – or even ice cream, if desired.



 

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

If this doesn’t warm your cockles, we don’t know what will! This luxuriously thick soup is perfect for dipping with some tiger bread and butter. Our only tip is to make sure you cook a huge batch. Both for second servings and to freeze and pull out on a rainy day. You can adjust this recipe how you wish, switch out the butternut squash for sweet potatoes, or use both!

 

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Gruyere cheese
  • Small pumpkin
  • Butternut squash or sweet potatoes – or both
  • Two medium-sized yellow onions
  • One red onion
  • Four cloves of garlic
  • Four carrots
  • Three celery stalks (optional)
  • Chicken stock
  • Cumin
  • Paprika
  • Chilli flakes
  • Coriander (optional)
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200℃ or gas mark 6.
  2. Chop your pumpkin and butternut squash (or root vegetable of choice) in half and remove the seeds and stringy flesh.
  3. Place flesh-up on a deep oven tray.
  4. Roughly chop your red onion, remove the skin from the garlic cloves and add to the tray.
  5. Drizzle with olive oil and add your spices (get creative, add whatever you like!) - no measurements are necessary, true cooking should be freehand!
  6. Rub the tray ingredients in the oil and spice mixture to ensure even coating.
  7. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes or until the butternut and pumpkin flesh are fork-tender.
  8. While roasting, chop your onions, carrots and celery (if desired) and add to a pot with a generous glug of olive oil. Cook low and slow for five minutes or until your oven veggies are done. 
  9. Scrape out the flesh of the butternut squash and pumpkin and add to your pan along with the garlic and red onion. 
  10. Fill the pot with chicken stock until almost all the veggies are submerged. (This will give you a thick soup – add more stock for a thinner consistency)
  11. Cook for a further 10 minutes, turn off the heat and blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth. 
  12. To serve, grate gruyere at the bottom of the bowl, add your soup, and drizzle the top with olive oil, cracked black pepper and a few flakes of gruyere for finesse. 



If you like autumn, you’ll ‘fall’ in love with these recipes. Though, if you’re struggling to let go of summer, why not read our blog on 5 autumn activities to get into the spirit of the season?

 

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