5 Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try This Fall

When I think of Fall, pumpkins automatically come to mind. You can put pumpkins on your doorstep, on your dining room table, mantle, every shelf….and you can also put pumpkins in a lot of dishes! I’ll be honest, I was not always a huge fan of consuming pumpkins. Especially the soup kind. To this day, I’ve not yet found a pumpkin soup I would crave, but I do like pumpkin in other things! Mainly sweet things, really. Here’s a roundup of the favorite pumpkin recipes here on the blog.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I started with my favorite! I love this pumpkin bread. Not only is it super easy and quick to whip up, but it’s also very delicious. Pumpkin loaf is perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors during the holidays as well. Not to mention it’s gorgeous! This loaf is also very versatile. You can have it plain or include different add-ins such as extra pumpkin seeds, nuts, or even chocolate chips (a personal favorite of mine!).

Apple Pumpkin Crisp

I don’t know what took me so long to add pumpkin to my favorite apple crisp! I’m glad I finally did. This crisp is the perfect fall treat. I am a texture person and love the crisp topping and smooth, hot fruit underneath. Top it with ice cream or whipped cream if you like. I vote that it’s even good for breakfast. Because why not?

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Donuts

These baked donuts are the perfect treat. Whip them up for dessert, or take them to share at your next hayride! I mean, these seem like they’d be great at a hayride with some apple cider, right?

Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin pie, and my dear husband loves it even more. This vegan version skips the eggs and heavy cream, but is still so smooth and has the perfect, firm, pumpkin pie texture.

Nut-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Okay, so I kind of cheated and added a second pumpkin pie. However, this one is especially for my nut-free friends of whom I have a lot!

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What do you like making with pumpkin?

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Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix

The holidays are not the holidays to me if hot chocolate is not involved. There is just something about snuggling up in the couch with a hot mug of love in your hand. Of course, it's not hot chocolate if it’s not magically light and creamy at the same time.

As much as I hate to see Summer go, there’s not much better than cuddle weather. Sweaters and blankets make me happy, and the best thing to complete that is a hot drink. I enjoy tea most days, but sometimes I like something sweet - like a chai latte or hot chocolate. When I don’t have time to melt down some dairy-free cocoa, it’s nice to have this mix ready and available in my cupboard! Well, let’s be real - we take hot drinks really seriously in our house, so more like our hot drink station.

With Christmas around the corner, and the cold weather already here, I figured I’d better buckle down and write down my pantry version of vegan hot chocolate mix to share with all of you!

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All of my favourite Christmas traditions revolve around hot drinks (and not just hot chocolate, mind you!). Decorating the tree with one at hand was a must. Watching Home Alone doesn’t count unless you have one to keep warm. It’s just something you need to have - something that isn’t as enjoyable when the weather outside is hot. It’s special.

And it’s customizable!

This is quick and simple to mix up, and is subject to all sorts of variations. We like adding cinnamon to our mix, and a tad of almond essence to it when we add hot water. You can stir it with a candy cane, top with marshmallows or whipped cream, and even add soy nog! Dip a Christmas cookie in it! You do you! I finally found some dairy-free Reddi Whip in the store, so I’ll be topping mine with that!

Enjoy your hug in a mug!

Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix

what you need:

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup dairy free powdered milk (I used coconut. Here’s a link to a similar one on Amazon)

• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

what to do:

1) Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until everything is well mixed.

2) Transfer to a airtight jar (I like these flip top ones from Amazon) and keep in your pantry for 3 months.

3) To use, add 3 TBSP of the mix to 8oz. (1 cup) of hot water and enjoy! You can adjust to your sweetness preferences.

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Do some of your favourite Christmas traditions revolve around hot drinks or the other way around? I’d love to hear about some of them!

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Vegan Pumpkin Pie (nut-free)

Fall is here, once again, and once again, it's time to consume our favourite seasonal yummies!

It's no secret that pumpkin pie is a craved thing in our household. I do, however, refuse to make it until it gets chilly out. So how perfect that the temperatures have finally dropped! To be honest though, as much as I love Autumn and everything about it, I was sad to see Summer go. Probably because Winter is ahead, and the last Winter was so long and unbearable that I have no heart left to face the upcoming one. But at least there is pie!

I always look forward to picking out my perfect pie pumpkin. If you ask my husband, I love small, round, and cute things, so it's naturally something I love to do. Even though making homemade pumpkin puree is a real chore sometimes, the difference in taste is worth the extra effort. Sure, it's a mess and opening a pumpkin is not as easy as opening a can, but you'll thank yourself when you taste the finished product. 

The best part? It freezes well, so you can use it all year round - if it lasts that long! Anyway, this year, I wanted to try making a pie that was nut-free. I know I use a lot of cashews in my recipes (I just love cashews!), so I wanted to try something new that was more allergy-friendly. Pumpkin pie seemed like a great place to start since it's that time of the year. 

While this pie takes a little longer to get firm than the cashew version, it is still crazy delicious. By the way, if you hop over to that recipe, I give a little rundown as to how to make your pumpkin puree the easy way :)  

Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Nut Free)

What you ned:

• 2 1/3 cups pumpkin puree

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 3 TBSP arrowroot powder

• 1/4 tsp of each: cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, & cardamon

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 pie crust (unbaked)

What to do:

1) Make pumpkin puree by cutting open and cleaning your pumpkin. Drizzle some olive oil on it and bake in the oven until tender. Remove from oven, scoop out the flesh into the food processor, and process until very smooth.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3) Prep pie crust.

4) Mix all the ingredients for pie filling and whisk until perfectly blended.

5) Put filling into prepped pie crust and bake for 55-60 minutes.

6) Let cool completely - for a firmer pie filling, put in the fridge for a few hours.

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I like my pie cold and topped with coconut whipped cream. What about you?

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