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15 Festive Pumpkin Spice Recipes Perfect for Fall

15 Festive Pumpkin Spice Recipes Perfect for Fall

By Betty Gold

September 02, 2020

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Yep. It’s officially *that* time of the year.

Pumpkin spice, which doesn’t necessarily contain pumpkin in its ingredients, is typically made from a combination of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Whether you wait all year for the monumental return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte or prefer to get your fix in foods, it’s unquestionably the most festive (and cult-worthy) fall flavoring. From coffee and crumb cake, to Pop Tarts and pasta, to Chapstick and chewing gum, this spice seems to pop up in nearly every fall-themed sweet this season.

Personally, we prefer DIY desserts and drinks to packaged (i.e., artificially flavored) pumpkin spice products. If you feel the same way, you've come to the right place. Here, we've rounded up our favorite pumpkin spice recipes perfect for autumn—and every other time of year.

RELATED: This Is the Best Beverage for Pairing With Pumpkin Spice (FYI, It Isn't Coffee)

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Pumpkin Spice Bread

Victor Protasio

Here's something innovative: a pumpkin spice recipe that contains real pumpkin puree. To make this warming bread, start by mixing spices with flour, baking powder, and salt. Then you'll cream the sugars with pumpkin, vanilla, oil, and eggs before making a streusel-pumpkin seed topping. Best part? This recipe makes three loaves—if you have leftovers (possible but unlikely), you can crumble the bread and combine it with fresh fruit and whipped cream for pumpkin trifle.

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2 of 15

Pumpkin Spice Martini

Joseph De Leo

What better way to celebrate fall than with a celebratory cocktail? And if it's pumpkin spice flavored, even better. This boozy bev gets a festive fall kick from maple syrup and a cinnamon-rimmed martini glass.

3 of 15

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

John Kernick

As easy as it is beautiful, this creamy pumpkin cheesecake packs pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, sour cream, cream cheese, and vanilla extract inside a salty-sweet graham cracker crust.

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4 of 15

Pumpkin Cream Puffs

Max Kelly

These cream puffs are guaranteed to get you major props from holiday guests. You'll make a batch of classic choux pastry, then fill the puffs with a brown sugar and pumpkin pastry cream. For easy entertaining, make the filling ahead of time and keep it chilled until ready to assemble.

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Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

Grant Cornett

The only thing better than a dessert is a healthy snack that tastes like one. This four-ingredient smoothie is made from a base of plain pumpkin puree, which you add nutmeg, milk, and a drizzle of honey to. Feel free to swap in almond, oat, or soy milk to make it dairy-free.

6 of 15

Pumpkin Pancakes With Spiced Maple Syrup

Philip Friedman; Styling: Colleen Riley

These pumpkin pancakes plus a pumpkin spice latté plus a platter of maple-scented bacon? Brunch perfection, if you ask any PSL fan. To make if even more warming, heat up the maple syrup gently on the stovetop before drizzling over top.

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Pumpkin Rice Pudding

Dana Gallagher

As delicious as it is forgiving, this Pumpkin Rice Pudding gets an extra zesty kick from fresh-squeezed orange juice and vanilla bean.

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Pumpkin Rice Pudding Smoothie

Emily Kinni

Cozy, creamy, sweet, and so pumpkin spice-y. This smoothie is far more a dessert than a breakfast beverage, but who's asking?

9 of 15

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Greg DuPree

Believe it or not, these Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars are a lot easier to make from scratch than a standard cheesecake recipe. You'll use a speculoos cookie crust, then layer on a swirl of tangy cheesecake and spiced pumpkin puree. Feel free to make them a day in advance—they'll keep in the fridge overnight.

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10 of 15

Pumpkin Muffins

Grace Elkus

Grab a mug of hot apple cider and settle in with these gorgeous muffins. The dough has pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree baked in, and you'll finish with a sprinkle of sugar on top.

11 of 15

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Chris Morocco

Gone are the days of having to shell out $6 for one of these delicious drinks at the coffee shop. Our homemade rendition is just as flavorful, plus you can adjust the spice proportions (and the sweetness) to make the perfect PSL for your own palette.

12 of 15

Pumpkin Cream Sandwiches

Beatriz da Costa

While they look impressive, these Pumpkin Cream Sandwiches take just 30 minutes total to pull off. Pair them with hot apple cider, mulled wine, or warm cocoa for the most delicious seasonal dessert.

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13 of 15

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

José Picayo

This is among our favorite ways to get our pumpkin spice fix, and you can get away with eating it for breakfast. If you want to cut back on the sugar, you can leave the glaze topping off—the cake is so flavorful, we promise you won't miss it.

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Pumpkin Pie Spice

Kitchen Treaty

We'll let you in on a little secret: there's zero need to purchase a new bottle of pumpkin pie spice before you bake pumpkin pie every year. You own all the ingredients to make it already: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. The best part of this recipe is that it’s easy to adapt it to both your preferences and what you have on hand. Not a fan of cloves? Leave it out. Love nutmeg? Add more. You can even play with spices like cardamom and mace, which, though not commonly included in conventional pumpkin pie spice blends, make great additions.

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Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Francesco Lagnese

Don't toss those decorative pumpkins! Instead, gut 'em in the name of making these super addictive Spiced Pumpkin Seeds. They're only four ingredients and serve as the ideal autumn bar snack.

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By Betty Gold