What to make that isn't pie?

April 11, 2023 5:32 PM

Help me come up with a way to use a can of pumpkin pie filling...that's not pie.

I have a 30 oz. can of pumpkin pie filling that I want to find a use for. I don't want to make pie. Anything else that would use it? I can find lots of recipes for plain pumpkin puree, but not so many for this.

No dietary restrictions.

Thanks all!

posted by cozenedindigo to Food & Drink (40 answers total)

Soup!
posted by cakelite at 5:32 PM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

🍫🎃🍞!
(Chocolate chip pumpkin bread!)
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:37 PM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]

Pumpkin custard, but that might be too close to pie for your tastes. It’s basically a pumpkin pie without crust.
posted by corey flood at 5:45 PM on April 11, 2023

Dump cake! Most pumpkin dump cakes call for plain pumpkin puree but this recipe uses pumpkin pie mix.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:45 PM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

Pumpkin bread!

Also pumpkin bread pudding, which also serves to address all the weird bread ends in your freezer.

Pumpkin soup! Sautee onions and garlic and various curry-type spices, add pumpkin puree & veggie or chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Season to taste. Top with yogurt or sour cream or coconut milk.
posted by suelac at 5:53 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Pumpkin roll (uses 2/3 cup) or pumpkin pudding (uses 15 oz). I have used plain puree and pie filling interchangeably when I didn't have time to go to the store and neither recipe suffered from the substitution.
posted by Lady Sugar Maple at 5:53 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

coooooooookieeeeeessss
posted by The Adventure Begins at 5:55 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

We do pumpkin pancakes.
posted by DebetEsse at 5:58 PM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]

30 oz is comparable to 2 smaller cans and about 3 cups it think. I would consider freezing some or all of it in useful portions.

This would probably be a good addition to a pumpkin smoothie. Freeze it in smoothie portion sizes. Or put the whole thing in a large freezer bag and smooth it flat, freeze, then just break off a piece in the size you want for that day's smoothie.

Ballpark recipe would get you 6 smoothies: 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling frozen covered with milk product of choice plus smoothie additions such as a spoonful of coconut milk (from a can), handful of walnuts (if your blender is strong enough), banana, chia seeds (again if the blender can really get these smooth), protein powder, vanilla, and/or cinnamon. A splash of coffee? Or just add ice cream for a milkshake.

I do have a really great pumpkin bread recipe but have never tried it with pumpkin pie filling, it would probably work:
Pumpkin Ribbon Bread
1/2 t each or so? or more cinnamon: ginger, allspice, cinnamon, clove
2 eggs
1 2/3 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar (or use 1)
1 c pumpkin ( or use 1 1/2) 317g
1/2 cup oil
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
cream cheese filling: 6 oz cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/4 c sugar, 1 T flour, orange zest optional? vanilla optional?
bake 50m at 350 in bundt pan that is sprayed with oil
This freezes very well and holds in the refrigerator.

And if that works, these are also great:

Favorite Pumpkin Cookies
36

Preheat to 350

CREAM
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

BEAT
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch allspice
½ teaspoon salt

STIR
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Drop in large spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet

Freezing in 1/2 cup portions or in the flat freezer bag lets you perhaps decide to make these two recipes plus 2 smoothies in October.

BAKE
15 minutes (or less - better underbaked so very soft)

DRIZZLE GLAZE
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
posted by RoadScholar at 6:01 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Put in on ice cream. Or just eat it by itself. It’s good, if rich.

Some of you are not reading the question closely.
posted by Comet Bug at 6:05 PM on April 11, 2023 [9 favorites]

Pumpkin pie purée is great stirred into oatmeal! It adds a lot of flavour and makes it dessert-y. Add it at the end, after the oatmeal is mostly cooked. Great topped with liquid heavy cream or whipping cream.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 6:14 PM on April 11, 2023 [4 favorites]

I like it in oatmeal.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:37 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Put it in a chili recipe.

It's not very Spring-like, but I've made this Washington Post recipe and liked it:

Black Bean and Pumpkin Stew With Pasta

Channeling fall with canned pumpkin, this pantry-friendly stew is quick and hearty. The entire dish comes together in about 20 minutes and is loaded with pasta and beans. Whole coriander and cumin seeds add delightful bursts of flavor. The pumpkin puree gives it plenty of body, but feel free to add more stock if you prefer a thinner consistency. Serve drizzled with a fruity olive oil and topped with croutons, either homemade or store-bought, for a little bit of crunch and extra flavor.
Total time: 20 mins

Storage Notes: Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
SERVINGS:
Tested size: 4 servings; about 6 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces/100 grams) orzo or another short pasta 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
4 cups (1 quart) unsalted or low-sodium vegetable stock
Two (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
One (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
Homemade or store-bought croutons, for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the pasta, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook, stirring regularly, until fragrant and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Stir in the black beans and pumpkin puree, decrease the heat so the liquid is at a simmer, and cook until the pasta is al dente, 7 to 9 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve warm, drizzled with olive oil and a few croutons scattered on top.
posted by jgirl at 6:45 PM on April 11, 2023

Put in a processor with cottage cheese, sort of like this whipped cottage cheese recipe but without the spices and sweetener.

Stir into oatmeal, greek yogurt.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 6:47 PM on April 11, 2023

Some of you are not reading the question closely.

Guilty as charged.
posted by jgirl at 6:48 PM on April 11, 2023

Pumpkin biscotti are nice (with almonds and/or pepitas) and crunchy which is fun versus pie. You'll just have to do some math around the sugar converting from puree to canned pie filling. On my phone but I think I used a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction?
posted by athirstforsalt at 6:55 PM on April 11, 2023

any pumpkin bread recipe should be fine once you adjust the sugar down. Make the batter without adding any sugar, taste, see if it needs added sugar, then pour into pan and bake.

Smoothies, if you like that sort of thing.

In general it will taste better if you cook it a bit first to take the raw pumpkin flavor edge off.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:02 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

do you have an ice cream maker? It should make a delicious ice cream, added to any base.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:02 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Triffe! Just skip the pumpkin pie spice.
posted by joycehealy at 7:05 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

I've made a pumpkin tiramisu before. I'm not sure which recipe I used but this should work..
posted by knile at 7:06 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Muffins. If it's sweetened, you'd have to do some adaptation, but I add 1/2 of a standard can to muffins. I add an extra beaten egg for more lift and extra protein, plus bran, dried apricots, and walnuts.
The other 1/2 can of pumpkin goes in the freezer.

Get some good vanilla ice cream, mix in some pumpkin mix. refreeze.

I have had pumpkin roll; it's really good.
posted by theora55 at 7:34 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

I would consider freezing some or all of it in useful portions.

In my experience, freezing and thawing is disastrous for pumpkin purée, texture wise. I guess the sugar in the pie filling might improve matters?
posted by zamboni at 7:35 PM on April 11, 2023

pumpkin ravioli
posted by the webmistress at 7:42 PM on April 11, 2023

Eeep! Edited to add: I missed that you were looking for pumpkin pie filling recipes! Maybe file this one away for when you need to use up pumpkin purée.

I have brought Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s pumpkin muffins (with the cranberry addition) to many a potluck, and absolutely everyone loves them.
posted by sugarbomb at 7:49 PM on April 11, 2023

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oats? Just remember to omit the brown sugar since your pumpkin pie filling will already be sweet enough as is!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 7:51 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

someone upthread recommended adding it to cooked oatmeal at the end. It is also really good added to oatmeal along with the water or milk before cooking. It thickens up a bit - I really like the texture and the pumpkin flavorings go really well with unflavored oatmeal.
posted by metahawk at 8:12 PM on April 11, 2023

One Pot Pumpkin Pasta. I made this recently and it's excellent!

ETA: whoops, I thought you meant regular pumpkin. Use the pumpkin pie version for smoothies or milkshakes.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:53 PM on April 11, 2023

There's no rule that says you must put a crust between pumpkin custard filling and a pie-shaped baking dish. Pumpkin shapes taste great for breakfast with or without cinnamon and whipped cream on top.
posted by amtho at 10:04 PM on April 11, 2023

Adopt a dog, then wait for it to have digestive issues adjusting to new food.
Feed small amounts of pumpkin to dog with each meal until digestive issues resolve.
Freeze the remaining pumpkin in 1 tablespoon quantities on a sheet tray, transfer to a ziplock bag for future dog tummy issues. Thaw and use as necessary.
posted by deludingmyself at 10:20 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

It’s good on plain yogurt, too.
posted by Comet Bug at 11:01 PM on April 11, 2023

"Pumpkin dessert is not a pie and not a cake, but a delicious dessert that will remind you of both!" We've made it a few times and its one of our favorites.

(Note the web site seems to be having some kind of https registration problem today. Here is the google cached version in case you have trouble accessing the site.)
posted by flug at 11:48 PM on April 11, 2023

You guys!! This is not canned pumpkin, it's pumpkin PIE FILLING. Contains sweeteners, spices and possibly other stuff. It won't work for most non-sweet recipes, and it should NOT be fed to animals.

Alone at Thanksgiving 2020, I made these little pumpkin puddings from Smittenkitchen; the recipe is for plain canned pumpkin but it should work if you omit the sugar and either reduce or omit the spices (depending on your taste).

I made the puddings and froze them; they were nice either reheated in the oven or, by summer, simply defrosted in the fridge.
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:44 AM on April 12, 2023 [9 favorites]

I've had no problems freezing canned pumpkin. The processed (canning process is high heat) pie filling should be no problem in the freezer. The liquid may leach out a bit in the defrosted product but just mix it into the recipe.

You could also just make the pie recipe on the can without crust, serve with whipped cream (or nondairy whip) and call it something else.

If none of these sweet options sound good, a food bank or, even better, a service house that serves meals, would be happy to use it.
posted by RoadScholar at 5:57 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

This baked pumpkin quinoa is so delicious.
posted by mcgsa at 6:57 AM on April 12, 2023

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse!
posted by horsegnut at 8:20 AM on April 12, 2023

pumpkin mixed with coconut milk and spices would make for a good pasta sauce
posted by mmascolino at 10:12 AM on April 12, 2023

my partner is partial to a savory pumpkin custard with garlic, gorgonzola, and I wanna say sage
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 2:17 PM on April 12, 2023

Indian pudding - you steam it with cornmeal, beaten eggs and molasses. It goes into the steamer as a sloppy liquid and comes out solid enough to serve sliced, possibly with hard sauce.

Dessert pudding. Put into dessert ramekins, sprinkle a layer of brown sugar on top and pop under the broiler until it caramelizes, serve warm.

Pumpkin souffle: Pretty much the same as the dessert pudding except you add a bunch of eggs and beat it until fluffy before baking it.

Pumpkin butter. Put it in a saucepan and cook it down until it becomes a thick spread to put on your toast.

Pumpkin soup. May be off-puttingly sweet, so I would advice only using a glop in a pot full of yellow split peas and chopped vegetables. Use an immersion blender to puree. Lovely with curry in it. Add more pie filling if the sweetness is not over the top. Freeze the remainder of the canned pie filling in measured portions. This soup is a good way to use up dud frozen vegetables or root vegetables that are getting a bit wrinkly.

Add it to your porridge.

Don't do dog treats - there could be spices in it bad for dogs, and they don't need the sugar.
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:45 AM on April 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

If it's plain and unspiced and just pumpkin you can make a great pasta sauce with it.

Spiced it's good in smoothies for that Pumpkin Pie Spice twist.
posted by wwax at 10:18 AM on April 13, 2023

Response by poster: I ended up making pumpkin spice muffins, which were delicious and used the whole 30 oz can. Thanks all!
posted by cozenedindigo at 6:49 PM on April 25, 2023 [2 favorites]