12 Festive Pumpkin Spice Recipes Perfect for Fall (2024)

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

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Here's something innovative: a pumpkin spice recipe containing real pumpkin purée. To make this warming bread, start by mixing spices with flour, baking powder, and salt. Then 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), crumble the bread and combine it with fresh fruit and whipped cream for a pumpkin trifle.

Pumpkin Spice Martini

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

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

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

Pumpkin Cream Puffs

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.

Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

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 purée, to which you add nutmeg, milk, and a drizzle of honey. Feel free to swap in almond, oat, or soy milk to make it dairy-free.

Pumpkin Pancakes With Spiced Maple Syrup

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

Pumpkin Rice Pudding

As delicious as it is forgiving, this pumpkin rice pudding gets an extra zesty kick from fresh-squeezed orange juice and vanilla bean.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Believe it or not, these pumpkin swirl cheesecake bars are 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 purée. Feel free to make them a day in advance—they'll keep in the fridge overnight.

Pumpkin Muffins

Grab a mug of hot apple cider and settle in with these gorgeous muffins. The dough has pumpkin spice and pumpkin purée baked in; finish them with a sprinkle of sugar on top.

Pumpkin Cream Sandwiches

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.

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

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, leave the glaze topping off—the cake is so flavorful, we promise you won't miss it.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

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 probably own all the ingredients to make it: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. The best part of this recipe is that it's easy to adapt to 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.