Do you remember that time when there was a canned pumpkin shortage and we all needed to find pumpkin purée substitutes for our fall baking? Those were dark times, friend, but you might be surprised to learn that there are a lot of vegetables that can be substituted for pumpkin in baking—and you won’t even miss it.
Homemade Pumpkin Purée
Pumpkin pies, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread—how can you substitute the pumpkin when they have pumpkin in the name?! The truth is, pumpkin itself has a very mild, earthy flavor; it’s the pumpkin spices we add to baked goods that we associate with pumpkin flavor, not the actual vegetable.
This means you can substitute vegetables with similar color, texture, and flavor, add that signature pumpkin spice blend, and the result will taste so similar, no one will guess that you didn’t use pumpkin purée.
Pumpkin Purée Substitute
Oh, and Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Isn’t Even Made With Pumpkin! It’s made with Dickinson squash, which is more closely related to butternut squash than pumpkin. Shocker! Other brands of canned pumpkin purée also commonly use other winter squashes or even blends of a few different varieties. If you can’t find pumpkin purée at the grocery store, you’re totally fine swapping in a can of butternut squash or any of the other pumpkin substitutes listed below.
How to Replace Pumpkin Purée
Replacing pumpkin purée with any of the substitutes listed above is simple—you use the exact same amount. So you can substitute a cup of pumpkin purée with a cup of carrot purée, sweet potato purée, or squash purée.
If you’re starting with fresh vegetables rather than canned, you’ll need to steam or roast them, then purée them in your blender or food processor. If the resulting purée is thinner or more watery than canned pumpkin purée, you can line a sieve or colander with a paper towel or cheesecloth and place the purée inside to let some of the excess moisture drain off for 15–20 minutes before you bake with it.
Top Tip
Your best bet is using canned butternut squash as a substitute for canned pumpkin purée because the consistency, flavor, and color matches closely with pumpkin. That said, any of the substitutes mentioned below will work!
FAQS
Luckily, if you’re in need of a substitute for pumpkin purée, you have plenty of options! What you’re looking for is another vegetable that will match the taste, texture, and color.
Yes! Butternut squash purée is the best substitute for pumpkin purée. You can usually find it with canned vegetables at the grocery store (as opposed to pumpkin purée, which you’ll find in the baking aisle). If you can’t find it in a can, you can buy butternut squash and roast it until it’s tender, then purée it for your pumpkin recipe.
Butternut squash is best if you need a substitute for pumpkin, but acorn squash will do in a pinch, although the color of your baked goods will be a bit paler. You can also use Hubbard squash, kabocha, or buttercup squash.
Yes, sweet potato purée works as a one-to-one substitute for pumpkin purée. You can even make the swap in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe!
Yep, fresh pie pumpkins—also known as sugar pumpkins—can be used as a substitute for canned pumpkin purée. Don’t use the big pumpkins used for carving and decorating—they’re not cultivated for flavor. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp, then cover the cut sides with foil. Bake, cut side up, for about an hour at 325ºF, or until tender. Cool, scoop the flesh from the shell, and purée the flesh in a blender or food processor.
Kind of! You can substitute carrots in a cake, bread, or muffin recipe, but you’re going to notice the difference in a pie. That said, carrot pie is definitely a thing, just know that it doesn’t taste quite the same as pumpkin pie!
Only use pumpkin pie filling in recipes that specifically call for it. Pumpkin pie filling (or pumpkin pie mix) is already seasoned and sweetened, so it will throw off the taste of your recipe if you use it in place of pumpkin purée.
