Waste less Living

How to Use Leftover Pumpkin Guts

  What to Make with Fresh Leftover Pumpkin Guts

One of my favorite fall family activities is carving pumpkins with pumpkin carving templates. Every year millions of pumpkins are carved, but what does everyone do with those leftover pumpkin guts? The rest of the ‘guts’ don’t get their time to shine and are left out of the family fall activities. I’m always looking for ways to make my food go as far as it can and reduce food waste. So what’s a person to do with these leftover pumpkin guts? Take a look at these awesome ideas and take full advantage of all that pumpkins have to offer.

Don't throw out the leftover pumpkin guts. Give them time to shine and use these awesome ways to reuse them to their fullest potential!

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What is the inside of a pumpkin called?


Let’s just get this out of the way. They’re not actually called leftover pumpkin guts. There is the pulp- the meat of the pumpkin, which people cook with. There is also the ‘pumpkin goo’ which is actually called fibrous strands and seeds. I’m going to continue calling them leftover pumpkin guts because it just seems more fun. However, you can learn more about the proper names of all the pumpkin parts, if you’re interested.

What to do with Pumpkin Pulp?

Zero Waste Hack: Reuse Pumpkin Pulp: Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree for: - Pumpkin Body Scrub - Pumpkin Lip Balm - Pumpkin Latte - Pumpkin cake, cookies, pie and tons of other recipes!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Homemade pumpkin puree will knock the socks off canned pumpkin any day. There’s nothing better than making your own pumpkin puree. You’ll need just the meat or pulp for this, but don’t discard the other guts because we’ll get to that later.

Freeze for Future Recipes

After the round of fall pumpkin decorating, it can seem overwhelming to use all the leftover pumpkin guts. But it’s easy to make your own homemade puree and freeze for later. Just follow the recipe above then measure out 2 cups and freeze.


How to Use Pumpkin Puree in Recipes

After cooking and draining in a sauce pan, a 2-1/2 pound pie pumpkin will produce about 1-3/4 cups puree.
A 3-1/2 pound pie pumpkin will make about 2-1/2 cups puree.

A can of pumpkin at the store is about fifteen ounces of canned pumpkin, which is a little less than 2 cups. Sixteen ounces of pumpkin puree is 2 cups.

Things to do with Leftover Pumpkin Puree

Leftover Pumpkin Puree Recipes

Pumpkin Oatmeal

People are obsessed with all things pumpkin and for a good reason. It’s the essence of fall. That’s why I was dying to try this pumpkin spice oatmeal. It was a perfect way to start off the season.

Overnight Pumpkin Butter

Another great recipe to make sure you get enough pumpkin in your fall diet. The best part is, you can have it ready for your morning breakfast!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Do I need to say anymore?

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte

Why spend $4 on a latte when you can totally make your own at home and it’s probably better for you too!

Pumpkin Cookies

These pumpkin cookies are the perfect fall treat and the best part is you can make it a family activity and involve the kids too!

Pumpkin Pie


Who hasn’t heard of pumpkin pie? It’s by far the most popular fall treat. Check out these easy pumpkin recipe and get the family together to make this yummy treat!

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

This is a lovely, sticky cake and a perfect way to end a fall evening.

More ideas

As you can see, there are unlimited recipes for leftover pumpkin guts.

Non-Food Leftover Pumpkin Puree DIY

Pumpkin Sugar Body Scrub

All you need for this recipe is leftover pumpkin puree, sugar, almond oil and honey. This pumpkin body scrub will leave your skin looking amazing!

Pumpkin Honey Baking Soda Scrub

This recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but homemade pumpkin puree is pretty much the same. Pumpkin has tons of vitamins to help your skin, so give this recipe one a try.

Pumpkin Lip Balm

Don't throw out the leftover pumpkin guts. Give them time to shine and use these awesome ways to reuse them to their fullest potential!

What to do with stringy pumpkin guts

There isn’t a lot to do with the stringy pumpkin guts. You can compost it and the worms would certainly love it.

However, after a quick time in the food processor, you can add it to your other puree recipes. Here are several recipes for the stringy pumpkin guts.

To start separate the pumpkin seeds from the stringy pumpkin guts. Steam the stringy pulp substance in a pot of water for at least 30 minutes. Use a food processor before bagging it up for the freeze.


You can also use the stingy leftover pumpkin guts for art, painting or sensory experiments for children.

What to do with pumpkin seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This definitely the most popular thing to do with pumpkin seeds. You can eat them on your own or add them to other recipes.

Sweetly Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seed and Raisin Snack Mix

A great snack jammed pack with nutrients from raisins and pumpkin seeds. A perfect snack for any time of the day.

Pumpkin Seed Necklace

There are only so many times I can eat roasted pumpkin seeds, so I need to get creative. I stumbled across this DIY tutorial for a pumpkin seed necklace. Just a little dye, a needle and string and I’ve got myself a new fashion statement. Who can say no to free jewelry?

Use as a crust for meat

Here is a recipe for pumpkin- seed crusted trout.

Use as a replacement for almond flour

Grind the seeds in a food processor and use them in place of almonds in this gluten-free cake.

Use them to add an extra crunch to your recipes

Whether it’s making your own hummus, topping for baked goods, oatmeal, salsa, salad, or granola, pumpkin seeds add an extra nutty crunch, that you can’t find anywhere else.

Plant For Next Year

Save money and plant your pumpkin seeds for next year. Pumpkin seeds are big enough for kids to plant and they’ll love to watch them grow! Check out this website for more information on growing pumpkins.

Zero Waste Hack: Reuse Pumpkin seeds: - Roast and eat them - Use them in nut snack mixes - Make a necklace - Use a crust for meat - Grind and use as a replacement for almond flour - Add as a topping - Plant for next year

What can you make with canned pumpkin?

Essentially canned pumpkin is pumpkin puree and to be honest, homemade pumpkin puree will beat canned pumpkin any day. However, if you’re short on time, anything you can use pumpkin puree for, canned pumpkin will work as a substitute.

What to do with the pumpkin shell

Carving pumpkins using pumpkin face templates is such a fun and popular activities. Check out these pumpkin carving templates to get started!

pumpkin carving designs

 

Once the fall festivities are over and you’ve , there is still ways to use the pumpkin shell.

Compost

Of course you can compost the whole pumpkin of just the shell. If you decide to feed it to the worms, make sure you cut or blend into small pieces to help them compost faster.

Interested in composting, but don’t know where to start? Subscribe for access to a free quiz and find the best composting option for you.

Pumpkin planter

Now that the leftover pumpkin guts are out of the way, you can use the pumpkin shell as a planter.

Pumpkin Stamps

Cut the pumpkin shell into different shapes and the let the kids make art. It’s a great way to interact with your kids and teach them about their food and the part it plays in their life.

Pumpkin Skin Dog Treats

This genius home made baked pumpkin skin is a great zero waste dog treat that is salt and sugar free, healthy for them and can reduce your food waste.

Easy Pumpkin Decorating Activities for Kids

Ditch the carving kits and all that mess of pumpkin guts and seeds and instead choose one of these easy pumpkin decorating ideas for kids.

Zero Waste Hack: Reuse Pumpkin Shell: Compost, use as compostible planter, cut into shapes for stamps.

Pumpkin Activities for Kids

Are you ready to explore pumpkins with your kids, but don’t want to do a bunch of worksheets or pumpkin crafts? Check out these pumpkin activities for kids. It’s great to celebrate holidays and special days in daycare with kids.

Leave a comment with your favorite ways to use leftover pumpkin guts!

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Don't throw out the leftover pumpkin guts. Check out these ways to use pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pulp and pumpkin shell after all the holiday festivities and holiday recipes are over!

Don't throw out the leftover pumpkin guts. Check out these ways to use pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pulp and pumpkin shell after all the holiday festivities and holiday recipes are over!

 

 

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