Squash and pumpkin are the ultimate Fall and Winter foods: nourishing, vitamin-rich, and super comforting. These 10 Vegan squash and pumpkin recipes make it easy for you to add these fall favorite into you weekly meal rotation during the cooler months of the year.
You’ll see that I use kabocha in most of the recipes here. It’s just my favorite vegetable overall; not only does it have rich orange insides and dark green outsides for beautiful meals, you don’t need to peel the skin, making it easy to prepare. Red Kuri squash is also lovely, but the skin is thicker. Super creamy butternut is also a great option, especially for the soups. Be sure to peel it first! Acorn squash is pretty bland, I think, so I don’t specify using that, but it can easily be substituted. Delicata squash is also quite popular, but it’s not ‘meaty’ enough for these recipes. It can be roasted like in recipe #2, or you can stuff them.
I’m also a big fan of canned pumpkin! This is a good time of year to buy it, as stores often put it on sale (be sure to check back AFTER Thanksgiving too, as it’s on better sale then!). Be sure to buy canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix, as this will have other ingredients. Canned pumpkin is a great ingredient in some of the sweet recipes below, like French Toast and the cakes; you can use fresh, cooked pumpkin for the dessert recipes, though the texture might be a bit more watery.
Ready to get started with 10 yummy squash and pumpkin recipes..? YES!
1. Kabocha Pumpkin & Adzuki Bean Chili
A fun combination of flavors: sweet pumpkin and adzuki beans round out the rich spices and savory tomatoes. This cozy dish makes awesome leftovers, and freezes well too. I like to serve with lots of cilantro, of course, and some good quality bread.
2. Quick Roasted Kabocha Pumpkin
This is the quickest and easiest way to make kabocha squash, and yet the natural colors and shape of the squash mean that it’s still a lovely presentation.
3. Vegan Pumpkin French Toast
Yes, French toast! I was so excited when I created this recipe! Using a few pantry staples, and relying on canned pumpkin, this is the key to comforting breakfasts in bed, or dare I say… breakfast for dinner served with some tofu scramble?
4. Pumpkin & Cauliflower Gratin
This is another easy but fancy meal. I don’t have a great picture of it, as it’s not really that pretty. All the veggies cook together with the creamy sauce and just look kinda mushy – but it tastes AWESOME! Serve with a nice kale or spinach salad and some good bread for a great meal. Also a great Thanksgiving side dish.
5. Spicy Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
This is truly one of my favorite recipes EVER! I found it years ago on a now-defunct blog, and it’s one of my go-to fancy recipes (top secret tho, it’s super easy!). Below is a never-published picture of the cake I made for a holiday party last year, with foraged pink peppercorns and rosemary for decoration. Canned pumpkin, melted chocolate, and rich spices make this cake truly heavenly.
6. Spiced Gingerbread Cake
My Christmas tradition, veganized! I got this recipe from my mom’s Joy of Cooking book, and turned it into this vegan masterpiece. With or without frosting, it’s truly incredible.
7. Healthier Pumpkin Spice Latte (with real pumpkin!)
It’s #PSL season for everything (the salon upstairs from my work is offering a pumpkin spice facial!). Take advantage of the season’s best flavors by making this yummy latte with natural ingredients.
8. Healing Pumpkin Soup Recipe
There are really just two key ingredients here: soft cooked kabocha and miso. The natural sweetness of both makes this soup really yummy, and the probiotics and benefits from the miso are too good to pass up. Butternut squash or even sweet potatoes would also be perfect here, just peel them first.
9. Red Pepper & Pumpkin Soup
The richness of roasted peppers in combination with pumpkin is pretty awesome. I love this soup with crusty bread and vegan butter. Roasting the red peppers is key here, to bring out the roasted sweetness.
10. Easy Quinoa Pilaf
This is a great weeknight meal: one pot, whatever ingredients you have, and it’s ALWAYS good. It’s great warm, it’s great cold, and is perfect for leftovers. I love to use Kabocha here, as it’s just that much prettier. You can see in the picture I used carrots, onion, and a bit of kale, too. I like this with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, and maybe some tahini dressing too.
All photos by me, except mixed squash photo by Blair Fraser on Unsplash
I hope these recipes give you inspiration for the whole season of deliciousness! Stay warm! 
Andrea
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