Halloween is just around the corner! This time of year, we always ask the question, what to do with all those pumpkins? Here is a great recipe that actually calls for freshly shredded pumpkin (not that stuff in the can).
Every November, my sister and I always shred our uncarved pumpkins with a Presto Salad Shooter and pack them into zip top freezer baggies. We put 3 cups of shredded pumpkin into each bag and store them in our freezer until it’s time to bake again. If I’m ambitious, I’ll also measure out all the dry ingredients into baggies to make my own pumpkin mix. Just add the sugar, wet ingredients, and shredded pumpkin for a quick and easy batter.
This delicious recipe can be used to make pumpkin bread, muffins, or my favorite: Sammy-sized mini-muffins. I’ve even made it in a bundt pan with tasty results.
Recipe Summary:
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes for a loaf, 30-35 minutes for muffins, 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins
Yield: 1 loaf, 18 regular size muffins, or 3-4 dozen mini-muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar*
3/4 cup vegetable oil (lowfat version: 1/4 c. veg oil 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded pumpkin, fresh or frozen
1 cup toasted shelled pumpkin seeds, optional
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prep the baking pans with: butter and flour, nonstick cooking spray, paper cupcake liners or parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sugar*, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated, pour into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan or muffin tins.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes for a loaf, 30-35 minutes for muffins, or 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins. At this point, a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in broiler or toaster oven for best results.
*If you want your muffin tops extra crunchy and yummy, take out a tablespoon of sugar from the 1 1/2 cups, and sprinkle it on the top before baking.
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This looks yummy! I can’t wait to try it out.
Hi, I got a new machine (Hamilton Beach White Change-a-Bowl Multi-Bowl Slicer and Shredder) that’s much easier to use than the salad shooter for grating the pumpkin. Got yer pumpkin? We have to try it!
Do you shred the skins of the pumpkin like you do zucchini or do you peal them?
I usually peel them. I suppose you could leave the skins on as long as you washed the outside of the pumpkin well first. If you try it with the skin, please let us know how it turns out!
I used the shredded pumpkin both with and without the skin. From now on, “the skin goes in”. Shredding the entire (washed and rinsed) pumpkin is quicker, less wasteful and puts more color into the muffin or loaf. No difference in texture or taste. I also tried the low-fat option using non-spiced apple butter instead of the vegetable oil and it is great.
Thanks, Jeff! I plan to shred my pumpkins this weekend. It will go so much faster without peeling them, and there will be more fiber and nutrients too! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Your recipe looks fabulous! Do you know how much of the canned pumpkin to use if you don’t have fresh pumpkins? I love pumpkin breads even though it’s summer!
Thanks, Amy! I also love pumpkin bread or muffins in the summer, so I freeze my extra fresh shredded pumpkin to use year round. Because of this, I never need to use canned pumpkin, so I don’t know how much to use. Sorry!
I have several varieties of pumpkin and squash to use for pumpkin bread and pie. Last year I used “Triple Treat” and this year I have “Luxury Pie”, “Amish Pie” on the pumpkin side and “Hopi Orange” and “Big Red Warty Thing” on the squash side. Any thoughts on these? I have already made some pumpkin bread using “Luxury Pie” and it was great. Do any of these varieties lend themselves more to shredding for bread versus cooking for use in pie? Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Jeff, I’m not familiar with the varieties of pumpkin you mentioned. Most of the recipes I’ve found don’t specify variety and simply call for pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin.
I would imagine that the different varieties have different sugar and moisture content, so you might need to adjust your recipes a bit for each pumpkin type.
I am not a pumpkin experts, but maybe you could find one at a specialty nursery, a gourmet market, or the place where you purchased your produce. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Happy Baking!
Elaine, thanks for the reply. After several batches I have found that there is no noticeable difference. On a lark I tweaked the recipe a little. I went with brown sugar, used cooked squash in place of the vegetable oil, added zest from two oranges and about 1/3 cup orange juice concentrate and about 1/3 cup more flour. I can taste the orange but it is not overpowering and the crew down at the local Habitat for Humanity liked it.
Jeff, I never thought of replacing the oil with cooked squash. I always use unsweetend applesauce. My family could use more vegetables, though!
Thanks for all your suggestions!
Elaine, necessity is the mother of … new recipes. There was a very poor crop of apples throughout the mid Willamette Valley this year. I saw a recipe for pumpkin butter and kind of connected the dots. That and I went a little overboard planting the aforementioned varieties and had a bumper crop to say the least.