• 

The time is upon us, friends! I consider September the official start of fall, and what better way to celebrate than with some pumpkin recipes? While searching for some “healthier” pumpkin recipes that both myself and my toddler can enjoy, I thought, “this would make a good blog post!” So here ya go, these are the five best and healthiest pumpkin recipes on the Internet (that I can find). I will be making the healthy Starbucks pumpkin loaf next week!

1. Healthy Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf, by Liz Moody

Okay I have to admit as soon as I saw that the Starbucks pumpkin loaf was back, I got one right away! It tasted *so* good, but I know it’s loaded with lots of processed sugar and other not-so-healthy ingredients. That’s why I was so excited when I came across this Healthy Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf recipe on Liz Moody’s blog! I always make a pumpkin loaf in the fall and I can’t wait to make this one and I’ll feel good about sharing it with Kennedy because of it’s clean ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée ⁣
• 1 cup unsalted creamy almond butter (make sure it’s well stirred!)
• 1 1/4 cup almond flour ⁣
• 3 eggs, ideally pasture-raised ⁣
• 1 cup coconut sugar⁣
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract⁣
• 1 teaspoon baking soda⁣
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder⁣
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt⁣
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ⁣
• 3 teaspoons allspice ⁣
• 1/4 cup pepitas⁣

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a non stick small pot over medium-low, reduce the pumpkin purée, stirring regularly, for about 20 minutes, until its a half a cup (it’ll stick to your pot for sure, just soak it for 10 min to clean). ⁣
3. Add the reduced 1/2 cup pumpkin purée to a bowl with all remaining ingredients except for the pepitas.
4. Stir until well combined, then scoop into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
5. Top with pepitas and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool for at least 20 min in pan before slicing. Enjoy!

2. Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes, by Ambitious Kitchen

Pancakes are one of or favorite breakfasts around here! My healthy three ingredient pancakes (the recipe can be found on my Instagram under the “Easy Breakfasts” highlight) are on constant rotation for Kenny and I throughout the year, but when fall rolls around I crave all things pumpkin spice, especially at breakfast time! Cue these healthy pumpkin spice pancakes from Ambitious Kitchen! These are the perfect breakfast for a crisp fall morning and the ingredients couldn’t be better. They take just a little more work than our normal pancakes (they can still be made in the blender), but they are little more special for our favorite season!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats, gluten free if desired
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Olive oil, for cooking

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Lightly coat a griddle with coconut oil, vegan butter or olive oil and place over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add about 1/3 cup of the batter to the griddle for each pancake; the batter may be thick so you’ll need to use a spoon to spread out the batter a bit. It will get thicker as it sits so be sure to cook these pancakes immediately after blending. Cook for 2-4 minutes until pancakes slightly puff up and you see a few bubbles along the edges.
3. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside. If you find that pancakes are browning too quickly, then you need to lower the heat. I normally start on medium heat, then reduce to medium low later so that my pancakes don’t burn. If at any point your griddle starts smoking, it means your pan is way too hot. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil and remaining batter. Makes 6 pancakes total. Serves 3, two pancakes each.

3. Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts, by Laura Lea Balanced

Who doesn’t love spiced donuts in the fall?! When we do our annual fall tip to New England, I always go out of my way to find cinnamon or spiced donuts! I found these Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts on the Laura Lea Balanced blog. The coconut butter glaze sounds absolutely delicious! P.S. I’ve found that these silicon donut molds make it easy to get the donuts out when they are done cooling.

Ingredients

Directions:

Donuts

1. Add instant oats to a high powered blender or food processor and pulse until it forms a flour consistency. I personally prefer using the blender because I think it creates a finer consistency. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a 6-donut silicon mold on a baking sheet. Spray mold with olive oil or coconut oil spray or grease with any fat of choice.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until thoroughly combined. Fill donut molds approximately 3/4 of the way full. If you fill them more, they’ll break when you try to get them out.
3. You will have some batter leftover after filling all 6 donuts. You can either make a 7th donut after the first batch comes out OR, what I like to do, make two muffins in cupcake tins. Bake donuts for 17-18 minutes, or slightly firm to touch but still with some give (they may may seem underdone but I promise they will firm up!) Allow to cool 15 minutes before loosening the edges with a butter knife and removing from the molds. Dip donuts into coconut glaze and continue to cool on a slotted rack. I suggest putting parchment paper under the rack to catch excess glaze. Once completely cooled, donuts will keep tightly sealed on the counter for 48 hours in the fridge for 5 days. If refrigerating, I suggest reheating in a 350 degree oven for just 3 minutes or until slightly warm to touch.

Glaze

1. To melt coconut butter, I suggest adding 1 inch water to a small sauce pot. Bring water to a simmer and add coconut butter jar directly to pot (ONLY if it is a glass jar). Allow to sit for 10 minutes while water is simmer, until you can stir easily with a spoon. Combine coconut butter with cinnamon and coconut sugar and whisk to incorporate.

4. Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls, by Eating Bird Food

These Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls are probably the healthiest and simplest recipe in the round up! With just five simple ingredients, they’re practically little bite-sized pumpkin Larabars. Normally pumpkin recipes are created for breakfast or dessert but these are perfect for an anytime healthy snack. Not only do I think Kennedy will love them, I also think they would be great post-workout snack. They would also be super easy to pack for a healthy on-the-go snack option while traveling!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup about 10 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until the mixture is finely chopped and sticky.
2. Scoop dough from the food processor using a small/medium cookie scoop or your hands and roll into balls using your hands. Enjoy right away or store for later.
3. Place balls into a sealed storage container and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or the freezer for 3 months.

5. Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, by KaleJunkie

Sometimes you just need a good old fashioned cookie. And that’s exactly what these Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are – except KaleJunkie made them a little healthier for us! They taste just like the snickerdoodle cookies we all know and love, but with a little extra pumpkin spice flavor, making them the perfect cookie for fall. I think Kenny would have fun helping to flatten the cookies by using the bottom of a cup to press down the dough before baking!

Ingredients:

The Cookies

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

The Topping

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. in a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla. 
3. Once combined well, add the almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder. mix well, and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
4. This will make the dough firmer and easier to roll into balls. 
5. In a small bowl, add the coconut sugar and cinnamon. 
6. Remove bowl from the refrigerator, form balls with the cookies and roll each one in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. 
7. Place on baking sheet. 
8. Using the bottom of a cup or jar, press down to flatten to about 1/2 inch thick. 
9. Bake 10 minutes. 
10. Enjoy eating these all day today. 

Which one would you guys make first?!