What to do with pumpkins after Halloween: 16 easy ideas

If you love jack-o-lanterns but hate food waste, you might be wondering what to do with pumpkins once Halloween is over. The good news is, there are plenty of fun, eco-friendly ways to reuse your ghoulish gourds.

Just over half of the 40 million pumpkins bought last year were thrown away, but with so many great ways to use them, it’s a waste of food and money.

Re-using your Halloween pumpkins is eco-friendly, saves money, reduces food waste, and can provide lots of family fun.

From recipes (yes, you can eat carving pumpkins) to creative crafts, we’ve got 16 ideas for what to do with pumpkins after Halloween.

What to do with pumpkin seeds

Once you’ve sliced the top off your pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, rinse off the stringy stuff, then save them for a delicious and nutritious snack food. Pumpkin seeds are an energy-dense food (~570 calories per 100g!) that are high in protein, healthy fats, Vitamin E, fibre, and magnesium. 

1. Roast your pumpkin seeds

Roasting your pumpkin seeds with seasoning and spices makes for a great energy-boost snack. Their versatility means you can opt for savoury flavours like paprika or sweet flavours like cinnamon and brown sugar. It takes around 10–15 minutes in the oven until they are crispy and cooked. 

2. Keep as toppings 

Adding pumpkin seeds to soups and salads can enhance the nutrients of your meal and add a subtle tang. For this, you’ll need to hull your pumpkin seeds, meaning the outer white shell is removed, leaving the smaller green seed behind. It’s easy to do and leaves you with a nutritious meal addition.

What to do with pumpkin guts

Also known as ‘pulp’, the stringy bits inside your pumpkin are less than pleasant to handle. But hold onto those guts if you love being a bit thrifty with food.

3. Make vegetable stock

Making vegetable stock at home is a really easy, cheap, and sustainable way of reusing food scraps. Keep hold of vegetable skins and peels and store them in the freezer until you have enough to make stock. Pumpkin guts are a great addition to stock as they’ll add a rich flavour. 

Once you have a full container of vegetable scraps, add everything to a large pan with water and bay leaves, bring to a boil, and simmer for one hour. Sieve out the veggie scraps and what you have left is homemade stock. Avoid overly strong or starchy vegetables like beetroot, cabbage, and potatoes. 

What to do with pumpkin flesh

The thick orange part inside your pumpkin is the flesh and you’ll get a huge number of uses out of this. Pumpkin works well with seasonings like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cumin, making it a versatile ingredient ideal for both sweet and savoury dishes. While you’re gutting the pumpkin before you carve, cut away chunks of flesh and store them safely.

4. Make soup

There’s nothing more cosy than enjoying a bowl of tasty soup in the colder months. Chop up pumpkin flesh into pieces and boil in a stock (that you’ve maybe already made!) along with spices and any other veg you like. Add cream, croutons, and pumpkin seeds for a creamy and nutritious meal. 

5. Make pumpkin puree 

We’ve included ideas and recipes in the following points, like pumpkin spice latte, pie, cake, and hummus that all require pumpkin puree. There are tons of other things that you can make from puree, like risotto, gnocchi, chili, bread, cookies, muffins, and pancakes.

Pumpkin puree can be frozen for up to three months, so you don’t have to use it immediately. This is especially handy if you’ve bought multiple Halloween pumpkins –  your pumpkin spice latte season can last a really long time.

6. Whip up a pumpkin spice latte

Pumpkin spice latte season is officially upon us, and fans of the flavour might want to try making their own. Even better: it’s surprisingly easy. Create a puree from the pumpkin flesh, then whisk together with milk, mixed spices and cinnamon, add your coffee, and enjoy. 

7. Make pumpkin hummus

If you love making hummus at home, adding in pumpkin can give it a new tasty flavour. Homemade hummus is easy to do as you simply add all the ingredients to a blender and tweak to taste. The extra step is adding pumpkin puree and you’ve got a new seasonal twist on an old favourite.

8. Bake pumpkin pie

Take a leaf out of our American cousins’ book and bake up this seasonal pie. Use ready-made pastry for the base, create a mix with pumpkins, eggs, evaporated milk and spices, bake, then top with maple syrup and pecans.

9. Bake pumpkin cake

Carrot cake lovers should try this similar seasonal recipe. This spongy, cinnamon-flavoured pumpkin cake is a perfect Halloween party dessert. Top with cream cheese icing for a little extra sweetness.

10. Feed your pets & chickens

Believe it or not, pumpkin is a great nutritional boost to your pets’ food as it can help with digestion. Pumpkin flesh is safe for both dogs and cats to eat, so if you’ve got leftover puree, add some to their meal every now and then, just be sure to leave it unseasoned.

If you’ve got chickens, you probably already know what great composting machines they are. Whatever parts of the pumpkin you’ve got left, they’ll peck at until it’s all gone.

What to do with pumpkin shells

You’ve likely completely decimated your pumpkin innards by now, making the shell unusable as a whole. But if you’ve bought a few pumpkins, you might want to save one of the outer shells for these cool ideas.

11. Make a bird feeder

If you’ve got a good portion of your shell intact, or your pumpkin is not usable for feed, turn it into a bird feeder. You’ll need some sturdy string or wire to hang it from a tree, then fill with bird-friendly seeds. Make sure you remove it before it ferments and gets mushy. 

12. Stuffed pumpkin recipes

Think bread bowls, but make it pumpkin. Yes, not only can you eat carving pumpkins, but you can turn them into a serving platter. Some of our favourite recipes include roasted pumpkin fondue, twice-baked pumpkins, and stuffed pumpkins. 

How to responsibly discard pumpkins

We’ve talked you through using up pretty much every single piece of your Halloween pumpkin, but you’ll still have pieces you can’t use. Here are a few last tips for sustainably discarding your Halloween gourds.

13. Hang out for the birds

You don’t need to fill it with seeds, as birds can peck at the remnants of your pumpkin flesh. Keep up in a tree where it’s accessible only to birds and squirrels, as it can be harmful to other wildlife.

14. Donate to a local zoo or animal centre

Simply don’t have the time or resources for recipes? Donate to your local zoo or animal centre, where they can feed the residents with leftover jack-o-lantern.

15. Compost

Inedible parts or shell that you can’t use should be composted so that they break down organically.  If you don’t have a home compost or local collection for one, you can find your nearest one in the area.

16. Bury for soil nutrients

Cut up your pumpkin remnants and bury in your garden to provide nutrients for your soil. You can even pick out the biggest seeds and plant them specifically to regrow your own pumpkins from May onwards. They need a good amount of space, light, and water, so some gardening knowledge and patience are vital.

Tips before you get carving

There’s little point trying to figure out what to do with pumpkins after you’ve used them if they’re in poor shape. Sustainable practices come with a little planning, so here are some tips on making the most of your pumpkin before you’ve even bought them.

Save any seeds, guts, or flesh you’ll be using

Before you get carving, you usually remove the top of the pumpkin and clean out the inside. Hopefully, you’ve saved some of our ideas for using the seeds, guts, and flesh. Remove, clean, and store separately before you start carving.

Keep in a cool, dry place for longer life

The best place to keep your pumpkin is inside a cool, dark room out of the sun. A pumpkin kept outside will generally last up to two weeks, whereas one kept in optimal conditions can last up to three months. You can still display your jack-o-lantern in a window for seasonal decorations, plus you won’t have to deal with any nasty bugs and slugs.

Don’t add wax candles

Wax that drips down your candles can ruin your pumpkin flesh and make it unsuitable for eating. Why not try electric tealights instead? They last longer, don’t blow out, and won’t ruin your pumpkin.

Try drawing or painting instead of carving 

Your jack-o-lantern can look just as cool if you draw on it with black marker. It’s a lot easier than carving and will extend the life significantly, especially since you’re not removing the stalk. Just make sure any part of the shell with marker on it is not eaten by humans or animals.

Don’t leave out for wildlife

Our bird friends can take nutrients from pumpkin parts, but they can be harmful to other wildlife, notably hedgehogs. While it’s fine to string up from a tree, avoid leaving it on the ground.

Avoid putting in landfill

Food waste that’s thrown in the bin does not break down; in fact it releases methane into the atmosphere when it’s in landfill. Composting food and organic waste is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint and save food waste.

Smashing pumpkins

There are so many ways to use your pumpkins after Halloween that there really are no wasted bits. From tasty recipes to fun crafts, these ideas show just how versatile your jack-o-lanterns can be. 

By reusing your pumpkins, you’ll save money, reduce food waste, and discover new ways to get creative this season.