6 tips for cooking (not just carving) your pumpkin this Halloween

6 tips to avoid wasting your pumpkin

1. Get creative
Instead of carving your pumpkin and letting it rot on the doorstep, get creative with Halloween decorating: use edible pens to draw on the skin or attach fresh flowers with edible glue. If you don’t cut into it, it will last longer and you can eat it afterwards, but if you’re set on carving, wash and dry the pumpkins beforehand and sterilise the tools in boiling water. Put your pumpkin in a window in a cool spot and use an LED candle. After 1-2 days, rinse and cook it.

2. Make the most of peel
The skins of most pumpkins are edible and contain fibre and nutrients. It’s just the very thick, bumpy-skinned ones that are too tough to eat. If the dish you’re making only uses pumpkin flesh, you can use the skin to make chips. Use a knife to cut it off, then cut into strips, drizzle with oil and roast or air fry until tender and crisp. Season and serve with aioli or mayo.

3. Roast the seeds
Crisp pumpkin seeds are great as a snack or as a crunchy topping for pasta, soups or salads. To make them… Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin, dropping them into a bowl of water. Next, use your fingertips to wash them well and remove any pulp. Put them in a small pan of water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, then pat dry with a clean tea towel. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 10-12 minutes until crisp. You can keep them plain or add spices, honey or maple syrup and roast for 5 minutes more. Cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

4. Whizz your own purée
Pumpkin purée is so versatile – it’s great stirred into pasta, as a layer in a vegetable lasagne or whizzed with feta or soft goat’s cheese to make a dip. You can also use it in sweet recipes: the American classic pumpkin pie, plus cakes and bakes. If time is running out for your pumpkin, cooking up a big batch of purée is the way to go; it’s fuss free and easy to store – see how to make a purée in the pumpkin toastie below. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

5. Simmer some stock
Often scooped out and discarded, the stringy pumpkin innards and seeds are edible and hold lots of flavour. The easiest way to use them is to make a stock.

Put the scooped-out pumpkin insides and seeds, plus the peel if it can’t be left on, in a large pan. Add any other veg scraps such as onion skins, cabbage cores, carrot ends and peelings, plus a few herbs such as thyme, parsley stems or bay leaves.

Cover with cold water, then add some peppercorns and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain into a jug or container and throw away the solids.

You can use the stock straightaway or let it cool, then keep chilled for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. If you’re short on freezer space, boil the strained stock to reduce the liquid by three quarters, then freeze in small portions. Reducing it will intensify the flavour to use like stock cubes.

6. Store it well
Keep your intact pumpkins in a cool, dark, dry place (not in the fridge), where the thick skins mean they’ll last for months. Once you’ve cut into your pumpkin, transfer it to the fridge and use within a week. Or cook your pumpkin as a big batch, then keep it chilled or freeze it (in pieces or puréed), bagged in portions for soups or salads.

Two recipes to try from Don’t Waste Your Pumpkin

Brothy beans with pumpkin
Comfort in a bowl, this simple dinner showcases the sweet warmth of pumpkin, pairing it with creamy beans and a pumpkin-seed chilli oil.

Cheesy pumpkin toasties
Somewhere between a croque monsieur and welsh rarebit, this indulgent toastie will warm you up on cold days.

Discover more ways to use pumpkin, from pancakes and cheesecakes to casseroles and curry.