Pumpkin perfection: What pumpkin foods fill the table for Halloween?

Move over Halloween candy because pumpkin foods are filling the cart. Even though that trip to the pumpkin patch might have passed and some people are carving other produce for this year’s Jack-o-lantern, the reality is that pumpkin is the food and flavor forever associated with the fall. Even if the PSL is reaching its saturation point, people are getting their gourd-ful before everything peppermint and gingerbread takes over.

Recently DoorDash revealed the top 10 pumpkin foods that everyone is ordering. While the majority of the list skews toward the sweet side, a few items are a little outside of the patch. Have you enjoyed these food options yet?

DoorDash top order pumpkin foods for 2021

• Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Spiced Latte
• Pumpkin Curry
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Spice Donuts
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Pumpkin Spiced Matcha
• Pumpkin Bourbon Creme Puff
• Pumpkin and Beet Empanada

Of course, many people start their day with pumpkin-flavored treats. From those pumpkin spice donuts to the PSL, it is a great way to start the day. And, since pumpkin is a fruit (not a vegetable), it might be just as important as that apple to keep the doctor away.

Granted, pumpkin desserts might just have the pumpkin flavor not a heaping serving of actual pumpkin, but there are some dishes that could use some real pumpkin or pumpkin puree in the mix. From that classic pumpkin pie to even that pumpkin pie smoothie, there are ways of boosting the nutrition in some sweeter offerings.

If the spoonful of sugar has reached the saturation point, savory pumpkin foods can add some spark to the popular fall flavor. Many people enjoy that pumpkin ravioli, which surprisingly didn’t make the DoorDash top 10 list.

Looking at these findings, the two interesting orders are the Pumpkin and Beef Empanada and Pumpkin Curry. Adding the pumpkin to the empanada offers a richness to the dish. Depending on the recipe, the flavor could be full of robust spices and a perfect taste of fall.

The pumpkin curry is equally as interesting. While this offering might not be on national chain menus, it might be an idea that more restaurants could adopt for 2022. Given that curry is often nuanced, it could showcase how global flavors are intertwined into seasonal offerings.

And, if all the pumpkin foods talk has made you hungry, DoorDash has a great deal leading up to Halloween. Now through Halloween (October 31), DoorDash is offering $5 off a $20 order with the code SPOOKY at checkout.

What are your favorite pumpkin foods? Are you hungry yet?