Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups: A Simple Way to Use Leftover Pumpkin Purée

Have some leftover pumpkin purée sitting in your fridge after Thanksgiving? Or maybe you picked up a beautiful sugar pumpkin at your local farmers’ market and now you’re looking for something delicious to make with it.

I have just the recipe for you!

These Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups combine creamy peanut butter, pumpkin purée, a touch of maple syrup, and rich dark chocolate for a simple fall treat. I made these over the Thanksgiving weekend instead of pumpkin pie, and I’ve already made a couple of batches - they’re that good!

If you love pumpkin pie flavours but want something a little different, or perhaps you love peanut butter cups but want an option with less sugar, these chocolatey bites are an easy option. They’re also a great reminder that being mindful of your sugar intake doesn’t mean you have to give up every sweet treat you enjoy.

A Little Pumpkin, a Little Chocolate, and a Lot of Fall Flavour

One of the things I love about seasonal cooking is finding simple ways to use ingredients you already have. Pumpkin purée is perfect for this. It adds moisture and a lovely pumpkin flavour to recipes, and it pairs beautifully with peanut butter and dark chocolate. Pumpkin is also a great source of beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A to support healthy vision, immune function, and skin. It also provides fibre, along with other vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious addition to your fall recipes.

You only need six ingredients to make these cups:

• Natural peanut butter
• Pumpkin purée
• Maple syrup
• Dark chocolate chips
• Coconut oil
• Flaky sea salt

The pumpkin and peanut butter filling is tucked between layers of melted chocolate, with a sprinkle of flaky salt on top to bring all the flavours together. The result is a rich, chocolatey treat with a creamy pumpkin centre.

A Sweet Treat With Less Added Sugar

If you’re paying more attention to your sugar intake but still want a sweet treat, these pumpkin peanut butter cups are worth adding to your fall recipe list.

Instead of relying on a very sweet filling, this recipe uses a small amount of maple syrup to complement the pumpkin and peanut butter. The dark chocolate adds plenty of flavour, while the flaky sea salt gives each bite a delicious sweet-and-salty finish.

While not sugar-free, they can be a lower-sugar alternative to some traditional desserts, depending on the recipe and portion size. For example, compared to a Reece Peanut Butter Cup, this homemade version has almost 2/3 less sugar. 

With my 14-Day Sugar-Free Challenge coming up, I’ll be sharing more ways to become aware of added sugar and make practical changes without feeling like you need to give up everything you enjoy.

For me, healthy eating is about building habits that work in real life—not total deprivation!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup All Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/4 cup Pureed Pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsps Maple Syrup
• 3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1 tspCoconut Oil
• 1/4 tspSea Salt (flaky)
• How to Make Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

These treats are simple to put together, and the freezer does most of the work.

1. Make the filling. Mix the natural peanut butter, pumpkin purée, and maple syrup in a bowl until smooth.

2. Melt the chocolate. Melt the dark chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval.

3. Create the chocolate base. Add approximately one tablespoon of melted chocolate to each mini muffin liner, spreading it across the bottom and partway up the sides. Freeze for 5–10 minutes, or until set.

4. Add the pumpkin filling. Spoon approximately one tablespoon of the pumpkin-peanut butter mixture into each cup and smooth the top.

5. Finish with chocolate. Cover the filling with the remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

6. Freeze until firm. Freeze for about 15 minutes, or until the cups have set. Enjoy!

Tips for Using Leftover Pumpkin Purée

Have more pumpkin purée than this recipe needs? Here are a few ways to use the rest:

• Stir it into oatmeal with cinnamon.
• Add a spoonful to a smoothie.
• Mix it into pancake or muffin batter.
• Make a batch of pumpkin soup.
• Mix it into yogurt along with pumpkin pie spice.
• Freeze leftover purée in small portions for future recipes.

If you roasted a sugar pumpkin yourself, homemade purée works well too. Just make sure it has cooled and isn't overly watery. If it seems very wet, drain off some excess liquid so your filling stays creamy rather than runny.

Storage

Store the pumpkin peanut butter cups in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze them for up to one month. I like keeping them in the freezer so I can grab one whenever I'm craving a little chocolate.

Ready to Use Up That Pumpkin?

If you have leftover pumpkin purée from Thanksgiving—or you brought home a sugar pumpkin from the farmers’ market—give these Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups a try.

They’re easy to make, full of fall flavour, and a delicious way to enjoy a homemade treat while being more mindful of added sugar.

Make a batch and let me know what you think!