Weight Watchers Pumpkin Fluff Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you intensify pumpkin flavor? ›

Ruth Reichl's Tip: Roast Your Pumpkin Purée

Not only does roasting deepen the flavor of the pumpkin, but it bakes off some of the moisture in the purée, ensuring a more custard-like pie with less risk of a soggy crust.

Pumpkin is considered a nutrient-dense food. That means it's incredibly low in calories despite being packed with nutrients. In fact, pumpkin clocks in at under 50 calories per cup (245 grams) and consists of about 94% of water (2).

Raw pumpkin is mostly water — up to 90%! — so it really doesn't have much flavor. In fact, the flavor that we usually think of as “pumpkin” is actually pumpkin pie spice, a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

The major and common ingredient in pumpkin spice lattes include: cinnamic aldehydes for cinnamon, eugenol for clove or allspice, terpenes such as sabinene for nutmeg, and zingiberene for ginger. They may also contain vanillin and cyclotene for the burnt butter or maple notes to round off the flavor.

Pureed, baked or roasted pumpkin is a nutrient-dense food that is low in calories and fat while being high in fiber, helping you feel full for longer.

Pumpkins keep for a long time when stored in a cool place. Pumpkin isn't just a delicious thing to eat, they're also relatively low in carbs (4-12 grams per 100 grams). This makes pumpkin a great seasonal low-carb alternative to starchier sides like rice, potato and pasta.

The Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew isn't much better. A grande packs 250 calories and 31 grams of sugar—much of it added sugar. (There's not much milk...or protein.) Blame its sugary pumpkin cream cold foam plus vanilla syrup.

Pumpkin is low in calories and high in fiber, which may help with weight loss. Fiber can help you feel full, reduce appetite and food intake, encourage regular bowel movements, reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and improve mineral absorption in the gut, all of which may benefit weight management.

"Pumpkin is beneficial for weight loss because it's largely made up of water, so it is low in calories while still containing many nutrients," Burgess told Fox News Digital. "Try adding more pumpkin to your diet by making pumpkin soup, pumpkin oatmeal, roasted pumpkin, or pumpkin energy bites."

Can I eat pumpkin every day? ›

It is safe and healthy to eat pumpkin every day, but Campbell suggests sticking to only one serving per day—about half a cup of canned pumpkin and one cup of raw pumpkin – for a couple reasons. “Although pumpkins are great for you, they do contain a good amount of fiber,” says Menshulam.

Pumpkin Pie Problem 1: No Pumpkin Taste

Look for pumpkins labeled "sugar pumpkin" or "baking pumpkin." The pumpkins typically used for jack-o'-lanterns are stringy, watery, and bland. If you can't find straight-up pumpkin, kabocha squash or even butternut squash can make a good substitute.

Why does my pumpkin bread taste bland? Make sure to follow the recipe exactly. That means—don't leave out the salt, don't cut the amount of sugar, and use the specified amount of cinnamon. This is important because flour is what I like to call a “flavor thief”— it sucks the flavor out of ingredients.