12 Clever Ways To Use Leftover Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin season is one of the best times of the year if you're a home baker, because you can make so much with pumpkin – pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin pie come to mind. We bet you bake pumpkin bread more regularly than any other treat featuring the seasonal gourd, as it isn't too complicated and is quite tasty. It's also likely that you often make way too much out of sheer excitement. While that's technically okay, it brings along a problem: leftovers and figuring out what to do with them. Of course, you can eat leftover pumpkin bread as-is over the next few days, but that can get boring after a while, especially once the novelty wears off. Fortunately, we've got a solution.

You can transform your leftover pumpkin bread into a completely new and equally delicious dish with these creative recipe ideas. And that doesn't mean you'll have to keep making a bunch of desserts, because the baked goodie is a lot more versatile than you'd think. You can also prepare a variety of breakfast treats and savory meals with pumpkin bread. The best part? These new dishes won't be too cumbersome. In fact, many of them will be easier to whip up than the pumpkin bread itself, so that's a win-win situation all the way.

The beauty of French toast is that you can make it with any sort of bread — so why leave pumpkin bread off the table? Its moist texture and sweet flavor make it an amazing option for this classic breakfast treat. Best of all, the French toast will melt as soon as you bite into it.

You'll need to start by slicing your loaf into thick slices, because they work better than thin ones for French toast. Then prepare a simple custard with eggs, milk or light cream, vanilla extract, and a little cinnamon. Alternatively, you can make a dairy-free custard by replacing the milk or light cream with almond milk, since it's creamy and has a nice, nutty flavor. Dip the pumpkin bread slices in the custard and cook them in a pan with butter or olive oil until they're crispy and golden-brown on both sides. If cooking each slice separately seems too time and energy consuming, make low-maintenance, sheet-pan French toast instead.

Serve the toasts with maple syrup, pecans, and chocolate chips to start your day on an extra indulgent note. To take it up a notch, top it with a generous amount of sweetened cream cheese and dulce de leche instead of maple syrup.

Making bread pudding with pumpkin bread is a genius move, because it will turn out extra decadent. Plus, it's a great way to turn your leftovers into the ultimate ooey-gooey fall dessert.

To whip up this bread pudding in the simplest possible way, just replace stale bread in your usual recipe with pumpkin bread. But if that seems too basic, you can easily crank it up in several ways. For instance, if you'd like a sharper pumpkin flavor, use a pumpkin-based custard instead of a vanilla one. Or, give your bread pudding a chocolatey twist with some hot chocolate mix. This combination will work because dark chocolate and pumpkin are a great match. An even easier option is to just add dark chocolate chunks, chopped pecans, and raisins to the standard version of this pudding.

Alternatively, you can make the dessert the way you'd make banana pudding. For that, you'll have to prepare the pudding separately from the bread by making a custard with cream cheese, pumpkin purée, egg yolks, sugar, milk, cornstarch, whipping cream, and a few spices. Spread some of this pudding in a deep dish or a pan, top it with pumpkin bread slices, then add more pudding over the bread. Repeat this process until you get to the rim of the dish, then refrigerate the sweet treat for a few hours before you indulge.

If you haven't tried cake pops yet, now's the chance to do so, while also using up that leftover pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread works well for a cake pop recipe since its texture more closely resembles cake than traditional bread.

Start off by breaking the bread apart into crumbs, then add in a generous amount of frosting. We recommend using cream cheese frosting, as its slightly tangy flavor will break through the sweetness of the pumpkin bread. But, if you want a pumpkin flavor explosion, go for pumpkin frosting. You can also experiment with other options. Mix your favourite frosting with the bread crumbs, make little balls (or pops) out of it, dip them in white chocolate, and decorate them with sprinkles if you'd like. Or, you can just eat them as-is, because they'll taste great either way.

If all this seems like too much work, you can try a simpler approach to make your cake pops. Chop the leftover pumpkin bread up into bite-sized pieces, and dip the pieces in melted dark chocolate — that's about it.

Ready to take your breakfast strata to the next level with minimal effort? Then just swap the bread you normally use for pumpkin bread! Though it may not seem like it, this is a great idea because you'll end up with a dish that has a balanced sweet and savory flavor.

While you can use any ingredients you'd like to make this breakfast treat, here are a few that we recommend — peppers, onions, scallions, Italian sausage, bacon, gruyere cheese, mozzarella cheese, and fresh herbs. If you're using sausage, peppers, and onions, it's ideal to cook them first and then mix them with pumpkin bread pieces, eggs, and cheese of your choice. You can also add in some evaporated milk if you'd like to make the strata extra creamy. Transfer everything to a baking dish and bake until golden brown.

In case you prefer bacon over sausage, you can just cook it, crumble it up if you want to or leave it whole, and toss it with scallions, pumpkin bread cubes, eggs, milk, and seasonings. Consider adding gruyere cheese to this strata, as its sharp flavor will pair perfectly with bacon. To make a meatless version, you can just skip the sausage or bacon and directly mix the veggies and cheese of your choice with the pumpkin bread, eggs, milk, and seasonings, and then bake your strata.

Trifles have a pretty basic flavor profile, so they deserve a pick-me-up once in a while. What better way to do that during fall than with leftover pumpkin bread? There's no way this won't work, because trifles are already very customizable.

To make this sweet treat, you'll need to chop your pumpkin bread into little pieces, make a simple caramel sauce (or use store-bought), and whip some heavy cream with sugar until it forms medium to stiff peaks. Place the cubes inside little bowls, top them with caramel sauce, and then some whipped cream. Do this until you get to the rim, and your pumpkin bread trifle is ready.

This is the simplest version of the dessert — there are several ways to jazz it up. For instance, if you'd like something to break through all the sweetness, we highly recommend adding a dash of bourbon to the whipped cream. You can also toss in a few simple spices like cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. For a tangy finish, mix in some cream cheese. And, if you'd like a change of texture, try topping and layering the trifle with pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, pepita streusel, and even some white KitKats.

Love pumpkin spice lattes? Then you need to try making tiramisu with leftover pumpkin bread, because it combines coffee and pumpkin just as nicely. Plus, it has a creamy layer to round out those rich flavors.

You'll just need to replace ladyfingers in your usual tiramisu recipe with pumpkin bread to make this version. If you'd like to give it an extra boost of pumpkin, you can add some pumpkin purée to the creamy mascarpone layer as well. But if you want to tone down the pumpkin flavor overall, use both ladyfingers and pumpkin bread as the base.

We also recommend elevating this tiramisu further with a rich blend of masala chai spices, as they'll add to the spicy notes in the pumpkin bread. For that, you'll need to add some chai spice to the creamy layer. But be careful not to add too much and consider toning down the strength of the espresso dip, otherwise the spices and coffee might clash and your entire dessert will end up tasting off.

Since pumpkin bread already tastes fantastic with ice cream, making a sundae with the leftovers is a no brainer. The best part is that you don't have to stick to a single recipe — there are several ways to make a pumpkin sundae.

The simplest approach is to top a thick slice of pumpkin bread with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. To give it a crunchy texture, sprinkle crushed graham crackers and roasted pecans on the ice cream. If you're willing to put in a little extra effort, consider toasting the pumpkin bread slice first. That'll give it a crispy exterior that contrasts nicely with the soft interior and creamy vanilla ice cream, plus the warm bread and cold ice cream provides a nice temperature contrast. In case you'd like a more traditional version of a sundae (which has more ice cream and less topping), you can top a few scoops of vanilla ice cream with crumbs of the bread, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and some cherries for a burst of sourness.

When you think of a pumpkin bread cheesecake, you might imagine a traditional baked cheesecake with a crumbled pumpkin bread crust. But this one isn't going to be like that, as it will have a thicker base made with whole pumpkin bread slices. Also, it won't be a baked cheesecake. One thing's for sure, though — this version will be pretty delicious.

You'll have to place pumpkin bread slices at the base of a cake pan (or individual cups) to start off. Then, make a simple, no-bake cheesecake filling with only three ingredients, which are cream cheese, heavy cream, and sugar. Whip the cream cheese with powdered sugar, then carefully pour in the heavy cream, and whip everything further until you get a smooth and creamy mix. If you'd like to give the cheesecake a more pronounced flavor, add a few spices to it, or just toss in your favorite pumpkin spice blend. Pour this cheesecake mix over the prepared pumpkin bread base, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before you devour it. 

Still left with excess pumpkin bread? No problem! Just break it up and sprinkle it over the cheesecake to make it extra hearty.

No, this isn't a joke — you can actually add pumpkin bread to salads. Though its texture isn't like traditional bread, it can work the same way as croutons. The main thing you need to keep in mind is to make the salad with ingredients that would complement its flavor.

The best bet is to pair it with fall-friendly veggies and fruits so that your salad has that lovely warm and cozy flavor associated with autumn. Try using ingredients like Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, parsnips, and apples, along with greens like kale, arugula, or a simple mix of spring greens. You can also add cheese like goat cheese, sharp cheddar, or feta. Consider tossing in chopped walnuts and pepitas for crunch, along with cranberries for a little tart burst. It's best to keep the vinaigrette for this salad simple, with a sour element, a sweet one, and a few seasonings, so that it doesn't overpower the salad. 

If you'd like to give your salad a protein boost, add in any cooked poultry or plant-based option of your choice. Regardless of which ingredients you pick for your salad out of this lot, remember to do one thing before adding in the pumpkin bread: chop it up into little pieces, add some salt, and bake them until they get crunchy.

If the same old cookie-based ice cream sandwiches aren't doing it for you anymore, you need to try one made with pumpkin bread. Though it will turn out a little different than usual, mainly because it will be heavier and you might not be able to pick it up and eat it, it will be just as delicious.

Making an ice cream sandwich with pumpkin bread is exactly what it sounds like — you just need to replace the cookies on both sides, and it'll be ready. Best of all, your pumpkin bread slices can be as thick or thin as you'd like. Just ensure you use enough ice cream based on their thickness, so that the overall dessert tastes balanced and nothing overpowers the other components.

You can pick whatever ice cream flavor you fancy most with pumpkin bread to make this sandwich. That said, we'd especially recommend using either simple vanilla ice cream or caramel ice cream, because they complement the baked goodie's flavor the best. If you'd like, add chopped toasted pecans and caramel sauce to the ice cream sandwich for a texture boost. Or, if you want something a little tart to cut through all the richness, cook apple cider until it reduces to a thick sauce, then pour some of it over the sandwich.

Though it may sound bizarre, you can actually make really delicious and fluffy pancakes with leftover pumpkin bread. These can be an especially great option when you're craving pumpkin pancakes but don't have any pumpkin purée to make them the traditional way.

You'll need to process the bread in a food processor and then add in some baking powder, an egg, milk, and all-purpose flour, and mix it further to prepare your batter. For an extra punch of flavor and sweetness, add in pumpkin spice mix and a little bit of sugar. But don't add too much, because the pumpkin bread already has these ingredients. Next, rest the batter for some time, and then start making your pancakes as you usually would. If you'd like to give your fluffy pancakes crispy edges, be sure to use a cast-iron pan instead of a nonstick one. Serve these pancakes with maple syrup and heaps of whipped cream to enjoy a really indulgent breakfast treat.

Trust us and make your next batch of stuffing with leftover pumpkin bread, because it'll turn out extremely moist and have a lovely sweet and savory flavor. And here's something that makes this idea even better: You can make this dish with whatever you fancy.

Irrespective of the ingredients you decide to go with, you'll first need to chop the pumpkin bread up into tiny pieces and then toast them in the oven till they turn crispy, like croutons. This process will ensure the bread holds its shape in the stuffing. Next, you'll need to prepare the base by sautéing some aromatic veggies like onions, garlic, and celery in oil or butter, and then adding in any veggies or meat. We especially recommend using pork sausage and mushrooms, as they'll pair nicely with the pumpkin bread. Once the veggies and meat are cooked, add in stock or broth, herbs, and spices. Lastly, mix in the toasted pumpkin bread with some chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, as they'll give the stuffing a crunchy texture. You can also add some cheese at this stage if you'd like, with feta cheese being a particularly great option. Then, transfer everything to a greased baking pan or dish, and bake away. Enjoy this stuffing with any meat or gravy, or even as-is.