So okay, this is one of those things that I didn’t even have space in my brain to question until someone—can’t even remember who—just tossed it out there like, “You know that canned pumpkin isn’t actually pumpkin, right?” And I kind of laughed? But then… I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Like, what do you mean it’s not pumpkin? What is canned pumpkin purée? It says pumpkin. It’s in the pumpkin section. It tastes like pumpkin pie?
And now it’s just lodged in my brain like a splinter. Because yeah, you look closer and—sure enough—it’s not really what you picture when you think “pumpkin.” Not the big orange guy with the goofy grin and the candle inside. It’s… something else. Some cousin of pumpkin. Or technically still pumpkin, but not the kind you imagined when you cracked the can open. It’s just… not what you thought.
So apparently, according to the FDA, “pumpkin” is… flexible. Apparently, they are not strict about it. They will let food companies label things “pumpkin purée” even if it’s about another type of squash. It’s not just the plain orange jack-o’-lantern type, but also other varieties—like these sweeter, thicker-fleshed distant cousins called Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita pepo, which sounds like a spell from Harry Potter but is simply a bunch of squash and pumpkin-types that sort of blend together.
And Libby’s—you know, the giant? The one that produces like 85% of the canned pumpkin in the universe? Yeah, them. They have faced some heat for years for utilizing their own specific breed of squash which… doesn’t look like a pumpkin. Well, at least not a pumpkin that you carve. They’re called Dickinson pumpkins, but they’re not very pumpkin-like — they’re more beige, long, and not really what you’d think of as a “pumpkin.”
More like a sturdier cousin of a butternut squash, maybe. Either way, it technically counts.
And get this: Libby’s has bred their own. They’ve essentially made their own version of pumpkin for a smoother texture and less stringy stuff. Which, if you’re making a pie? Sure. Not great. No one wants strings of fibrous pumpkin in their dessert. But it also means that what’s in the can won’t resemble the festive orange globe you put on your porch in October.
But back to the original debate — if it is a debate. Some people online honestly seem offended, as though they’ve been wronged in some way. But… I mean, I don’t know. It’s more of a naming thing than a scandal. Yes, it’s squash. Sure, it is squash. But squash and pumpkin are — technically — the same plant family. It’s more about what we call it than what it is. “Pumpkin” sells better than “squash purée.” That makes sense.
And just to be clear, Libby’s is not hiding this from you. They have videos showing you what Dickinson pumpkins look like. There’s nothing suspicious going on here. They’re just… tan. And less Instagrammable. But they are pumpkins; just not the kind you put a candle in.
Anyway, where I’m going with this is — the stuff that is in the can is specifically grown for pie and soup and the little muffins everyone makes during those first few chilly days of fall. It’s smooth, it’s the right flavor, and it performs just how you want it to in a batter. So the assumption that some dude is whacking apart a jack-o’-lantern and shoveling it into a can is completely wrong. But it never really was.
And honestly? Whatever. I mean, what even is “real” pumpkin? You want your pie to taste like fall, not like… insulation scraped out of a jack-o’-lantern. That canned stuff? It’s fine. It’s soft, it blends. It tastes like what it’s supposed to taste like, which is mostly cinnamon anyway.
Call it squash, call it Dickinson, call it something kind of pumpkin-adjacent. I don’t care. It’s not lying–it’s just, I don’t know, doing its job.
So if someone decides to pipe up in the middle of dessert with, “Actually, that’s not real pumpkin,” just say, “Yeah, I know. Still pie though,” and move on.
