The Ultimate Ranking Of Canned Pumpkin Brands

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If there's one ingredient that captures the spirit of fall, it's pumpkin. From spiced quick breads and velvety pies to rich filled pastas and soul-warming stews, pumpkin is the gateway flavor to seasonal bliss. Thankfully, we don't have to spend hours in the kitchen roasting and peeling jack-o'-lanterns to make pumpkin purée from scratch. Canned pumpkin offers an advantageous shortcut for all kinds of cozy recipes, savory to sweet. Want to re-create the foamy delight of a Starbucks-style PSL at home? It all begins with a can of 100% pumpkin purée. 

Some go so far to argue that store-bought pumpkin purée is just as good — or even better — than homemade. That's a yearly debate we won't attempt to settle. Instead, we'll compare pumpkins to pumpkins by putting 10 popular brands to a straight-up, side-by-side taste test. Conventional versus organic. Store brand versus name brand. No sugar, spice, or anything nice added. Which can delivered the best balance of color, taste, texture, and price for autumn feasts and everyday treats? In this ranking of worst to best, one great pumpkin emerged from the patch.

At face value, Walmart's private-label pumpkin can was one of the saddest-looking of the bunch. Once I managed to get my opener around the bangs and dents (a common customer complaint), I found the generic packaging accurately reflected the depressing contents inside. There's really nothing great to say about Great Value pumpkin, except that it's bargain priced. At $1.27 for a 15-ounce can, it's the cheapest of our contenders — but also the worst. The first spoonful of pumpkin brought bitterness and grit that just stuck to the roof of my mouth. There wasn't a second bite.  

In all fairness, most people aren't going to pop open a can of plain pumpkin purée and eat it with delight. Baking, or mixing this with other ingredients, may (or may not) yield more passable results. Some reviewers on Walmart.com say they like this pumpkin for muffins, oatmeal, smoothies, pancakes, or sneaking extra nutrition into spaghetti sauce. Others say it's watery or even "nasty," noting their dog didn't like it either. 

The Kroger Co. brought two cans to the field: a conventional store-brand pure pumpkin, and an organic pure pumpkin from its private label Simple Truth. With the organic version priced at $1.30 more per can, I was eager to note any similarities or differences. 

Upon opening the cans, both purées presented a vibrant orange color reminiscent of your front porch kind of pumpkin. Sadly, the fall harvest vibes quickly vanished when I found a soupy pool of water inside the Kroger can (something I hadn't seen in any other brand). I tried to get over the texture with a quick stir. Straining the pumpkin could have helped, but the taste was also off — too acidic, and almost metallic. 

Kroger semi-redeemed itself with its Simple Truth brand organic pumpkin. This can is labelled "solid packed," which just means it's a convenient, ready-to-use product made with the pure pulp of steamed and mashed pumpkin (like all the others). While slightly acidic in flavor, Kroger's organic pumpkin purée is more favorably tangy and bright. But at $3.69 for a 15-ounce can, other brands simply do organic pumpkin better. 

I had high hopes for this organic offering from Amazon Grocery (previously Happy Belly) that boasts a 4.6/5 rating from 6,500+ reviews. It's clearly loved, but my hunch is the high ratings are more about convenience and affordability, rather than taste. At $2.69 for a 15-ounce can, Amazon delivers the best price for organic pumpkin we could find, and that's worthy of a mention in this economy. 

However, if I had to describe this pumpkin purée in just one word, it would be: dry. Or maybe: disappointing. Overall, the texture was decidedly less luscious than other brands, and the flavor was absent, or neutral at best. That doesn't mean Amazon's pumpkin purée should automatically be discounted as an option. It wouldn't be my first choice for dreamy holiday desserts (pumpkin cheesecake, pie, bread pudding). But its mildness bodes well for adding color, thickness, and nutrition to everyday recipes, such as soups, smoothies, waffles, or an upgraded pumpkin hummus. 

In fact, there are plenty of good reasons to keep your pantry stocked with pumpkin purée for meal-prep year-round. Canned pumpkin is low in calories (about 45 calories per ½ cup), but high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, including beta-carotene and vitamin A. 

Albertson's brings two reasonably priced cans to the table with its private label Signature Select ($2.49) and O Organics pumpkin ($3.79). The conventional 100% pure pumpkin garners positive reviews across the board, and after tasting a spoonful, it's easy to see why. This purée is smooth, mild, and not underwhelming or overpowering in any notable way. Is this pumpkin a standout? Not exactly. But it's perfectly reliable and versatile, and sometimes that's all you need. Online reviewers said it worked fine for easy pumpkin breads, rolls, cookies, and frozen coffee.

The O Organics 100% pure pumpkin offers a fuller, natural pumpkin flavor better suited for more robust dishes. Texture-wise, this purée was one of the thickest and stickiest we tested — a significant amount clung to the top of the lid after opening. While the density was indeed impressive, this organic pumpkin was somewhat mealy in mouthfeel and a bit too tangy on the tongue. If you're not stuck on buying organic, go with the cheaper Signature Select.

I went to Costco looking for a deal on full-size candy bars for Halloween, and I came home with a six-pack of Green Giant canned pumpkin. 'Tis the season. 

As with many things at Costco, the buy-in-bulk offer on this fall find was too good to resist. I got six 15-ounce cans of pumpkin for $7.36, which averaged out to $1.22 per can — just a few cents more than the bargain-basement Great Value brand. But unlike the Walmart brand, Green Giant was far from the worst pumpkin we tried. It's a straightforward, middle-of-the-road option, with a smooth texture and sweet-tart flavor profile that came pretty close to premium. My first can will go into a batch of pumpkin pie flavored overnight oats.

While the 100-year-old Green Giant brand is new to packing pumpkin (and better known for peas and corn), this can did not disappoint. It may not be organic pumpkin, but a 2024 press release confirms Green Giant pumpkins are grown on American family-owned farms.

Founded by Bill and Karla Chambers in Oregon's Willamette Valley, the Farmer's Market brand is made with a special, proprietary variety of pumpkin not available anywhere else. During our side-by-side taste test of brands, this organic purée was quickly identified as different from all the rest. But that resulted in some mixed feelings. 

On the one hand, the Farmer's Market organic pumpkin offered a mild, earthy sweetness most comparable to home-cooked pumpkin. The vegetable-forward flavor would be so comforting in a cozy fall casserole like pumpkin mac and cheese. On the other hand, this purée displayed a dull, orange-yellow color (like butternut squash or baby food). The texture also ran a bit thin. 

Farmer's Market Foods addresses inconsistencies that may crop up from season to season on its FAQ page: "Growing and cultivating pumpkins is like creating a fine wine. Factors like rainfall, temperature changes, soil quality, and wind can influence the way a pumpkin develops." If authenticity, organic quality, and sustainability are important to you (this pumpkin farm is uniquely fueled by plant-matter biogas), a $4 can of Farmer's Market pumpkin purée belongs on your shopping list. 

Lucky Leaf 100% pure pumpkin doesn't get much attention when it comes to online reviews, but it should. Made by the same grower-owned cooperative responsible for those delectable apple, cherry, strawberry, and peach pie fillings, this purée is just as delicious. As in, I could actually enjoy multiple spoonfuls straight out of the jar. Okay, I did.

What makes the Lucky Leaf brand a winner? It looks and tastes like it should. The deep orange hue, the hint of sweetness, the rich, sturdy texture — these components completed the picture of pumpkin I have in my mind. At $3.49, Lucky Leaf is up there in price for a non-organic can. However, this is not a purée that needs to be cooked, baked, or doctored with a ton of cinnamon or spice to get better. It's ready to dollop on Greek yogurt, ice cream, toast, grain bowls, or anything that needs a touch of creamy fall flavor.

365 by Whole Foods offers two super-solid pumpkin options, backed by thousands (yes, thousands) of smashing customer reviews. At $2.29, the conventional can is perfectly priced for fall holiday — or everyday — use. This purée is smooth, moist (borderline juicy), and noticeably balanced in flavor. I didn't detect one ounce of bitterness. Reviewers on Amazon love this classic pumpkin purée for baking breads, muffins, and cakes, noting its excellent "mixing properties." Add a box of spice cake mix to your cart, and you've got the makings of a two-ingredient TikTok-famous pumpkin bread.

The organic pumpkin purée comes in with a higher price tag ($3.39) and a little more personality. It's darker in color, and more vegetal in taste, with the slightest bit of tang at the finish. While slightly thinner in texture than the regular pumpkin purée, the organic variety had an authentic, homespun character that obsessive pumpkin lovers will surely appreciate.

Libby's canned pumpkin is consistently ranked America's No. 1 brand, and it came close to being our favorite, too. This purée was ultimately the smoothest and creamiest in texture, bordering on decadent without any heaviness. The flavor was naturally sweet and juicy, without any bitterness or aftertaste. Libby's is my go-to can for traditional (must be the same every year) pumpkin recipes or healthy day-to-day ingredient swaps. A ¼ cup of pumpkin purée equals one egg, or ¼ cup of oil. 

For many home cooks, Libby's is the only pumpkin brand they trust. The company's success largely stems from its proprietary Dickinson pumpkins harvested in Morton, Illinois (aka the Pumpkin Capital of the World). These pumpkins look nothing like carving pumpkins, but they're specially bred to be sweeter, denser, and ideal for puréeing. If Libby's is the gold standard for canned pumpkin, it's because this brand is able to deliver consistent results in a can, time after time. Is it fair to fault a pumpkin for being too predictable? In this ranking, yes. Our very best canned pumpkin brand brings something more surprising to the table.

Target's Good & Gather brand pumpkin purées — both regular and organic — deserve a spot in every pumpkin lover's pantry. The regular variety brings true pumpkin harvest hues, plus a light and fluffy texture no other can in our taste test could replicate. At $1.99 for a 15-ounce can, this clean-tasting pumpkin purée is an excellent value for topping, baking, or whipping up seasonal coffee drinks.

The Good & Gather organic pumpkin purée is the game-changing can that surprisingly surpassed Libby's in our taste test. The texture is rich and silky-smooth (ideal qualities for mixing), but the flavor is unexpectedly amazing. This brand contains 100% pure pumpkin with no artificial flavors or preservatives, but there's a hint of nutty, sugary caramelization that takes it over the top. The Takeout has a trick for elevating the flavor of canned pumpkin, but you can skip that step with this can. It's a bit spendy ($4.79), and harder to find than some others, but this best canned pumpkin brand is well worth the extra effort.

One thing's for certain: People are passionate about all things pumpkin. Choosing the best brand in a can proved to be a little more complex. We started by rounding up the all the pumpkin purées we could find in our Chicago-area supermarkets. In early September, some cans were already out of stock, while others had yet to make their seasonal debut. Baker's Corner 100% pure pumpkin from Aldi ($1.65) was one popular brand we couldn't track down. 

With the lids popped off different 14 cans, we evaluated each purée for the most pleasing color, texture, and taste right off of the spoon. What characteristics were we hoping for? A warm, red-orange hue, creamy-smooth mouthfeel, natural sweetness, and overall versatility for flavorful recipes any time of year. There were some major differences among brands, despite the same single ingredient: pumpkin.