Pumpkin Nutrition Facts (and a Few Surprises)
Pumpkin gets treated as a seasonal decoration more than a food in most American kitchens, which is a shame — it is one of the more nutritionally dense things you can grow in a backyard field. Here is what is actually in it.
Pumpkin nutrition, per cup (cooked, mashed)
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 49 | — |
| Fat | 0.2 g | <1% |
| Carbohydrates | 12 g | 4% |
| Dietary fiber | 3 g | 11% |
| Protein | 2 g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | ~245% DV | 245% |
| Vitamin C | ~19% DV | 19% |
| Potassium | ~16% DV | 16% |
| Iron | ~7% DV | 7% |
*Approximate values based on USDA data for cooked, mashed pumpkin; percentages based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Figures vary somewhat by variety.
The vitamin A number is not a typo
A single cup of cooked pumpkin covers roughly two and a half times a day's recommended vitamin A, almost entirely from beta-carotene — the same pigment responsible for the orange color. Beta-carotene is a precursor the body converts to vitamin A as needed, which supports vision, immune function and skin health. Few common vegetables come close to pumpkin's concentration of it.
High in fiber, low in almost everything else
At under 50 calories per cup with essentially no fat, pumpkin is about as calorie-light as cooked vegetables get, while still delivering meaningful fiber — a combination that is genuinely hard to find. Most of that profile assumes plain cooked pumpkin, though; a slice of pumpkin pie carries the sugar, crust and cream along with it, and nutritionally resembles dessert far more than it resembles the vegetable it is named for.
Pumpkin seeds are their own nutritional story
Roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are a genuinely different food from the flesh — high in protein, magnesium and zinc, and calorie-dense enough that portion size matters. An ounce of roasted seeds (roughly a quarter cup) runs about 150 calories, 7 grams of protein and a third of a day's magnesium. They are one of the better plant sources of magnesium available, ounce for ounce.
A few facts worth knowing
- Pumpkins are technically a fruit — botanically, anything that develops from a flower and contains seeds is a fruit, which puts pumpkin in the same category as tomatoes and cucumbers despite being cooked and eaten like a vegetable.
- They are over 90% water by weight, which is part of why fresh puree needs draining before baking (see our pumpkin recipes) and why a carved pumpkin loses volume so visibly as it dries out.
- The flowers are edible too. Pumpkin blossoms are a genuine ingredient in several cuisines, typically stuffed and fried or battered, though few US farms sell them since harvesting flowers reduces fruit yield.
- Every part of the plant is usable. Flesh, seeds, flowers and even the young shoots and leaves of some varieties are eaten in different food traditions — very little of a pumpkin plant is actually inedible.
- Canned "pumpkin" is often a different squash entirely. US canning regulations allow other winter squash — commonly Dickinson, a tan, elongated variety — to be labeled and sold as pumpkin, because it purees more consistently than most true pumpkins. It is close enough in flavor that almost nobody notices.
Ready to cook with a real one instead of a can? Start with our pumpkin recipes, or find a pumpkin patch near you to pick one up.