Food · IN60SECONDS

Is canned pumpkin really pumpkin?

Yes, but not the jack-o’-lantern kind. Most U.S. canned pumpkin comes from the Dickinson pumpkin, a close relative of butternut squash, and the FDA lets certain squashes be labeled “pumpkin.”

Quick Answer

It’s pumpkin, just probably not the kind you’d carve. “Pumpkin” isn’t a scientific category: pumpkins and squashes all belong to the same plant genus, Cucurbita. Most U.S. canned pumpkin is made from the Dickinson pumpkin, a variety of the same species as butternut squash. Libby’s, which reportedly sells about 85% of the canned pumpkin in the U.S., grows its own strain of Dickinson. The label rules are relaxed too: since 1938, the FDA has let canners call products made from golden-fleshed, sweet squash, or mixes of squash and field pumpkin, simply “pumpkin.” Most of it comes from Illinois, which grows more pumpkins than any other state and about three-quarters of the U.S. acres of pumpkins grown for processing. Carving pumpkins are bred to be big and hollow, and their flesh tends to be stringy and watery, not ideal for pie.

By the Numbers

~85%Share of U.S. canned pumpkin reportedly sold by Libby’s

1938Year the FDA began letting canners label certain squash “pumpkin”

~3/4Share of U.S. processing-pumpkin acres grown in Illinois

1Plant genus shared by pumpkins and squashes: Cucurbita

Key Facts

Short answer: Yes, but mostly the Dickinson variety, not carving pumpkins
Its close relative: Butternut squash, the same species
The label rule: Since 1938, the FDA allows certain squashes to be called “pumpkin”
Where it grows: Mostly Illinois

Pie pumpkin vs. carving pumpkin

	Canned pumpkin (Dickinson)	Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin
Species	Cucurbita moschata, like butternut squash	Usually Cucurbita pepo
Flesh	Dense, sweet and smooth	Often stringy and watery
Bred for	Eating and canning	Size and carving

Pumpkins are squash

Pumpkins, zucchini, acorn squash and butternut squash all belong to the genus Cucurbita. “Pumpkin” is a common name, not a botanical group, which is why a squash-like variety can still be sold as pumpkin.

The Dickinson pumpkin

Most canned pumpkin in the U.S. is made from the Dickinson pumpkin, a variety of Cucurbita moschata, the same species as butternut squash. Its dense, sweet flesh purées smoothly, which is exactly what bakers want in a pie.

What the FDA allows

Canned “pumpkin” has long been packed from field pumpkins, certain golden-fleshed sweet squashes or mixtures of the two. Since 1938, the FDA has said it won’t object to calling any of those “pumpkin,” as long as consumers aren’t misled.

Myth vs. Fact

MythCanned pumpkin is secretly made from butternut squash.

FactIt’s mostly made from the Dickinson pumpkin, a close relative of butternut squash in the same species.

MythA carving pumpkin makes the best pie.

FactCarving pumpkins are bred for size and are often stringy and watery. Pie pumpkins are denser and sweeter.

The Bottom Line

Canned pumpkin is pumpkin, just not the jack-o’-lantern kind. It’s mostly the Dickinson variety, a close cousin of butternut squash, and U.S. rules allow some squash to be labeled pumpkin too.