This rich and creamy Pumpkin Fudge is the perfect fall candy! Brown sugar, pumpkin puree, toasted pecans, and lots of fall spices give this fudge tons of flavor. Plus, it’s a “no-fail” fudge recipe, so you can be confident that you’ll end up with smooth, delicious fudge every time.
Easy Pumpkin Fudge
When it comes to pumpkin desserts, it’s easy to focus on the popular kids–pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, and pumpkin cookies all get a LOT of love and attention this time of year, for good reason. They’re delicious, for sure. But our little orange friend is good in so many other types of recipes!
The comforting taste of pumpkin paired with warm autumn spices is a great addition to mousse, marshmallows, pumpkin bread truffles, and my very favorite type of homemade candy–FUDGE!
This Pumpkin Fudge is one that I’ve been making for over a decade. It manages to cram big fall flavors into small, compact squares of fudge. It’s made with brown sugar, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spices, and crunchy pecans, for a cozy, toasty, warm and welcoming taste.
If you need more pumpkin inspiration, check out my collection of pumpkin dessert recipes!
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🧾 Ingredients
This pumpkin fudge comes together in about 15 minutes on the stove. You’ll need some common pantry ingredients to make it:
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure you use pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling
- Sugar: A mix of granulated and brown sugar
- Dairy: Half-and-half or cream work best. You can also use canned evaporated milk if that’s what you have on hand!
- Pumpkin pie spices: Either a purchased pumpkin pie spice blend, or mix up your own blend with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
- White chocolate: I recommend white chocolate chips instead of chopped white chocolate bars
- Marshmallow cream: you can substitute marshmallows if needed–see instructions below
- Toasted pecans: I like using pecans best, but walnuts and hazelnuts would also be great!
You will also need a candy thermometer to cook the fudge. Fancy thermometers are great, but even a $10 candy/deep fry thermometer from the grocery store will get the job done! If you are new to using a thermometer, check out my guides for how to use a thermometer and how to test and calibrate a thermometer correctly.
📋 How to Make Pumpkin Fudge
Even the best-tasting fudge can be ruined if the texture isn’t right. Nobody likes soft, gloopy fudge or hard, crunchy fudge full of sugar crystals. This Pumpkin Fudge has the perfect texture–it’s firm enough to hold its shape when cut into squares, but it quickly melts in your mouth when you take a bite.
The secret weapon to getting this creamy texture? Marshmallow cream.
Traditional fudge requires precision and a lot of stirring to get the fudge to set “just so.” Adding marshmallow cream eliminates the need for all that stirring, and practically guarantees that you’ll end up with a soft but stable fudge.
Testing Your Candy Thermometer
Using a candy thermometer and cooking the fudge to the right temperature is the most crucial step in making awesome fudge.
If this is your first time using your candy thermometer, be sure to test it before you make the fudge. Here’s how:
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and stick the thermometer in for a few minutes. At sea level, water boils at 212° F / 0° C. If your thermometer shows a different number, you’ll need to keep this adjustment in mind when making your candy.
For instance, if your thermometer shows 208° F when boiling the water, you’ll need to subtract 4 degrees from the temperature in the recipe to make your fudge. Doing this simple test before making any sort of boiled sugar candy goes a long way towards ensuring candy success!
💡 Tips and FAQs
Substituting Marshmallows for Marshmallow Cream
The short answer is yes, if you have to. If you have access to marshmallow cream, definitely use that! But if all you have are marshmallows, you can use them in place of marshmallow cream.
To use marshmallows, you will need 3 cups of mini marshmallows or 24 regular marshmallows. Add them when you would add the marshmallow cream, and stir until they’re completely melted and the fudge is smooth. Using marshmallows might cause the fudge to be a bit stiffer or set up faster, so be sure to work quickly to scrape and smooth the fudge into the pan.
Storage Tips
Like many fudge recipes, this Pumpkin Fudge keeps really well. Store pieces in an airtight container and enjoy over the course of several weeks, or make a few batches to give as edible gifts this holiday season.
🎃 More Pumpkin Desserts
- Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate-Dipped Pumpkin Marshmallows
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Bread Truffles
- 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies
- Pumpkin Pound Cake
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Hi-Hat Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Pumpkin Fudge
Ingredients
- 6 oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 10.5 oz granulated sugar, (1 1/2 cups)
- 11.25 oz brown sugar, (1 1/2cups)
- 2/3 cup half and half, or cream
- 5.33 oz canned pumpkin puree, (2/3 cup)
- 1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz white chocolate chips, (2 cups)
- 7 oz marshmallow cream or fluff, (1 standard jar)
- 3.5 oz toasted pecans, (3/4 cup), chopped
Instructions
- Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the butter, sugar, brown sugar, half and half, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir while the sugars and butter dissolves When the fudge starts to boil, add a candy thermometer.
- Continue to cook the fudge, stirring frequently with a spatula so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom, until it reads 235 degrees Fahrenheit (112 C) on the thermometer.
- Once it’s at the proper temperature, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, white chocolate chips, and marshmallow cream. Stir until the white chocolate pieces are completely melted and the fudge is creamy and thick. Finally, stir in the chopped pecans.
- Working quickly, pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Let it set at room temperature overnight, or in the refrigerator for a few hours.
- Once it’s set, take it out of the pan and cut it into small squares. This fudge is best served at room temperature, and it keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
Thank you for sharing what to do instead of the mallow creme! Do you think it will be much different if I use homemade mallows vs store bought?
Hey Buffi, Its a pretty flexible and forgiving recipe. I think you will be fine as long as you follow the tips in the post about using homemade marshmallows. Thanks!
I did the recipe word for word and my fudge never set. Bummer, was planning on bringing it to a family event. Not sure what happened.
Hi Shanon, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the fudge. If it never set, then it was either an issue with the fudge not reaching the correct temperature (which will produce fudge that is too soft) or mis-measuring and using too much liquid. I’m always here to help you troubleshoot further if you’d like to send me an email.
I was a little worried about this recipe because of the previous review, but it turned out great! I do have some candy-making experience and made sure to test my candy thermometer before I began. (It was fine btw!) There is so much that can go wrong with homemade fudge, but this recipe was easy and tasty! The only hard part is finding canned pumpkin year round lol. Thank you for the great recipe!
Cindy, thank you for the review. I’m thrilled to hear that you loved the fudge!
I made this fudge hoping to give some away as an early halloween treat to family members. Wow! it’s delicious! I had to double-check the amount of pumpkin (mine came in a very large can and I was surprised how little the recipe called for, so I was a little bit leery, but a little clearly goes a long way.) Takes a while to boil up to the right temperature so you have to be patient, as with all candy making. It turned out beautifully and tastes amazing! I will definitely be keeping this recipe for future use. What a wonderful treat!
Diane I am thrilled to hear you loved the fudge! Thank you for the review, and I hope you and your family enjoy it!
My Mom is fudge obsessed! I’m going to make this for her and take it over to drop off. I think it’ll brighten her day.
Jen, I’m so thrilled to hear that! I’d love to hear how it goes once you give it a try.
Mmm…this recipe sounds so good! I have a leftover pumpkin puree on hand so putting this on my to do list!
Yessss perfect use for leftover puree! Let me know how it goes!
Your pumpkin fudge looks so yummy, love the addition of pecans and Pumpkin Pie spices. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never tried making pumpkin fudge, but it sounds delicious! What a treat for fall! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you Annissa! This is one of my fall traditions–I have to make it at least once a year! I hope you love it.
Awww! i’m so excited to try this because of my kids. I’m sure they’ll gonna love this! What a delicious recipe <3
Thanks, Maria! I hope your kids absolutely love it. 🙂
I made the recipe it turned out great took a long time to get to the temperature but it was worth every minute
My question is I cut it all into a really small pieces and wrapped each piece in cellophane
Now does this have to be kept in the fridge?
How long in the fridge?
Can be left on the counter, how long on the counter?
I want to give it out as presents and I didn’t know if I had to make another batch closer to Christmas I like to keep this, can it be frozen?
I know I have a lot of questions, but I love love love the fudge ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Julie! You’ve got some great questions! It will keep frozen until Christmas. Generally I recommend to keep the fudge in a whole block when trying to store it long term. It doesn’t hurt it to be cut, but I’ve noticed the edges dry out a little. Keeping it in a whole block keeps it looking a little nicer and fresher longer. I don’t think you will need to make a new batch before Christmas. Just double check the edges when you pull it out and get them ready to gift.
If you keep it on the counter, it should stay fresh 4-5 days and if you keep it in the fridge it should last about 2 weeks. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions!