Get in the fall spirit by embracing one of the best seasonal ingredients: the pumpkin. Although it’s common to cook pumpkin and blend it into a comforting soup, you can enjoy pumpkin in its raw form. You won’t be crunching on it like an apple, for example, but you can blend it into a pudding, ice cream, or smoothie.

When it comes to using raw pumpkin, it’s best to use pie pumpkins, which are much smaller and sweeter than the larger varieties people carve. If you don’t see pie pumpkins, look out for their other names, which are sugar pumpkins or sweet pumpkins. Larger pumpkins have a higher water content and stringy flesh. That texture does not lend itself to a smooth, luxurious raw pudding.

The goal of this pudding is to make it taste like pumpkin pie filling. It may seem odd to add the banana and avocado, but they help to achieve that signature creamy consistency. They also help to fill you up, so you won’t overeat dessert. Lastly, make sure to use a food processor for this recipe, as raw pumpkin may be too much for the average blender. If you have a Vitamix or similar blender, you may be able to achieve the texture you want, but a food processor makes it much quicker and easier.