How many Different types of Pumpkins are there

Pumpkin Types and Varieties

I have to confess I was amongst those asking how many different types of pumpkins are there a few years back before my pumpkin love started!! I realise now that many people may become confused as to what all the pumpkin names are and how they differ.

We all know there are miniature pumpkins, average sized ones and them monster ones, but what most people do not know are what are the actual different pumpkin types called. I love to grow pumpkins as well as cook them and this is what made me take the plunge and learn all about them!

Hopefully I can help you learn more and show you some pictures along the way. You will be able to see the different sizes and pumpkin colors in these!

Apparently there are over 50 different varieties of pumpkins out there!! There is no way I can going to talk about all of them but hopefully I will mention the main ones! I decided it was easiest to class them according to their color.

Pumpkin Names and Types

Cinderella - okay we all know that Cinderella is a Disney Princess, but I bet you did not know that this is also a type of pumpkin. It is similar in shape to the carriage that the Princess took to the ball. They are large orange pumpkins which look as if someone has squashed them due to their flattened appearance.

I can see several of these on my images on this page! Can you find them?!

These not only look great but they are also good for cooking and yield delicious pumpkin puree.

The fake variety can also be used as great pumpkin home decor! Many people stack these around their front porch alongside other fall decorations.

Below you can see a great picture showing the shape of a cinderella pumpkin with space for the Princess to go inside!

Other common orange pumpkin types are Jack Be Little, Sugar Pie and Baby Bear.

Blue Pumpkins - I love the these too and have an entire page dedicated to blue pumpkin decor so that you can stock up on these for your home.

One of the well known ones is the Jarrahdale which looks like a light blue/gray version of the Cinderella pumpkin complete with rinds. It has yellow flesh which is delicious to eat when cooked in both sweet and savory recipes! I can also see it on my pictures on this page and below you can find a close up!

According to Speciality Produce other types of blue pumpkin include Queensland Blue, Australian Blue, Blue Doll, Blue Moon, and Blue Lakota, which are more popular in Australia than the USA. These are also medium size!

Pumpkin Types that are white in color - Since I have talked about blue gray pumpkins I think I should tell you about some of the different white pumpkin varieties now. Most of them get their name from the color. The smallest of these is known as Baby Boo and is shown below. As you can imagine these are very light in weight.

Other white pumpkin types include Cotton Candy, Silver Moon, Full Moon and Casper according to SFGate.

Types of Pumpkin That are Green - if you look at pictures of this fruit you can commonly see some green pumpkins as well as orange, blue and white. The Kabocha is one of the most well known! It is commonly called a Japanese pumpkin BUT it is actually a type of squash and not a pumpkin.

It is also important to note that pumpkins are also green while they are growing; this is before they change to their natural color depending on species.

You can see a few green pumpkins below

This is just a small post mentioning lots of different types of pumpkins. As far as I am aware there are no natural black or pink pumpkins, unless you decide to paint them this color for Halloween!

Pumpkin Varieties, Types and Names for Kids

How about you play a game with your kids using your newfound knowledge of pumpkin varieties and ask them how many different types of pumpkins are in the picture below! Bonus points are given if they can name any of them!! I am not even sure I can manage all of them.

I think it is important to know about pumpkin varieties especially if you plan on making pumpkin recipes as different types of pumpkin are good for different flavors, i.e. some are more sweet than others.

Whenever your kids can name some of the pumpkins, why not test their knowledge on pumpkin anatomy.