What's the Difference Between Libby's Pumpkin and Pie Mix?

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin lists only "PUMPKIN." as its ingredient, while Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix lists pumpkin, water, sugar, salt, spices, dextrose, and natural flavors. Per serving, the pure pumpkin shows 5 mg sodium and 0 g added sugars, and the pie mix shows 110 mg sodium and 18 g total sugars. Figures come from the Open Food Facts record for the pure pumpkin and the Open Food Facts record for the pie mix, because Libby's own site did not load for us.

Key takeaways

• The pure pumpkin lists one ingredient, "PUMPKIN." The pie mix lists seven, including sugar, dextrose, and salt.
• Per 1/2 cup (122 g), the pure pumpkin shows 5 mg sodium, 5 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, and 3 g fiber.
• Per 1/3 cup (87 g), the pie mix shows 110 mg sodium, 18 g total sugars, and about 1 g fiber.
• Per 100 g (our arithmetic, not printed on either label): sodium about 4 mg vs 126 mg, and total sugars about 4.1 g vs 20.7 g.

What's the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie mix?

Pumpkin puree is pumpkin alone, while pumpkin pie mix is pumpkin combined with sweetener, salt, spices, and other added ingredients. The ingredient list is the fastest way to see this difference on any can.

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin comes in a 29 oz (1 lb 13 oz) can of 822 g, with barcode 0039000045124 (Open Food Facts). Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix comes in a 30 oz can, with barcode 0039000045216 (Open Food Facts). Because the serving sizes differ (1/2 cup versus 1/3 cup), the per-100 g figures give the fairer side-by-side view, and this article uses them for the calculated comparisons.

Which ingredients are on the Libby's pumpkin and pie mix labels?

The pure pumpkin lists one ingredient, while the pie mix lists seven. The label lists are:

• Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin: "PUMPKIN."
• Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix: pumpkin, water, sugar, salt, spices, dextrose, natural flavors.

Sugar and dextrose are both sweeteners, and FDA's definition of added sugars names dextrose as an example. Water and salt are ingredients that do not appear on the pure pumpkin label. The spices and natural flavors are listed only under those general names, and the specific spices used are not disclosed.

The pumpkin variety Libby's uses is also not disclosed in the label data. The pure pumpkin's Open Food Facts listing shows the claims no gluten, no GMOs, no preservatives, and Orthodox Union Kosher. Those are the claims on that listing, and this comparison does not extend them to the pie mix.

How much sugar is in Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix vs Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin?

Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix has 18 g total sugars per 1/3 cup (87 g), while Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin has 5 g total sugars per 1/2 cup (122 g). Per 100 g, our calculation from those values gives about 20.7 g for the pie mix and about 4.1 g for the pure pumpkin.

The ingredient lists explain the gap. The pie mix names sugar and dextrose, while the pure pumpkin names only pumpkin.

The Open Food Facts entry for the pie mix does not break out added sugars, so the 18 g total cannot be divided into added and naturally occurring grams. The grams of added sugar per serving in the pie mix are not disclosed.

Does Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin have added sugar?

No, Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin lists 0 g added sugars per 1/2 cup (122 g). Its only ingredient is pumpkin, and its label shows 5 g total sugars for that serving.

FDA defines added sugars as sugars added during the processing of foods, and it states that they do not include naturally occurring sugars found in milk, fruits, and vegetables. Under that definition, the 5 g of total sugars on the pure pumpkin label is not listed as added.

How much sodium is in Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin vs Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix?

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin has 5 mg sodium per 1/2 cup (122 g), and Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix has 110 mg sodium per 1/3 cup (87 g). Per 100 g, our calculation gives about 4 mg for the pure pumpkin and about 126 mg for the pie mix.

FDA sets the sodium Daily Value at less than 2,300 mg per day, and it considers 5% DV or less per serving to be low. Our arithmetic puts 5 mg at about 0.2% and 110 mg at about 4.8% of 2,300 mg. Both per-serving amounts fall at or under that 5% threshold, so the gap is large in relative terms while both are small shares of the daily limit.

For another side-by-side sodium comparison, see Which Has More Sodium, Old El Paso or McCormick Taco Mix?.

When a recipe uses a whole can, the per-100 g figures show the gap more clearly than the per-serving lines.

How much fiber is in each Libby's pumpkin product per serving and per 100 g?

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin provides 3 g fiber per 1/2 cup (122 g), and Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix provides about 1 g per 1/3 cup (87 g). Per 100 g, our calculation gives about 2.5 g for the pure pumpkin and about 1.1 g for the pie mix.

The pie mix fiber figure is an approximation. Its Open Food Facts entry lists 0.957 g, which is reported as about 1 g per serving. The pure pumpkin is the higher fiber product in both per-serving and per-100 g terms, but fiber is only one of several label differences.

Can I use pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin puree in recipes?

The two cans are not direct swaps without adjustment, because the pie mix contains sugar, salt, spices, dextrose, and water that the pure pumpkin does not. Using one in place of the other changes the sweetness, sodium, and spice content of the finished recipe.

The label data does not include recipe directions, a conversion between the two cans, or how many pies a can makes, so those details are not disclosed here. A cook making a swap can compare the recipe's own sugar and salt amounts against the label values above.

Cooks who want to control sweetness, salt, and spice can start from the pure pumpkin label, which shows 0 g added sugars and 5 mg sodium per 1/2 cup. Cooks who prefer those ingredients already included can read the pie mix list, which names them.

What does the FDA Daily Value say about added sugar and sodium here?

FDA sets the added sugar Daily Value at 50 grams per day based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Against that figure, the pure pumpkin's 0 g added sugars adds nothing to the added sugar total, while the pie mix's added sugar amount is not disclosed on its Open Food Facts entry.

The pie mix still contains added sugar by FDA's definition, because its ingredient list names sugar and dextrose, both of which the FDA definition covers. The FDA sodium Daily Value is less than 2,300 mg per day, and the per-serving figures are described in the sodium section above.

Libby's Pure Pumpkin vs Pie Mix: Side-by-Side Label Facts

The two cans are different starting points for baking. The pure pumpkin leaves sweetness, salt, and spice to the cook, while the pie mix arrives with those ingredients already added. The table puts the label values and our calculated per-100 g figures side by side.

Label item	Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin	Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
Can size	29 oz (822 g)	30 oz
Ingredient list	PUMPKIN.	Pumpkin, water, sugar, salt, spices, dextrose, natural flavors
Serving size	1/2 cup (122 g)	1/3 cup (87 g)
Sodium per serving	5 mg	110 mg
Sodium per 100 g (our arithmetic)	about 4 mg	about 126 mg
Total sugars per serving	5 g	18 g
Total sugars per 100 g (our arithmetic)	about 4.1 g	about 20.7 g
Added sugars per serving	0 g	Not disclosed (not split from the 18 g total)
Fiber per serving	3 g	about 1 g
Fiber per 100 g (our arithmetic)	about 2.5 g	about 1.1 g

These figures describe the labels, not how either product affects any individual. The per-100 g numbers are calculated here rather than printed on the cans.