• Books
    • All E-Books
    • The Natural Soapmaking Book for Beginners
    • Easy Soap Making Book
  • Food
  • Soap Recipes
  • Beauty
  • Home and Garden
    • Holidays
  • Herbs and Essential Oils
  • Homestead Hop
  • Shop
  • Blog
Simple Life MomSimple Life Mom
  • Books
    • All E-Books
    • The Natural Soapmaking Book for Beginners
    • Easy Soap Making Book
  • Food
  • Soap Recipes
  • Beauty
  • Home and Garden
    • Holidays
  • Herbs and Essential Oils
  • Homestead Hop
  • Shop
  • Blog

Easy Pumpkin Spice Soap for Fall Soap Making

Posted by Kelly Handmade Soap, Holidays, Homemade Soap Recipes 81 comments
Simple Life Mom Shop - Homemade Organic Skin Care Products
Please Share

It’s time to give this beloved Pumpkin Spice Soap recipe a special highlight.

This recipe has been a family favorite for years now. If you want to get started making a Fall soap, then this recipe is a great place to start. It’s a favorite in my shop as well.

I made this Pumpkin Spice Soap Recipe a few weeks ago and just LOVE the color and scent! It’s always important to me to use natural scents and colors. No artificial fragrances or dyes…ever! And you totally don’t need anything else for this great soap.

These are great for scenting your kitchen or bathroom. They also make wonderful gifts!

Pumpkin Spice Soap Recipe - great for Thanksgiving, Fall soap gifts. Great cold processed Fall Soap.

How to Add Purees to Handmade Soap

I’ve had a number of people ask me how to add something like pumpkin puree into a soap recipe. Any time you add fruit or vegetables to a soap recipe, you must make adjustments to the original recipe.

This recipe already has those adjustments made, but it’s also good to know how to add purees to other recipes that you have as well.

If you are wondering when to add the puree and where, to the lye water or to the oils, at trace or after pouring, then let’s go over the details quickly.

When you add puree to a soap recipe, you must discount the same weight in water.

For example, if my recipe calls for 15 ounces of water, but I want to add 8 ounces of puree, then I will discount the water by the amount of puree added and only add 7 ounces of water instead of the full 15 ounces.

This can be done with pumpkin puree, tomato puree, or other fruit purees. Make sure they are truly pureed, because chunks of fruit will go bad in soap quickly.

I have had no problems with my pumpkin pureed soap going bad faster than any other soaps I make. They last just as long.

I like to add purees to the oils right before I add the lye water. This gets the puree in the soap batch with lots of tiem to be incorporated evenly with the stick blender.

You can add purees to the lye water. This will definitely create a darker color to your final product, which you may desire. But I like to have more control and consistency to the soap batch so I’ll add to the melted oils after the burner is turned off.

Pumpkin Spice Soap Recipe - great for Thanksgiving, Fall soap gifts. Great cold processed Fall Soap.

Pumpkin Spice Soap Recipe

This recipe makes 3 pounds (twelve, 4oz bars) with a superfat content of 5%.

I used to add paprika to give it an even brighter orange tint, but there are a lot of people who have allergies to paprika, plus paprika can leave a speckled appearance. Instead, I add a little bit of orange Moroccan clay. This is optional, as the pumpkin itself will add an orange color to the soap.

You can give these bars a try right now in my Shop.

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces Tallow (can sub. with lard)
  • 10 ounces olive oil
  • 8 ounces coconut oil
  • 5 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 6 ounces water
  • 4.85 ounces lye
  • 0.25 ounces cinnamon leaf essential oil
  • 0.25 ounces clove essential oil
  • 0.15 ounces allspice essential oil
  • 0.15 ounces nutmeg essential oil

Directions:

  1. Combine tallow, olive oil, and coconut oil in a large stainless steel pot and heat on medium until all oils are melted. Cool to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Weigh pumpkin and add to oils.
  3. Prepare soap mold, line if necessary.
  4. Weigh water in a plastic container. Wearing protective eyewear, gloves and mask, weigh lye into a zip close bag. Take both outside and add the lye to the water, being careful to to breathe teh steam that’s given off for the first few minutes. Let cool to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. When both oils and lye water are approx. 90 degrees Fahrenheit, pour the lye water into the oils and blend with a hand or stick blender on and off until it begins to thicken (trace).
  6. At light trace, add essential oils and clay (optional) and blend well.
  7. scrape the soap into your mold and cover lightly, insulating for 24 hours before removing and cutting.

I’ve put this recipe in a printable format for you below. This is a new and improved recipe, so if you have the recipe from about 10 years ago saved, you may want to reprint and check this recipe out. I made it a little more balanced, made the batch smaller, and simplified the puree process.

Pumpkin Spice Soap Recipe - great for Thanksgiving gifts - from SimpleLifeMom
Pin Recipe Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes

Pumpkin Spice Soap

A Fall time cold processed pumpkin spice soap recipe that's natural and organic.
Prep Time1 hour hr
Curing Time1 day d
Cure Time1 day d 1 hour hr
Type: Cold Process
Superfat %: 5%
Keyword: cold process soap, fall soap recipe, holiday soap, pumpkin spice
Makes: 3 pounds
Author: Kelly – Simple Life Mom

Equipment

  • 1 large stainless steel pot
  • 1 large spoon
  • 1 large glass bowl
  • 1 scale
  • 1 measuring spoons
  • 1 3lb soap mold
  • 1 stick blender
  • 1 rubber spatula

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces Tallow (can substitute with lard)
  • 10 ounces olive oil
  • 8 ounces coconut oil
  • 5 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 7 ounces filtered water
  • 4.8 ounces lye
  • 0.25 ounces cinnamon leaf essential oil
  • 0.25 ounces clove essential oil
  • 0.15 ounces allspice essential oil
  • 0.15 ounces nutmeg essential oil
  • 1 teaspoon orange Moroccan clay

Instructions

  • Combine tallow, olive oil, and coconut oil in a large pot and heat on medium until all oils are melted. Cool to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
    16 ounces Tallow, 10 ounces olive oil, 8 ounces coconut oil
  • Weigh pumpkin and add to oils.
    5 ounces pumpkin puree
  • Prepare soap mold, lining if necessary.
  • Weigh water in a plastic container. After putting on eye protections, mask, and gloves, weigh lye in a zip close bag and take the water and lye outside. Pour lye into the water and allow to cool to aroun 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful not to breathe in the steam coming off of the lye water for the first few minutes.
    7 ounces filtered water, 4.8 ounces lye
  • When both oils and lye water are approx. 9o degrees Fahrenheit, pour the lye water into the oils and blend with a hand or stick blender on and off until it begins to thicken (trace).
  • At light trace, add the essential oils and clay (optional) and blend well.
    0.25 ounces cinnamon leaf essential oil, 0.25 ounces clove essential oil, 0.15 ounces allspice essential oil, 0.15 ounces nutmeg essential oil, 1 teaspoon orange Moroccan clay
  • Add to your mold and cover lightly, insulating for 24 hours before removing and cutting.

Notes

Bulk Apothecary seems to have to most orange Moroccan clay

Options for adding Puree to this Pumpkin Spice Recipe

  1. Instead of adding the pumpkin puree at trace, you can add it to your lye water. This will darken your soap and eliminate the need to add any other coloring aid.
  2. Other scents: You can add orange and/or ginger essential oil as well.
  3. If you’d like to add some spices you can add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or even add a teaspoon of pumpkin spice (which is a mixture of the essential oils in the recipe).

If you’ve made a pumpkin soap before, I’d love to hear how you did it and what you added! Let us know in the comments below.

Get More Fall Soaps Here:

  • 4 Fall Soap Recipes
  • 5 More Fall Soap Recipes
  • 3 Fall soap Recipes


Please Share
81 comments

About Kelly

Kelly is the author of number one best seller The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners and Easy Soap Making. She's also written multiple ebooks on herbal remedies and natural bath and body DIYs.Her journey toward better health has inspired her to make things in and around the home from scratch, start a homestead, and become more resourceful when it comes to health and home.She shares her recipes and DIYs here on Simple Life Mom and has a shop where she sells products for those who would rather buy than make (SimpleLifeMom.com/shop).

You also might be interested in

Make a healthy, gentle castile soap recipe for sensitive skin. This olive oil castile soap is made with only healthy ingredients and scented with essential oils

How to Make Castile Soap for Sensitive Skin

Feb 9, 2025

Please Share This Castile soap recipe was the first kind[...]

9 Natural Christmas Soap Recipes from Simple Life Mom

9 Christmas soap recipes for gifts

Oct 29, 2017

Please Share It’s the perfect time to start making handmade[...]

4 Soap Recipes for Dad from Simple Life Mom

4 Soap Recipes for Dad – Happy Father’s Day

May 17, 2020

Please Share Handmade Soaps make wonderful gifts.  The show you[...]

81 comments

Leave your reply.
  • Ruth
    · Reply

    October 5, 2015 at 9:50 AM

    THANK YOU for this recipe. I enjoy your site & find it useful in my lifestyle. I follow a few
    others as well & sometimes get my wires crossed. It seems like you have grass fed critters
    @ your home ( ? ) but we don’t, so do NOT animal products.
    My question is : may I replace the lard/tallow w/ another oil/vegetable shortening ?
    Thanx

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 5, 2015 at 10:24 AM

      You can replace it with palm oil. If you have a source for grassfed beef, lamb, etc. you can ask them for fat that you can render. A lot of times they’ll give it to you or at a super low price.

    • sheri
      · Reply

      October 18, 2015 at 8:41 PM

      If you substitute another fat/oil in for the lard, PLEASE run the new recipe through a lye calculator! soapcalc.net, thesage.com, and brambleberry.com all have lye calculators.

      • Kelly
        · Reply

        Author
        October 19, 2015 at 3:51 PM

        Yes, soapcalc is my favorite, but they all are great tools. It’s better to check before than be disappointed later.

    • Taneka
      · Reply

      September 7, 2020 at 12:55 PM

      Hi . I will try this and put a spin on it can I add Castile soap? and do I have to use paprika? And what preservatives could I add ?

      • Kelly
        · Reply

        Author
        September 7, 2020 at 4:25 PM

        Try using an orange Moroccan clay instead of paprika.
        Have you made cold process soap before? This isn’t melt and pour where you start with a soap that’s already been made by someone else for you. You need no preservatives and you start from scratch, not adding soap. If you want to add the coloring, pumpkin, and scent to a Castile soap recipe then make sure to discount the water for the amount of pumpkin you add.

  • jade
    · Reply

    October 5, 2015 at 6:53 PM

    2 questions bout using turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon in soap.
    1. aren’t these irritants?
    2. do they provide exfoliation, and if so how much?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 5, 2015 at 8:09 PM

      Great questions. Turmeric and paprika are not irritants (unless you have an allergy to one obviously). Cinnamon powder can be in very large quantities, but a tsp used in this soap would not be an irritant. You should use cinnamon leaf essential oil, not cinnamon bark or cinnamon cassia as it burns the skin. Cinnamon leaf does not. They do not provide exfoliation. For that, use a half cup equivalent of blended oats.

  • Julie
    · Reply

    October 6, 2015 at 5:42 PM

    Hi Kelly,
    Thanks so much for linking up and sharing this awesome pumpkin soap recipe at:
    Cooking and Crafting with J&J.
    We hope to see you again.
    Julie at Julie’s Lifetime

  • Nicole@ Family Table Treasures
    · Reply

    October 9, 2015 at 2:30 PM

    I bet this smells amazing! It looks good enough to eat but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea! 😉

  • Mrs. AOK
    · Reply

    October 9, 2015 at 4:43 PM

    This sounds heavenly!! Thanks for sharing with us at #MMBH!
    xoxo

  • Michelle
    · Reply

    October 9, 2015 at 7:29 PM

    Are the ounce measurements weight or liquid? Gonna try this tomorrow after work!!!!!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 9, 2015 at 9:55 PM

      They are weight measurements.

      • Michelle
        · Reply

        October 10, 2015 at 6:45 PM

        Thank you so much for the quick response! Got a batch going now! Taking my 5 minute break from mixing. About how long til trace? Just a general idea. (I’m beginning to be made fun of the notion of pumpkin soap, so a little more knowledge may dispel the house full of nae-sayers!) LOL!

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          October 10, 2015 at 8:24 PM

          How did it turn out? I wasn’t near a computer when you messaged. It should have gotten thicker, but it doesn’t have to be as thick as pudding to set properly. You can take it out tomorrow night 🙂

  • Jessica
    · Reply

    October 9, 2015 at 11:12 PM

    This is going to help me take my soap making to the next level! Thanks!

  • Katerina
    · Reply

    October 10, 2015 at 12:31 AM

    This is the perfect soap for the season!

  • Marjie@homeagainjiggetyjig.com/wp
    · Reply

    October 10, 2015 at 2:02 AM

    Pumpkin in a bar soap! Who knew? I also didn’t know that cinnamon bark oil would irritate the skin in such small quantities. I’ll be taking great care when using it on the skin. Your soap sounds like such a lovely addition to the powder room. The smell of fall!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 10, 2015 at 6:23 PM

      Yes, cinnamon brak is considered a hot oil, but cinnamon leaf is not. It’s important to know which one you’re getting since one feels like wasp stings 🙂

  • Joy @ Joy Love Food
    · Reply

    October 10, 2015 at 6:59 AM

    I bet these smell amazing, perfect for holiday gift giving!

  • Belgian Foodie
    · Reply

    October 10, 2015 at 12:50 PM

    I love everything pumpkin. Autumn is definitely my favorite time of the year. This soap sounds so yummy, I hope I would not be tempted to eat it 😉

  • Betsy @ Desserts Required
    · Reply

    October 10, 2015 at 7:30 PM

    You house must smell AMAZING!!! If we lived near each other, you would definitely be minus a few bars. 😉

  • Jess
    · Reply

    October 11, 2015 at 3:17 PM

    This is such a neat idea!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  • Gregg The Rural Economist
    · Reply

    October 12, 2015 at 11:10 PM

    Really enjoying the soap making posts.

  • Jill
    · Reply

    October 27, 2015 at 8:56 AM

    How long do you need to let the bars sit before using because of the lye?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 27, 2015 at 9:46 AM

      Technically, the soap can safely be used between 24-48 hours after being removed from the mold (sometimes an extra day is needed). This is controversial because it has been passed down through generations that it takes longer. Scientifically speaking, you can test the soap and see that the saponifaction process finishes within the 24-48 hour period. But there is still enough water in the soap that it will be very soft. Ideally, they should be cured for 4-6 weeks to become lovely hard bars.

  • Dawn
    · Reply

    November 4, 2015 at 11:34 PM

    How long do these bars last? They won’t go bad because of the pumpkin? I’m new to soap making so trying to learn. This sounds amazing.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      November 5, 2015 at 2:41 AM

      They will last like normal bars do – indefinitely. 🙂

  • Tracy
    · Reply

    August 14, 2016 at 4:32 PM

    I’m making this soap now and decided to add the pumpkin to the lye water. I’ve never had such difficulty getting the temperatures to lower and match up with the oil mixture as I have today making this soap. The temp for the pumpkin/lye would start going down and then it would spike up another 10 degrees, so I would heat up my oil mixture again to keep both temps the same. The time it is taking to reduce it down to 100 degrees is also taking forever. Right now it is at 115, so hopefully it won’t spike up again and we will finally get somewhere.
    I’ve always made soaps in the past with temps around 120. But, I am following your recipe and trying to get them both down to 100 because I don’t know if you have a specific reason for the lower temperature. I would love to know if there is a reason to bring it down to 100 vs. 120 and if anybody else has had problems with the pumpkin/lye water mixture spiking and lowering and spiking, etc. Thanks so much! I sure hope this soap turns out.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 14, 2016 at 4:46 PM

      Adding pumpkin to the lye water can defintiely effect temps. as you are seeing. I prefer to add it when I add the essential oils .
      You can go ahead and mix at a higher temp. I’ve never done as high as 120. Even 110 takes a lot longer to come to trace. I prefer the lower temp. because it comes to trace within 5 minutes, vs. 20 to 30 minutes of mixing and waiting when combining at higher temps.

      • Tracy
        · Reply

        August 14, 2016 at 4:56 PM

        Thank you so much for the fast reply! The temp of the oil mixture is at 105 but the lye/pumpkin spiked up to 120 again. Hmph! I think next time, I’ll add the pumpkin with the essential oils like you do. By the way, I just read through the other comments and did not know that cinnamon cassia will burn the skin. That is the essential oil that I have. Won’t it be mild once added with the oils – like you would with using a carrier oil with essential oils? Now I’m nervous to use it and I don’t have enough of the other essential oils to do without it. Well, this will be a test batch I guess! Thank you again for your fast reply.

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          August 14, 2016 at 5:22 PM

          I do not recommend using cinnamon bark or cassia! If you don’t have enough of the other e.o.s to make 1.5oz it would be better for it to have a lighter scent then chance it being too harsh on the skin.
          Place the lye water in a cold water bath in your sink if it’s still too hot.

          • Tracy

            August 14, 2016 at 5:58 PM

            Ok. I may have to dump the batch then. I went ahead and used the cinnamon cassia before I saw your reply. Also, the oil mixture was at 105 and the lye/pumpkin mixture was at 110 degrees. I mixed them for 5 minutes, then after 2 minutes I added the essential oils and paprika. It traced too quickly to where I could not get all the essential oil and paprika mixed in completely before it turned to thick pudding. I ended up mixing it all in and poured it into the mold. I was really lumpy by that time. So, the batch will probably have to be dumped anyway. I think others can learn from my mistakes here. I honestly wonder if altitude has something to do with temperatures and tracing times because I think I would have been better sticking with 120 degrees – but maybe not. Maybe it was just the pumpkin/lye mixture that threw things off for me. And, next time I’ll know better about the cinnamon essential oils! Thank you for the help and education! Blessings to you.

  • Julie
    · Reply

    August 23, 2016 at 5:04 PM

    Where can I buy the Tallow?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 23, 2016 at 7:33 PM

      You can render your own by cooking down meat or pork fat. If you don’t have any, grocery store butchers usually will give you their fat trimmings or charge a very small amount. You can also use lard. Be careful of sources.

  • Danielle McCoy
    · Reply

    September 20, 2016 at 9:33 PM

    Thanks so much for this recipe! As soon as we get into our house, this will be on the list of things to make.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 20, 2016 at 10:41 PM

      Many blessings to you on the move! 🙂

  • Cindy
    · Reply

    September 25, 2016 at 12:32 PM

    I was excited to make this soap for fall but I encountered something that has never happened before. I followed your recipe, insulated it, as I like it to gel, for 2 days and when I uncovered it the top had “fallen” like a cake and at least 1/2 cup of orange oil sat on top. Poured it off. The soap was very soft and oily. I cut it anyway so it could start curing. I soaped at 85°. Any guess to my problem? I did discount the water but I did use 14oz of pumpkin. Too much pumpkin? Thanks for your help!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 25, 2016 at 1:18 PM

      I hope it’s able to be salvaged without being cold processed. I can think of a few things that may have happened. Possibly a combination of all four. 1) too much pumpkin, which interfered with all of the oils reacting with the lye (I don’t think so though). 2) false trace; it was too cool and looked like it was at trace, but it wasn’t. 3) You did not combine the oils thoroughly with the lye water so once it sat covered, the oil that wasn’t incorporated rose to the top. 4) not enough lye… I’m not sure which one, but possibly one or more of those reasons. If it doesn’t harden, hot process it and you’ll still have a fabulous batch of soap.

  • Cindy
    · Reply

    September 25, 2016 at 4:39 PM

    Thanks for your prompt reply! I’m pretty sure my calculations were correct and my oils are well incorporated. It must’ve neb the trace issue because it was still thin when I poured. On occasion I would blend “just a bit more” past the stage it was at and ended up with it accelerating so quickly that I barely got it in the mold. The bars are getting less oily since cutting yesterday so they may be salvageable. If not, I’ll HP them. Thanks for your help!

  • Cindy
    · Reply

    September 25, 2016 at 4:42 PM

    Also….I don’t know why I thought I had to use the entire can of pumpkin! I’m sure I could have used less. Perhaps too much oils from too much pumpkin! Live and learn. Thanks for your blog!

  • Alicia Owen
    · Reply

    September 28, 2016 at 10:05 AM

    Oh my. I bet these smell heavenly!

    • kelly
      · Reply

      September 28, 2016 at 1:38 PM

      I’ve kept one in my kitchen so I can wash my hands with it and keep getting that scent in the air. I really like the combination.

  • Staci ~ A Chick And Her Garden
    · Reply

    October 19, 2016 at 8:22 AM

    5 stars
    I’m already smelling the pumpkin! I can’t wait to try this soap! Thank you for sharing on The Homesteader Hop!

  • Charlotte Burkholder
    · Reply

    October 20, 2016 at 4:48 PM

    My mom makes soap. Maybe I should tell her to try this scent.

  • Aubrey
    · Reply

    October 26, 2016 at 1:05 PM

    Hi,
    I’ve never made soap before and I’m doing a little bit of research. I’ve noticed that some soap has to be cured for a couple weeks after they are removed from the mold. Is that the case with this recipe as well?
    Thanks, Aubrey

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 26, 2016 at 3:09 PM

      Hot Processed soap can be used immediately after cooling, though it will continue to harden. Cold Processed soap (like seen here) should cure 3 weeks or more. The lye will finish processing and water will continue to evaporate so that it hardens. According to some people, you can use the soap within 48 hours, because the entire process if finished (just as it is after hot processing) and all that’s left is the hardening process. This is debated though, so I recommend 3-6 weeks.

  • Tammy J Decker
    · Reply

    September 25, 2017 at 10:59 PM

    Hello,

    When do you put the pumpkin puree in the lye water? After it has cooled or when you mix in the lye and water?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 26, 2017 at 8:03 AM

      Great question. I add it to my container and then add enough water for the correct weight. Stir really well and then chill in the fridge until ready to pour in the lye.

  • Annette Wright
    · Reply

    October 27, 2018 at 10:55 PM

    4 stars
    I am going to try this recipe during the first week of November 2018. it is my first soap recipe. step four says “until trace” …. but I am not sure what that means. how much does it make, in volume? I want to make sure I have enough molds. thanks for the help.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 28, 2018 at 9:55 AM

      It makes 4.5 pounds of soap or 18 four ounce bars.
      Trace is when it starts to thicken. You’ll see a trace or line sit on the top when you drizzle the batch over top itself.

  • Debbie
    · Reply

    April 17, 2019 at 11:51 PM

    5 stars
    If using FO’s instead of EO’s would the amount be the same?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      April 18, 2019 at 6:15 PM

      I do not recommend ever using fragrance oils for any reason. They are toxic. If you still choose to use them then, yes, it is usually a 1 to 1 substitution.

  • Amethyst
    · Reply

    October 6, 2019 at 9:18 AM

    I decided to put half cup of pumpkin with my water-lye mix and the other half at trace. Because I am swapping out the tallow for something else, I need to run this through the lye calculator but how much water to I put in the lye calculator? Do I put the 11.3oz (which is the actual weight of the water I am using) or do I put your 17oz (because that is the total weight of what is being mixed with the lye?

    Thank you! I am hyped to smell and use and give these to my friends.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 7, 2019 at 6:31 PM

      You shouldn’t have to put any water into the calculator. Leave the pumpkin out of the calculation altogether and factor it into the water weight that the calculator gives you.

  • Isabella Baker
    · Reply

    October 9, 2019 at 3:01 PM

    What do we need to cook the soap in? Can it go in a crock pot since it has to cook for 24 hours?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 9, 2019 at 7:34 PM

      It just sits in the mold for 24 hours before being hard enough to remove. You can hot process the soap but that uses the same recipe in a very different process.

  • jan
    · Reply

    October 14, 2019 at 9:00 AM

    I’m vegetarian and I wonder what you could use instead of tallow.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      October 14, 2019 at 9:42 PM

      The easiest thing to do is to find a vegan recipe (I have a number on my website here) and use the essential oils, coloring, etc. in that recipe. Jut make sure to subtract the weight of the pumpkin from the weight of the water in the other recipe.

  • Mary
    · Reply

    January 27, 2020 at 12:30 PM

    Hello, I was wondering what size soap mold you used? This looks like quite a large batch.
    Also thanks for so clearly explaining how to reduce the water by the pumpkin amount used.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      January 28, 2020 at 6:10 PM

      It makes 18 four ounce bars or is 4.5lb batch.

  • Crystal
    · Reply

    August 23, 2020 at 11:27 AM

    5 stars
    That color is incredible!!!!
    Is the image in this post using the turmeric and paprika, or adding the pumpkin to the lye solution?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 25, 2020 at 11:00 AM

      The pumpkin adds most of the color. I like to use Moroccan clay to give it an extra boost in color as well.

  • Ken
    · Reply

    November 11, 2020 at 10:17 AM

    At what point do you put the pumpkin into the lye/water mixture? That’s going to cool the lye quickly so do you add the pumpkin right after you mix the lye with water? Thanks

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      November 15, 2020 at 4:08 PM

      Add the pumpkin to the soap at trace, or add it to the oils as they are cooling.

  • Jennifer
    · Reply

    September 9, 2021 at 6:31 AM

    Hello,

    I would like to try and make this soap. So when I add the pumpkin to the oils while they are cooling. Just confirming that you said to weight the cup of pumpkin and subtract that amount from the water amount? Also, if I use palm oil verses tallow would I still use 25 oz?

    Thanks so much!

    Jen

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 11, 2021 at 10:50 AM

      I’ve updated the recipe so that you can use it as is, no calculating necessary. I use palm oil 1:1 with tallow, but you may want to run it through a lye calculator just in case.

  • Christine N
    · Reply

    September 7, 2022 at 8:47 PM

    If I would want to make this soap with goats milk would I just substitute the 7 ounces of water for the milk and is it the same ratio?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 9, 2022 at 3:24 PM

      Yes, You can substitute milk for water in most cold process and hot process soap recipes.

  • R
    · Reply

    August 29, 2024 at 12:54 PM

    Should the allspice essential oil be from the berry or the leaf? I was going to order from Bulk Apothecary, but all they sell is oil from the leaf. Also, do you have any coupon codes or anything for ordering essential oils? They are so expensive!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 29, 2024 at 1:00 PM

      The leaf essential oil from bulk apothecary is actually really nice. I’ve used theirs before a few times and was very happy with it.

  • R
    · Reply

    August 29, 2024 at 1:10 PM

    Thanks

  • Donna
    · Reply

    September 2, 2024 at 4:56 PM

    5 stars
    Could I substitute goat milk for the water!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 2, 2024 at 9:12 PM

      Yes, you can! You can substitute a percentage or the whole thing.

  • Mireille
    · Reply

    September 25, 2026 at 1:41 PM

    Can I add ground coffee as an exfoliant and to make it more of a pumpkins spice latte scent?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      September 28, 2026 at 3:01 PM

      Yes, you can. Just make sure to use the grounds first and pat dry so that they don’t leave huge brown spots in your soap.

Leave a reply

We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




Join the Simple Life Mom Community

And get a FREE Bath and Body Recipe E-Book:

Thank you!

Check your email and add me to your address list so messages don't go to spam. 

You'll have a link to the free e-book in the email.

Kelly

SHOP

Join Us and Get New DIYs and Recipes Subscribe

Categories

  • Soap Making
  • Bath and Beauty
  • Health and Essential Oils
  • Home and Garden
  • Homestead Blog Hop
  • Real Food Recipes

Books

  • Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners
  • Easy Soap Making
  • Natural Soap Making How-To and Recipe Book
  • Make it Yourself: Bath & Home DIY for Self Sustainability
  • Natural Beauty from Head to Toe
  • Herbs & Essential Oils in Soap Making

SHOP

Other Resources

  • Mountain Rose Herbs
  • Herbal Academy
  • Amazon
  • Revelation Health

© 2026 Simple Life Mom - All Rights Reserved

  • Disclaimers/Policies for Simple Life Mom

Press Enter to search · Esc to close