Make Circleville’s Famous Pumpkin Burger

Games, rides, contests and people fill the streets of Circleville every October, as the community rallies in the name of pumpkins. Since 1903, the event has grown to include entertainment, pumpkins of all sizes and shapes, and food vendors selling items ranging from pumpkin doughnuts to pumpkin taffy. One favorite, however, isn’t on the sweet spectrum: pumpkin burgers. 

“Basically, we start off with plain old sloppy Joes,” Todd Ruff, then-president of the Circleville Athletic Boosters, said in 2015, when the festival shared the recipe with us. The festival’s pumpkin burgers are mixed up in large batches, starting with 5 pounds of beef. “Then we put in about three teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, and one of the larger cans of pumpkin.”

Served hot over a bun, it’s a fresh take on a comfort-food classic.

“You’ve got a pretty good hint of pumpkin in it,” Ruff said. “It’s actually very good.”

If you can make it to the Circleville Pumpkin Show this week (the festival runs through Saturday, Oct. 24 in 2026) to order a pumpkin burger from the Circleville Athletic Boosters or the Circleville Band Boosters tents, here is how to make them at home.

Pumpkin Burgers | Makes 4–6 servings
Recipe courtesy of the Circleville Pumpkin Show

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 12-ounce jar chili sauce
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS
In a large pan, brown ground beef and chopped onion together. Stir in all other ingredients and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve on buns.

An earlier version of this story ran in the October 2015 issue of Ohio Magazine.

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