Every autumn, pumpkins appear in grocery stores, gardens, and kitchens, becoming popular ingredients in soups, pies, and roasted dishes. Because they are often prepared alongside vegetables, many people assume pumpkins belong to the vegetable category. However, the scientific answer is a little different: a pumpkin is botanically a fruit!

The explanation comes down to how pumpkins grow. In botanical terms, fruits develop from a plant’s flower after fertilization and contain seeds. Pumpkins meet both conditions, growing from the flowers of plants belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. This same family includes cucumbers, melons, zucchini, and other types of squash.

There is another surprising detail: pumpkins are technically a specialized type of berry known as a pepo. These fruits have a firm outer rind and a fleshy interior containing seeds. Although the word “berry” usually brings small, sweet fruits to mind, botanical classifications depend on a plant’s structure rather than its size, sweetness, or appearance.

So why do we usually treat pumpkins as vegetables? The answer lies in cooking. Culinary classifications focus on flavor and how foods are used in meals. Pumpkins work well in savory dishes such as soups, curries, and casseroles, so they are commonly treated as vegetables in the kitchen. They are equally popular in sweet recipes, including pumpkin pie, muffins, and bread.

Pumpkins also provide useful nutrients, including fiber, beta-carotene, and potassium, although their nutritional content varies by variety and preparation. Ultimately, both classifications make sense: a pumpkin is a fruit botanically but is commonly used as a vegetable in cooking. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are other familiar examples of foods that fit this distinction. Did you already know that your favorite autumn pumpkin was technically a fruit?