• Browse by Category
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Everything Else
    • Gluten-Free
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Main Dishes
    • Raw
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Stews
    • Vegan
  • Submit a Recipe
  • Oh My Veggies

Potluck at Oh My Veggies

A Gathering of Veggie Deliciousness!

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Navigation
Home » How to Make Pumpkin Puree

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

October 29, 2013 by Kitchen Treaty 1 Comment

By now, you’ve probably heard that you really can make your own pumpkin puree – and, hey! It’s not such a crazy notion after all! It’s actually pretty easy, and makes your pumpkin recipes taste even more incredible than if you’d used canned.

Don’t get me wrong – I totally believe in buying canned pumpkin now and then. It’s convenient and it still tastes great. But whenever I’m able, I make my own. Even one pumpkin yields a huge amount of puree, and it’s so easy to freeze so you can have some on hand whenever you need it.

So are you ready to try making your own pumpkin puree? You’ll need a good solid two-hour hunk of time to make it happen, but there are a couple of stopping points I’ve noted in case any interruptions happen along the way.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree It’s important to choose the right type of pumpkin when making your own pumpkin puree. Steer clear of huge, jack-o-lantern-size pumpkins – you want a “sugar” or “pie” pumpkin. Sometimes they’re called sugar pumpkins, sometimes they’re called pie pumpkins, and sometimes they’re called sugar pie pumpkins. Either way, they’re usually about six to eight inches in diameter, about the size of a volleyball or slightly smaller.

Choose a pumpkin that’s firm, smooth, no soft spots, and nice and bright orange in color. Like these!

How to Make Pumpkin Puree Okay, got your pumpkins? Let’s begin!

First, give the pumpkin a quick rinse to remove any residual dirt. Then, with a very sharp chef’s knife, lop off the top of the pumpkin, stem and all.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree Slice the pumpkin in half.

How to Make Pumpkin PureeScoop out the innards – you know, the stringy guts and seeds – with a spoon and set aside. It’s okay if there are a few strings left – they’ll go away when baking.

How to Make Pumpkin PureeYou can either either discard the seeds or save them and roast up a crunchy, delicious snack.

If you decide to save the seeds (and you really should!), here’s a quick trick for separating the seeds from the guts: remove the large gut chunks and put the remaining guts and seeds in a bowl of water. The seeds will rise to the top and the remaining guts will sink to the bottom. Then just skim off the seeds! Pretty cool, right?

How to Make Pumpkin PureeIt’s also a fun little slimy activity for curious toddlers.

Now line a baking sheet with foil and lay the pumpkin halves cut side down.

How to Make Pumpkin PureeLine the entire baking sheet with pumpkin halves (I can usually fit six halves on a standard-sized sheet) and cover tightly with more foil. If you need to stop now, just throw the foil-covered pumpkins in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before moving on to the next step (note that cooking time may be slightly longer).

How to Make Pumpkin PureeBake at 325ºF for about one hour, or until a fork easily pierces the pumpkin. I usually start checking at around 45 minutes.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. You can also refrigerate the cooked pumpkin halves for two to three days before processing. I’m at the mercy of a toddler’s whims, so trust me – I’ve had to do this several times!

Peel off the skin and discard. I find there’s really no rhyme or reason to how easily the peel will come off. Depending on the pumpkin, sometimes it peels right off, and sometimes you need to scrape the flesh with a spoon. I’m not going to lie – it’s a messy process. But totally worth it!

How to Make Pumpkin Puree Place the pumpkin meat into a food processor or high-powered blender …

How to Make Pumpkin PureeAnd pulse until completely smooth. Depending on your pumpkin, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to get it moving.

How to Make Pumpkin PureeThere you have it! Pumpkin puree!

How to Make Pumpkin PureeNow you can make pumpkin oatmeal, muffins, energy bites, pancakes, chili, smoothies, pies, cookies, brownies … endless pumpkiny possibilities.

To preserve, I like to freeze it flat in labeled zipper bags so that I enjoy pumpkin puree all year long.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree And that’s it! Not only is making your own pumpkin puree a huge cost savings over buying it canned, it also tends to taste oh-so much better. There’s a sweetness and a freshness to homemade pumpkin puree that just can’t be beat.

LoadingSave Recipe

Like what you see? Share it!

Filed Under: How To Tagged With: fall, pumpkin

Veggie Deliciousness brought to you by Kitchen

Subscribe
See more recipes from Kitchen→

Comments

  1. Gisela says

    October 29, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    I will be making this soon, thanks! I love pumpkin anything but was always intimidated to start from a real pumpkin. Thanks to this great tutorial, I think I can do it. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

30 minutes or less recipes kid-friendly recipes gluten-free recipes vegan recipes

Recent Submissions

Jeera aloo recipe

Honey chilli potato

Vegan Zoodle Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Naturally Sweetened Matcha Latte

The Classic Kiwi Pavlova

See More →

let’s connect

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Hook & Porter Trading LLC