How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree
on Sep 18, 2017, Updated Sep 18, 2024
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Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree is as easy as roasting, scooping, and blending a fresh pumpkin. You’ll love its bright color, smooth texture and easy preparation!
If ripe pumpkins are popping out of your garden, grocery store, and farmers’ market, it’s time to turn this gorgeous gourd into something you can use in the kitchen. Homemade pumpkin puree is quick and simple to make, stores great, and is a great skill to have up your sleeve.
You can use pumpkin puree in Fresh Pumpkin Pie, Homemade Pumpkin Pasta, and Healthy Pumpkin Muffins. It’s perfect in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super easy way to preserve some of your harvest.
- Don’t have to buy canned pumpkin puree.
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and vegan.
Recipe Ingredients
- A whole pumpkin: You need between 6 and 10 pounds of pumpkin, which is about one medium or two small pumpkins.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree
- Step #1. Wash your pumpkins, cut the stem end off the pumpkin, and cut in half horizontally.
- Step #2. Scoop and scrape the seeds out of the pumpkin.
- Step #3. Place the pumpkin halves “bowl” side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Step #4. Bake at 375 degrees 30 to 40 minutes and allow them to cool until they are safe to handle.
- Step #5. Scrape the flesh off the skin with a spoon.
- Step #6. Mash the pumpkin or place in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.
Recipe FAQs
Sugar, sweet, or pie pumpkins all describe the smaller 3 to 5 pound pumpkins that are typically grown to be eaten. Their flesh is firmer and sweeter than other varieties, which makes them a great choice for cooking.
Yes. I recommend that you puree your homemade pumpkin puree in a blender or a food processor or to get a smooth velvety texture. You can mash it with a fork if you want to but it won’t be a true puree.
You can use fresh pumpkin puree in any recipe calling for pumpkin; however, the color will be a more golden orange/yellow. It won’t be as dark as canned pumpkin because it’s usually a mixture of different squashes and pumpkin so it’s darker in color.
Yes! Homemade pumpkin puree freezes like a dream. Freezing it in one cup proportions is the best option for long-term storage.
Expert Tips
- Look for a pie or sweet pumpkin that has a hard exterior and no blemishes or insect holes.
- Instead of throwing away the pumpkin seeds, you can make Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with a few simple ingredients.
- If you don’t want to mess with cutting the pumpkin and removing the seeds, you can cook a whole pumpkin in a slow cooker or you can even put a whole pumpkin in an Instant Pot.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Consider
Muffin Recipes
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin
40 Fall Pumpkin Recipes
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
From Scratch Recipes
How to Cook Pumpkin in the Instant Pot
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How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- 6-10 pounds of fresh pumpkin, one smaller medium or two small pumpkins
Instructions
- Prepare your pumpkins by washing the outside under running water. This helps to make sure you don’t get any dirt or other derbis in your homemade pumpkin puree.
- Cut the stem end off of the pumpkin and then cut it in half horizontally to make two pumpkin “bowls”.
- Scrape the seeds from inside the pumpkin (I like to make honey roasted pumpkin seeds with them!).
- Flip the pumpkins over so the “bowl” is upside down on a parchment or baking mat rimmed baking sheet).
- Bake at 375 degrees until the flesh is very soft and can be pierced with a fork – 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cooked pumpkins to cool until you can handle them.
- Use a spoon to scrape the flesh from the skin. Mash with a fork or for a truly smooth homemade pumpkin puree, toss the cooked pumpkin flesh into a food processor or blender and process until smooth (this is the preferred method over just using a fork).
- Store pumpkin puree in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Don’t skip washing your pumpkins before baking them – you never know what’s on them (even if they look clean).
- You can store homemade pumpkin puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for a few months.
- To freeze homemade pumpkin puree, divide it into one-cup portions per freezer zip-top bag.
I roasted some in the oven which were delicious! I roasted some in the crock pot which were tender and amazing! I combined the two for the best of both worlds! When I was done, I realized that in my crockpot was some yummy roasted pumpkin juice…about a cup’s worth. I added a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and 6 tablespoons of brown sugar…cooked on med-low fire to boil about 5 minutes to make delectible roasted pumpkin pie spice syrup!
That sounds amazing!!!