Pumpkin is a fabulous fall ingredient and you can make a lot of different recipes with it! Many recipes that include pumpkin call for pumpkin puree and although canned pumpkin puree is pretty convenient, it’s also super easy to make your own! Pumpkin puree is made by roasting smaller ‘pie’ pumpkins in the oven until the flesh on the inside is tender enough that you can mash it up and puree it. You start by cutting the pumpkins in half and scooping out the seeds (save the seeds to make toasted pumpkin seeds) before roasting it in the oven. By the time the pumpkin has finished roasting the flesh is nice and tender and it easily comes off of the skin so you can scoop it out with a spoon. The only thing to do after roasting is to either mash the pumpkin or puree it in a food processor until it is nice and smooth. Homemade pumpkin puree is so easy to make and it can be used in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree! Look below the recipe to find a bunch of ideas as to how to enjoy it!
How to Make Pumpkin Puree
Easy homemade roasted pumpkin puree that can be used in any recipe calling for pumpkin puree!
ingredients
- 1+ pie pumpkin(s)
directions
- Place the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until soft, about 30-90 minutes depending on how thick the pumpkin is.
- Scoop the flesh from the pumpkin and mash with a fork, masher or in a food processor.
Tip: Make toasted pumpkin seeds!
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wow, Kevin, what a great idea. I would have never thought of making my own pumpkin puree. You’ll have to let us know if it does freeze well.
Pam: It does freeze well. I am making some right now to freeze for later.
Kevin, can you let us know how you freeze it? In plastic tupperware or … ? Perhaps freezer-safe plastic bags.
Hi there,
Quick question – what kind of pumpkin do you recommend for cooking? Thanks!
Sarah Bacon: I have been using the reusable ziplock containers with the twist on lids for freezing the pumpkin puree. I would imagine that tupperware would also work well.
Anonymous: I am not sure where you come from and as I understand it in some parts or the world all squash are called pumpkins whereas here in North America only the classic 'Halloween' squash is called a pumpkin. The Halloween style orange pumpkin comes in two types, the smaller 'pie' type and the larger 'carving' type. I am referring the the small orange 'pie' type of Halloween pumpkin.
That being said I have also had success with other squash/pumpkins including kabocha and buttercups.
Kevin, thanks for the instructions! I bet "Anonymous" is a gardener. There are many varieties of pie pumpkins, and all have slightly different characteristics – for example, I often buy garden seeds from Johnny's (here), and they carry several types of pie pumpkin, and about 30 types of pumpkins overall, in addition to several types of kabocha-type squash. There are plenty of other seed vendors also you could also try.
Cheers!
Hi Kevin,
I saw your advice to that person with the question of the type of pumpkins to use. But I just want to know if the larger carving type of pumpkins are edible? I want to try and purée them but not if I'm not suppose to. 🙂
thanks for this post 🙂
Thanks for all the great pumpkin ideas, Kevin. We grew pumpkins this year and I'm excited to see all the nifty things I can do with them. I made roasted pumpkin kabobs the other day and they were outstanding. Can't wait to try your pumpkin puree and your pumpkin/black bean soup 🙂
MaryNeedsSleep: Thanks for the info! I will certainly have to keep an eye out for some of those different varieties of pie pumpkins!
Debbie: Yes the larger carving pumpkins are edible, though they do not taste quite as good as the ones that are bread specifically for eating.
my experience with the carving pumpkins is that they have too much water in the flesh to work well for pie puree. as someone else said, they don't have as much flavor as pie pumpkins and that is partly due to the quantity of water.
Would you make Kabocha puree the same way? Would the skin crumble?
Susan: Yes I have made kabocha puree in the same way and it works beautifully.
I'm am making this on Monday as I found some pie pumpkins at a large farmers market in ATL. When you say face down, do you mean the inside of the pumpkin faces down?
Thanks. Can't wait to try this. I got so excited at finding the pumpkins.
Rookie Bebe: Yes with the inside facing down and the skin on top. Enjoy!
Pumpkin cooked beautifully. Peeled easily. I'll let you know how the pie comes out.
Hope you don't mind, Kevin. I posted today about some soup I made with some of your (frozen) pumpkin puree and linked to you. The soup was outstanding! Can't wait to grow more pumpkins next year and freeze the excess. Thanks for your wonderful, informative blog.
What a great idea!!Thanks for this too because we can't buy canned pumpkin in Belgium!!
Looks so tasty too!
As far as the larger pumpkins with a large water content causing problems I have found that draining the puree overnight in a colander lined with cheesecloth in the fridge helps with this. The pumpkin pie I made from the large pumpkin didn't last more than 30 min.
I'll have to try baking the pumpkins. I always boil them but it's hard to peel the skin off a boiling hot piece of pumpkin.
Hi Kevin,
I have 2 small-med sized pumpkins…would that yield enough puree to make your pumpkin and chorizo soup?
Kevin have you ever just tried roasting the pumpkin without cutting it first and just poking a couple holes in and then roasting?
Sandi: You will probably only need one of them for the pumpkin and chorizo soup. I have not tried roasting a pumpkin whole. It might be more difficult to get the seeds out after.
I just wanted to say how incredible grateful I am for discovering this simple method on here! I really like pumpkins but in the past the preparation always put me off (and I don't live in the US or Canada, so canned pumpkin puree isn't really an alternative for me). I tried this yesterday and made your pumpkin cheesecake with it. Both turned out wonderfully, I'll definitely try many more pumpkin recipes this season!
Rather than mashing with a fork, try giving the cooked pumpkin a whirl with an electric mixer. That makes puree out of it QUICK.
Like Valshaena said, draining in a sieve lined with cheesecloth helps a lot. After 30 – 60 minutes or so of draining, then I gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist until it's tight enough to give the pumpkin a gentle squeeze (kinda like you'd do with thawed spinach, except you don't have to WRING cooked pumpkin the way you do thawed spinach).
Azirkah: Using a mixer or a food processor will definitely give you a smoother finish and removing the excess liquid with give the pumpkin puree a consistency much more similar to the canned pumpkin puree.
This is SO SO SO helpful. I had always thought pumpkin puree was super hard to make or time consuming. LOL I feel silly now. Super excited for fall and will be doing this. I hate that the store only sells canned pumpkin puree 3 months a year. I always had bought extra but I run out and have to wait such a long time. I love the idea of throwing it in the freezer to make pumpkin-y stuff in the spring or summer. Very healthy 🙂
I started making my own puree several years ago and a quick tip to make the process easier is that if you have a food processor that works great and faster than hand mashing. jw
I'm so glad I found this recipe. I've been eager to try pumpkin recipes but not so keen on using storebought puree. Now I know I can easily make my own and I look forward to baking. Thanks Kevin!
Hey there Kevin!
I have been making puree out of large 'carver' pumpkins for years and years. When I bake them, I pour a bit of water into the baking pan. Once removed from the skin, I drain the unmashed flesh in a simple plastic sieve(to drain) and have never had a problem! While mashing with a potato masher, I add a bit of pumpkin pie seasoning. I freeze my mashed pumpkin in heavy duty freezer bags(have to go down to the US to get the good quality ones).
Thanks for all your great recipes!
Jacqueline in Pitt Meadows
I’ve been making my own pumpkin purée/pies for over forty years now-a loving task I inherited when my mother passed away at a young age. We used/use cheese pumpkins (those ugly pale orange flattened ones) Wonderful texture, fragrant aroma, fabulous taste!!! Holds up to the added spices!!
Jaweb
Most pie pumpkins have a very high water content, so using the pulp without removing some of the water makes for less flavor and/or a watery pie. There are multiple ways to remove excess water from pumpkin puree.
Line a china cap with damp cheesecloth put the pumpkin in with bowl under the china cap and let sit overnight. Two pumpkins ago I got 2 cups of liquid using this method.
Another method is to spread the puree in a 9 x13 pan and put it in a slow oven (180F – 200F) for 4 to 6 hours, stirring about once per hour.
To get the puree as smooth as the canned version, I use a stick blender.
Not to diss your method but I have discovered the best way to make pumpkin puree. If the pumpkin will fit in your slow cooker, rinse it the put it in the cooker. Turn it on to low and leave it for about 4 hrs. You do not need to poke it with a knife or anything. Check after 4 hrs and if a knife will easily slide in, it’s done. Let it cool, cut in half, scoop out the seeds/stringy bit (note: Blue Jays – not the ball players but the birds! – love the parts that are scooped out!) then scrape out the cooked pulp. What I do is puree it in the food processor, let it drain through a sieve lined with a coffee filter then freeze it – or use it right away. Perfect and honestly, not a lot of effort. Delish.
The slow cooker version also works well!
Butternut squash is perfect roasted and used for pie or whatever. Very tasty!