How to Make Pumpkin Puree

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I love pumpkin! And learning how to make pumpkin puree is super simple with this easy recipe.

I get all giddy inside when they start showing up in the stores or at our little hometown vegetable stand. It means that the fall season is here, which brings on the holidays!!

If you grow your own pumpkins, this is fantastic! I don’t have the room to grow them, so I buy mine from Ms. Thompson at the little hometown vegetable stand down the road. But this pumpkin puree recipe is simple no matter where you get yours. You’ll be able to have a well-stocked freezer for the fall season and holidays.

Making pumpkin puree in the oven is my favorite way, but this can be done too if you prefer to do it without an oven. My mother never used an oven to make it when I was growing up. She always cooked hers on the stovetop.

It is much easier to peel once cooked in the oven, and I’m all for easy. The taste is exactly the same no matter which way you do it.

Best Pumpkins For Making Fresh Pumpkin Puree

I’ll be completely honest with you. I tend to stick with sugar or pie pumpkins for cooking and making pumpkin recipes. This is because I have really never tried another kind.

My mother always used sugar pumpkins, and Ms. Thompson also recommends them. But I do know all pumpkins can be made into a puree, so if you want to try using the pumpkins you are using as fall porch decor, why not give them a try? It can’t hurt!

What Can Be Made With Pureed Pumpkin?

Oh my goodness! The possibilities for using pumpkin puree are limitless. Not only can it be used for making pumpkin pies, but it can be used for baking all 6 of these pumpkin muffin recipes, and even here are 25 pumpkin cake recipes! I’m sure you’ll find more than one to be your favorite.

But don’t stop at muffins and cakes; you can also make pumpkin bread, and with these 20, I’m sure you can find some new favorites.

How To Make Pumpkin Puree – From Scratch

Preheat oven to 325°F

Ingredients:

Pumpkin

Yep, that’s it! To make homemade pumpkin puree, you only need fresh pumpkins.

Of course, the first thing you’ll want to do is give your pumpkin a good bath. Just put it in the sink, run cold water over it, and give it a good rub down. This will remove all the soil and gunk that may be on the peel.

Next, using a really sharp knife, carefully cut the pumpkin in half just to the side of the stem.

Then, carefully scoop out all the pulp fibers and seeds using a good sturdy spoon. But don’t throw these out! You can roast pumpkin seeds and make homemade pumpkin bread with pulp fibers. Trust me. You’ll like it.

Just put these aside in a bowl, cover it with wrap, and put it in the refrigerator. Mine was in the refrigerator 4 days before I got to them, and they were fine.

Place cut pumpkins, cut side down on a baking sheet once they are gutted and cleaned. Fill the baking sheet with 1/8 inch of water or so.

Baking Fresh Pumpkin to Make Pumpkin Puree

Carefully place in the oven and bake at 325°F for 1 hour.

Once this is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for about an hour. It’s not uncommon for the peel to shrivel a bit or even fall in; this is ok.

It may be a bit warm, so carefully turn it over, and the inside will be very soft.

Using your fingers, gently peel away the peel or use a spoon and scoop out the inside. Either way, you prefer.

During cooking, the inside has started to pull away from the peel or fall in. This is due to moisture loss, so removing it should be easy.

I will say, at times, I’ve had a tough spot that wanted to hang on, and I used a spoon to scoop out the inside and scraped it carefully off the peel.

Put all this into a food processor, I use this one, and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, this pumpkin puree can also be smoothed with a potato masher. I used one until last Christmas. Easy!

By the way, if your potato masher is just hanging out in the drawer, did you know you can make a Christmas Tree with it?

How to freeze Pumpkin Puree

This is the simplest way to preserve fresh pumpkins. All you need to do is put it in freezer-safe bags and store it in the freezer. I normally put 2 cups in a bag.

Put into freezer-safe bags, such as a Ziploc bag, and it will last for 6-8 months before the flavor begins to change. But it will last even longer if you “seal” the bag with a vacuum seal machine such as the FoodSaver machine.

I use a FoodSaver, which tremendously extends all frozen food life! I’ve written a Quick Start Guide to Freezing Foods at Home, so grab a copy of it for all kinds of tips and instructions for getting more life out of frozen foods.

So how long will pumpkin puree last? This answer will vary based on the way it is stored. But on average, it will last for about 6 months in a regular freezer bag, but if vacuum sealed, it will last much longer since it is protected from freezer burn.

Is Canned Pumpkin the Same As Pumpkin Puree?

No! Since pumpkins are in the squash family, store-bought canned pumpkins are a blend of several types of squash, such as zucchini or butternut, or other varieties and pumpkin.

Pumpkin puree, on the other hand, is pure pumpkin but not the type that is used for making Halloween jack-o’-lanterns. It contains no sugars or other ingredients, but the flavor of “store-bought” puree is no comparison to that of homemade pumpkin puree.

If you are curious about what pumpkin puree can be used for, you are in for a treat! Pumpkin uses are limitless. Made from scratch, it can be used for baking pies, cakes, cookies, and other dessert recipes, bread, muffins, soups, and so many more delicious fall recipes.

Doesn’t this just make your mouth water and wish for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays to get her already!!! Of course, though, if you fill your freezer with frozen pumpkin puree, you can enjoy it all year long.

So are you going to be running out to grab a fresh pumpkin to make homemade pumpkin puree?

More Delicious Fall Recipes

• 150+ Impeccably Easy Pumpkin Desserts That Are Perfect for Fall
• Easy Homemade Brownies
• Healthy Cheesecake Cupcakes
• Oven Roasted Carrots
• 7 Delicious Recipes for Pumpkin Cupcakes You’ll Enjoy

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