Homemade Pumpkin Puree

I just love this homemade pumpkin puree recipe. It is so easy to make and you can use it in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin.

If you use pumpkin puree all the time, it is a great idea to just make it at home. The fresh stuff is better than the canned pumpkin. With that said, I don’t always use fresh homemade pumpkin puree. So the canned stuff works in a pinch.

It works really well in pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, etc. I love how simple it is to make at home as well. If I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Gather the ingredients

In order to make fresh homemade pumpkin puree from scratch you need just on ingredient and a few tools:

• Pumpkins (use pie pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, those are the general labels, but varieties include Baby Pam, Baby Bear, Autumn Gold, Orange Smoothie, New England Pie, Dickinson, Cinderella, to name several.)

Tools

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• Baking pan, Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• Food processor, Blender, fork, or potato masher
• Bowls or bags
• Knife

Step 2: How to make homemade pumpkin puree

First, preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C. You may also set the temperature as high as 400 F/205 C. This will bake the pumpkins about 15 minutes faster. I usually just use 350 F.

Wash and dry the pumpkins. There are many varieties of pumpkins you can use, here in the United States the common names at the supermarkets are going to be “sugar pumpkin” or “pie pumpkin”. Any pumpkin even the carving ones will work, but the resulting puree isn’t as smooth and doesn’t taste as good.

Now remove the stem. Oftentimes you can grab the stem firmly and twist to remove it from the top. Or you can just cut it off, which is what I usually do.

If the pumpkin is too wobbly, cut off a piece on the side so it will sit better on the cutting board. Even with a sharp knife, these are a bit hard to cut through, but you can do it.

After cutting the stem off, place the pumpkin cut side down, and then cut the whole thing in half. A meat cleaver and a mallet work really well to cut it in half. But you can just use the chef knife and a bit of force. Be careful and watch your fingers!

Use a spoon or ice cream scoop or something and remove all the pumpkin seeds and stringy pulp. You can save the seeds and make roasted pumpkin seeds or you can dry them out and save them for planting. Or you can also just throw them away.

If you are familiar with pumpkin carving you will know this seed scooping part very well.

Step 3: Bake the pumpkins

Put the pumpkin halves on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Bake them in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes. The color of the skin will turn dark orange almost brownish and when you poke it with a fork, the fork will go in super easy.

Allow the baked pumpkin halves to cool until they can be handled. It usually takes 45 to 60 minutes for them to get to that point.

Then remove the outer skin. You can just pinch it and tear it loose, it should come right off. Sometimes people will turn it over and then just scoop out the baked pumpkin, but I prefer to peel the skin off. I feel like I can get more that way.

Use a knife and cut up the baked skinless pumpkin into chunks. Then place them in a food processor or blender. If you don’t have one of those, you can just place them in a bowl, and use a fork or potato masher to bend them into the homemade pumpkin puree.

Turn on the food processor and mix until smooth. It will take about 30 seconds to a minute. You will probably need to do it in batches depending on how many pumpkins you are doing and how large your food processor is.

And just like that, the homemade pumpkin puree is finished and ready to be used. It can be used in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree. Enjoy!

How long does homemade pumpkin puree last?

Store the puree in a bowl or container covered in the fridge for about a week. Or, place it in freezer bags and freeze it for five to six months.

How much puree does this make?

Each small pumpkin makes about the same, or a little bit more, than a 2 cups worth of puree, which is about the same amount that comes in one standard 15 oz can. Again the amount will depend on how big they are. But even the small ones make at least that much.

Here are some other pumpkin recipes you may like:

Pumpkin Mousse

Easy Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Muffins

Homemade Pumpkin Donuts

Pumpkin Roll

Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake

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5 from 9 votes

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

This homemade pumpkin puree recipe is so easy to make and is perfect for all your pumpkin puree needs. It tastes better then the canned pumpkin and it is super easy to make at home.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Cooling Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: Ingredient

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fresh, smooth, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 33kcal

Author: Matt Taylor

Equipment

• Baking pan, Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• Food processor, Blender, fork, or potato masher
• Bowls or bags
• Knife

Ingredients

• 1 Pumpkin use pie pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, those are the general labels, but varieties include Baby Pam, Baby Bear, Autumn Gold, Orange Smoothie, New England Pie, Dickinson, Cinderella, to name several.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C. You can go as high as 400 F/205 C. If you want them to bake quicker.
• Wash and dry the pumpkins. Remove the stem and cut them in half. Sometimes you can grip the stem firmly and twist to remove it from the top. Or you can just cut it off. After cutting the stem off, place the pumpkin cut side down, and then cut the whole thing in half. If you have a meat cleaver and a mallet that works really well to cut it in half. Or just use the chef knife and use some force. Be careful!
• Now use a spoon or something to scoop out those seeds and the stringy pulp. Save the seeds, you can plant some of them, next spring, or you can make roasted pumpkin seeds.
• Now place the pumpkins skin side up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

  Bake them in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the skin turns dark orange/brownish and it is fork-tender all around when poked.
• Now allow the baked pumpkins to cool until they can be handled. Usually 45 to 60 minutes. Then with clean hands pinch the peel/skin and pull it off.

  You can also turn the pumpkin over and scoop out the insides with a spoon. I prefer peeling them, however, I feel like I get more of it that way.
• Now just cut the baked pumpkin into chunks and place them in a food processor or blender. You can also put them in a bowl and just use a fork or potato masher.

  Blend for 30 seconds to a minute until nice and smooth/pureed.
• That is it you are done. The fresh pumpkin puree is ready to be used in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree. Put it in a bowl and place a lid over it and store it for a week in the fridge. Or place it in freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Video

How to make Pumpkin Puree | Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree Recipe

Notes

Note: This is usually used in recipes, but there are the nutritional facts if you just wanted to eat it by itself. 🙂

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Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal

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