Easy Pumpkin Puree From Scratch
Pumpkin puree made from a fresh pumpkin has flavors that no canned good can match! This easy recipe will provide you jars of fresh pumpkin puree!
Table of Contents
How to make pumpkin puree
Fall is and always will be my favorite season. I start to get excited about the holidays in the summer. I am that obnoxious lady who cheers when Walmart throws their Christmas merchandise up in the middle of September!
With the holiday season comes pumpkin EVERYTHING! I cannot get enough of pumpkin spice. I don’t ever care how basic that sounds! With all good things pumpkin comes a home made pumpkin puree.
I’ve experimented with making pumpkin puree over the last few years to get the best flavor and texture. Different types of pumpkins yield different flavors, textures, and as a result- different consistencies of baked goods.
Making pumpkin puree from scratch is now what I consider a fun fall festivity. My family enjoys scraping the pumpkin out to harvest the seeds. Toss a little garlic, salt and pepper and now you have some perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds to chow down while you watch a Halloween movie!
Home Made Pumpkin Puree
What do you need to make Pumpkin Puree from scratch:
- Sugar pumpkin
- Baking sheet
- Food processor
- Silicon spatula
- Cheese cloth
Tips to make home made pumpkin puree
- The size of the pumpkin will determine the yield of pumpkin puree. The bigger the pumpkin, the more pumpkin puree you will have!
- Different varieties of pumpkins will taste differently. A sugar pumpkin is the prime pumpkin to work with since it is sweeter and more flavorful. The traditional jack-o-lantern pumpkin will have less flavor and in my opinion be more watery.
- Blend the pumpkin in batches. If you are working with a smaller blender, work in batches. Have you ever seen a kitchen splattered with hot pumpkin puree? I’m here to tell you it’s not fun.
- Freeze the pumpkin puree leftovers. If you are not using the pumpkin puree immediately or within a few days, freeze is in small batches for better preservation. Pumpkin puree is not acidic enough for safe water bathing canning or pressure cook canning. The pumpkin puree is too dense to have it’s center heated in the canning process and effectively kill botulism spores.
- Use your Halloween pumpkin. Up-cycle your Halloween pumpkin by bringing it in doors, giving it a good wash, roasting it and making it into a puree. After washing it and roasting it, bugs and bacteria will not be an issue. Floridians, or anyone in a southern and hot climate, will never have the chance to consider this method since out pumpkins rot on the front porch in a mater of 48 hours.
How to make fresh homemade pumpkin puree?
So just how do you go about roasting a pumpkin? Too easy! Grab a sharp knife, and cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. If it is too hard to cut through, cut the top and bottom off, then slice in half. Next, grab a spoon and remove all the seeds and stringy guts. I prefer to toss the guts in my chicken scraps bucket, and roast the seeds.
Next, lay the cut side of the pumpkin down on a baking sheet. Roast the pumpkin at 425 ° F. Let the pumpkin roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on size of the pumpkin. Check to see if it’s done by piercing the skin with a fork. If the fork meets little resistance, that pumpkin is done!
Let the pumpkin cool so you can handle it without burning yourself. Spoon the flesh out of the skin and toss in the blender. Blend the pumpkin flesh until it is smooth.
Depending on how liquidy the pumpkin puree is, it’s a good idea to strain it. Place a cheesecloth inside a metal strainer. Pour the pumpkin puree into the cheese cloth and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Gently bunch up the cheese cloth in your hand and squeeze out the excess water from the pumpkin puree.
How to preserve pumpkin puree?
The easiest way to preserve pumpkin puree is to freeze it. I prefer glass jars since cheap plastic is known to leach chemicals onto food in extreme temperatures (i.e. the freezer). You CAN put the pumpkin puree in Zip Lock bags, but I stand by glass jars.
Canning pumpkin puree is not safe to do, but canning pumpkin chunks is! Canning pumpkin is possible, just not in the puree form.
If you plan to use it soon, the pumpkin puree can be kept in the fridge between 5-7 days.
What kind of pumpkins to use for pumpkin puree?
The sugar pumpkin is the prime pumpkin to use for baked goods. It’s sweeter, more flavorful, and smaller, which makes it easier to cut in half.
Any pumpkin can be used for pumpkin puree, some pumpkins like the common jack-o-lantern pumpkin variety is less flavorful and sweet.
Even the oddly shaped and colored Cinderella pumpkins can be used! I like to use my pumpkins for decoration on my porch, then bring them in to be made into puree when the season is over!
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Spice English Muffins
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Chicken
- Pumpkin Pie From Scratch
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to stay in touch! I love to see your creations! Tag me at #SeaSaltSavorings to show me what you’ve made!
Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- 1 Sugar pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife. If the pumpkin is too tough to cut, cut the top and bottom of the pumpkin off, then cut the pumpkin in half.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the pumpkin guts and seeds. You can put this to the side in a strainer if you plan to harvest the seeds.
- Place the cut side of the pumpkin down on a baking sheet. Cook for 45 min – 1 hr. depending on the size of the pumpkin. To check if the pumpkin is done, pierce the skin with a fork. If the fork meets little resistance, it is done.
- Let the pumpkin cool to room temperature. Scoop out the flesh from the skin and place in a blender. Blend the flesh into a puree. Use immediately or refrigerate. Mangia!
Nutrition values are estimates, for exact values consult a nutritionist.
