It is easy to make pumpkin puree and depending on the prices of pumpkins in your area, it can save you quite a bit of money.
When you make pumpkin puree you want to use baking pumpkins instead of carving pumpkins. Baking pumpkins are smaller, more flavorful, and contain less water. Sugar pumpkins are my favorite baking pumpkins, so I grow them in my garden. If you aren’t a gardener, you can usually pick up a baking pumpkin for around$2.00 at farm stands, pumpkin patches and grocery stores.
How to Roast a Pumpkin:
It is easier to cut the pumpkin in half if you cut it crosswise instead of from the top to bottom.
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds. If you have a grapefruit spoon it can help speed up the process. Save the seeds! Rinse them, let them dry, and then use them to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
Place the pumpkin halves, cut side down on the baking sheet. I cover my baking sheet with foil so I don’t have to worry about the pumpkins getting stuck to the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes.
When the pumpkins are ready, the skin will be darker in color and can easily be pierced by a fork.
How To Make Pumpkin Puree
Use a spoon to remove the pumpkin skin from the cooked pumpkin. You may be able to lift it off in one piece. If not, just use the spoon to tear off the skin in pieces. Now you are ready to puree the pumpkin.
You can use an immersion blender, a food processor, or a blender to puree your pumpkin. Just use which ever one you already own. I pureed one half of the cooked pumpkin at a time using my immersion blender. You can use the puree as is, if you aren’t baking with it. If you are baking, you need to squeeze out the excess liquid before using it in a recipe.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Puree
You can freeze your pureed pumpkin. Measure it out into the amounts you use in recipes. Pumpkin Pie usually calls for 1 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin. Many of my recipes call for a cup of pumpkin, so I divided my puree into 4 baggies with 1 cup of pumpkin each. My 3 1/2 pound pumpkin produced a little over 4 cups of pumpkin puree.
Printable Recipe for Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin Puree Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cover a baking sheet with foil.
- Cut the pumpkin in half crosswise.
- Scoop out the seeds.
- Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the skin darkens and it can easily be pierced by a fork.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Remove the skin.
- Place one half of the pumpkin in a bowl, blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
- Repeat with the remaining pumpkin.
- If using in baked goods, place the pumpkin in cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess liquid.
- Use the pumpkin puree in a recipe, or freeze it for future use.
Dawn says
I used my pumpkin Juice strained from my puree to make a Pumpkin Cinnamon Jelly.. I put about 6 cinnamon sticks in the juice I had about 7 cups and brought it to a simmer for about 10 mins. Then strained the juice to get the small pieces of Cinnamon out of the juice. Then follow the Sure-jell box and use the grape juice recipe for this Pumpkin Cinnamon Jelly. Its very pretty and my family loved it.
Olga says
HELP!!!!!! My puree is super thin and watery. When I squeeze through cheese cloth the pumpkin comes out too. I’ve never had this problem before. I don’t use the round orange pumpkins, I use the turbine ones. I’m so upset, I wasted all the time roasting blending and then this happens.
Alea Milham says
The recipe is for baking pumpkins, so the puree will be different if you use a different type of pumpkin. You can try squeezing the puree through a thin white flour sack towel. The flour sack is thicker than cheesecloth, so it should keep the pumpkin from coming out.
Margery says
Any ideas as to what one can do with the liquid from the purée?
Peggy says
How long can it stay in the freezer?
Laurie says
The image of the pumpkin and the recipe/directions were inspiring! I made the purée yesterday, placed it in a flour sack type dish towel to squeeze out the liquid and hung it over the kitchen faucet overnight to drain any residue liquid. In the morning it was quite dry so I scooped it evenly into 2 quart bags, labeled them and flattened them nicely so they will stack into the freezer well. So, 2 pumpkins, 2 pies. Was so satisfying will probably do it again for 2-4 more pies for the year. Thanks, was fun!
Sal says
What is the puree is too liquidy ? What should I do if I want to make a pie with it ?
Alea Milham says
Strain it to remove the excess liquid. You can put it in cheesecloth or a thin white “floursack” dishcloth. Then squeeze out the excess liquid.