Pumpkin Puree

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

19 Comments

5 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
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Homemade Pumpkin Puree is an easy way to use up all your Halloween pumpkins and it tastes so much better than canned pumpkin.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree is an easy way to use up all your Halloween pumpkins and it tastes so much better than canned pumpkin.How to make Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin Puree may seem like a tedious or boring thing to cook since we’re in full swing of holiday baking and cooking, but it’s one of my favorite things to do with my family after Halloween. Since the post about How to Cook Spaghetti Squash I’ve gotten a lot of emails from you guys about PUMPKIN.

Yes it is totally pumpkin season and I love making homemade pumpkin puree because it inspires us to make all the baked pumpkin treats and delicious creamy pumpkin pastas.

What kind of pumpkins do you use for baking?

The pumpkins I love working with for baking are pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins (sometimes called Cinderella pumpkins). If using your traditional carving pumpkins you may find grey or yellow tinted flesh that may be much more watery.

How much Pumpkin Puree will this Pumpkin make?

In general for every pound of pumpkin you’ll have about a cup of pumpkin puree.

How to boil or steam or bake pumpkins to make puree.

Pumpkin Puree vs Canned Pumpkin

The difference between pumpkin puree and canned pumpkin is not in the ingredients. The pumpkin puree will generally be wetter. To have a denser puree you can strain the water out by putting paper towels in a strainer and leaving the puree in the strainer for 1-2 hours.

How to Bake Pumpkin Puree:

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the strings/seeds.
  • Rub the cut surface with canola oil and place cut side down onto a baking sheet with a cup of water.
  • Cook for 75-90 minutes.
  • Let cool then scoop out the flesh.
  • Puree in a food processor then strain over paper towels for 1-2 hours.

How to Boil Pumpkin Puree:

  • Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the strings/seeds.
  • Cut the pumpkin into 5 inch squares and boil for 20-25 minutes.
  • Let cool then scoop out the flesh.
  • Puree in a food processor then strain over paper towels for 1-2 hours.

How to Freeze Pumpkin Puree:

  • When freezing pumpkin pick containers that will allow for 1-2 inches of space and freeze in shallower containers or ice cube trays.

The easiest pumpkin puree by either steaming, baking or boiling pumpkin.

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Dinner, then Dessert

Pumpkin Puree

Homemade Pumpkin Puree is an easy way to use up all your Halloween pumpkins and it tastes so much better than canned pumpkin.
Yield 5 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Ingredient
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Homemade Pumpkin Puree is an easy way to use up all your Halloween pumpkins and it tastes so much better than canned pumpkin.
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Ingredients
 

  • 3 cups water
  • 1 pumpkin , about 5 pounds

Instructions

  • Add water to large pot on high heat to boil and set a steamer 1 inch above the water.
  • Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the strings/seeds.
  • Cut the pumpkin into 5 inch squares and steam for 45-50 minutes.
  • Let cool then scoop out the flesh.
  • Puree in a food processor and if you want the puree to be thicker (like canned pumpking) strain over paper towels for 1-2 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 925mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 23155IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

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Homemade Pumpkin Puree is an easy way to use up all your Halloween pumpkins and it tastes so much better than canned pumpkin.
How to boil or steam or bake pumpkins to make puree.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Can I use my sugar pumpkins for this ? They’re smallish, maybe 4-5 lbs. I think they’re for pumpkin pie making actually. Also, what is a steamer? Can I just use a oven safe dish with water in it to create steam? BTW. I love your site. Your recipes are straight forward and simple. Now my go to recipe site. Thank you !!

    Reply

    1. Sugar pumpkins are perfect for this! A steamer in the pot just allows the pumpkins to be in the pot but not in the water. You can use a metal colander or a baking rack. Anything that’s safe to be in a hot pot would work. Good luck!

      Reply

  4. I live a few miles from the pumpkin capitol of the USA and most of the rest of the world! Eating pumpkins, like the ones used in Libby’s canned pumpkin, are Cucurbita moschata squash. The traditional carving pumpkins are Cucurbita pepo; they aren’t very tasty and generally aren’t eaten.
    Squash, pumpkins, and gourds are in the same plant family.
    Search the site “Huffpost” for more information. Great site, Sabrina—keep up the good work.

    Reply

  11. Oh I love this recipe!! I am always in favor of making things homemade. They just taste so much better!

    Reply

  12. I freeze my pumpkin in muffin tins and once froozen I put them in zip lock bags. That way you 1/2 cup portions to add to stews, soups, even spaghetti sauce or of course baking. Enjoy Annette

    Reply