How to make pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin is a must know for fall time recipes! Not only does fresh taste better than canned, there’s no hidden ingredients and no chemicals from can liners to worry about.
With the arrival of fall, the leaves starting to change colors and fall, and the cool weather, I’ve been anxious to start making pumpkin recipes! Only one thing. Pumpkin puree was sold out of almost every store that I could find. I looked everywhere for it and almost every place was out of stock. Maybe it’s because people are still at home and they’re cooking more? Whatever the reason, I wanted in on all things pumpkin too.
It wasn’t until about a week later of hopeless searching that I realized what should have been the obvious. Why can’t I just make it myself? There was no reason why I couldn’t. Pumpkins were everywhere. So I got a couple of them and got to work.
What’s Inside?
What’s inside of pumpkin puree? Just pumpkin. That’s it. No artificial preservatives, no chemicals, no nothing.
How to make:
Making pumpkin puree from scratch is EASY. Like, really easy. I’m not sure why most people even buy it from a can.
First off, you need to purchase a small pumpkin, one that is about 2-5 pounds.
Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Wash the outside and cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Don’t try to cut through the stem because you won’t be able to. You’ll get mad and frustrated. I may or may not speak from experience. After the pumpkin is cut in half, you can cut the stem off at it’s base.
After the pumpkin has been cut in half, scrape out all of the seeds and pulp and place in a separate bowl. If you want to use the whole pumpkin save the seeds and roast them after cleaning them off. They are REALLY good!
After all the seeds and pulp have been scooped out place the pumpkins either face down or face up (it doesn’t matter) on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. I think I left mine in there for about 23 minutes. You want the pumpkin to be cooked enough for the skin to easily peel away from the flesh.
Once the pumpkin has cooled off, peel all of the skin away (you can discard the skin) and cut the pumpkin into cubes. Place the cubes into a food processor and process until pumpkin is completely smooth, which for me was about 3.5 minutes, but should take anywhere from 3-5 minutes.
…and you’re done! Easy, right? 🙂
Equipment Needed (affiliate links):
PrintHow to Make Pumpkin Puree
Easy recipe to make pumpkin puree from scratch
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Category: puree
- Method: bake, puree
Ingredients
- 1 Pumpkin Small-medium sized, about 2–5 lbs
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F
- Obtain a small-medium sized pumpkin, about 2-5 lbs.
- Wash the outside and cut pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Do not cut through stem.
- Once pumpkin has been cut in half cut the stem off from the base.
- Scoop out all of the pulp and seeds (save if you want to roast the pumpkin seeds later!).
- Once seeds and pulp have been scooped out, place pumpkin on a baking sheet (either face up or down, it doesn’t matter) and bake for 20-25 minutes until the skin is easily pulled away from the flesh with a knife or fork.
- When pumpkin has cooked enough, let cool then peel skin away and discard.
- Cut the pumpkin into cubes and place in a food processor.
- Process until pumpkin is completely smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
- And there you have it! Your very own, freshly made pumpkin puree!
- This can last in the refrigerator for about 1.5 weeks or in the freezer for a few months.
