It's easy to make your own pumpkin puree from scratch! With these simple step-by-step instructions, you can ditch the can and have a stash of homemade pumpkin puree to use in cakes, pies, muffins, and more.
Welcome to the pumpkin patch!
Holla friends! It’s pumpkin season!
I've been making homemade pumpkin puree for years, and I mostly do it because I think it's fun! But it's a lucky thing that I do because I live in a part of the world where canned pumpkin purée is nearly impossible to find.
Maybe you, like me, can't find canned pumpkin. Or maybe you've got a giant pumpkin from the farmer's market that you don't want to go to waste. Maybe you want to live the homesteader/prepper life and feel good about making your own. I support you!
Whatever the reason, homemade purée from a pumpkin is super easy to make, store, and cook with. And there are so many delicious pumpkin recipes you could make, from Healthy Pumpkin Pie to Pumpkin Mac and Cheese!
Let me show you! I'm going to break it down for you with step-by-step instructions that will make it as easy as (pumpkin) pie.
Note! These instructions are for baking or roasting your pumpkin in the oven to make homemade pumpkin purée. I have found roasting pumpkin for purée to consistently yield the best results for the least effort, and it works regardless of how big your pumpkin is. However, if you would rather make Instant Pot Pumpkin, hop over to that post to see how.
Let's make pumpkin purée together!
Step 1: chop and scoop
First, Cut your pumpkin in half. If it’s really big it may help to take the ends off first, but this one I just chopped right in half.
Now roll up your sleeves so you can scoop out the stringy guts and the seeds. I use my ice cream scoop to scrape out the insides, but any large spoon will do.
Save this gunk in a bowl to sort through later if you want to roast the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are full of good nutrition and delicious to boot!
Step 2: Roast that bad boy
Now place the cut pumpkin halves cut side down in a large roasting pan. If your pumpkin is really big you may need to cut it into quarters, or you may need more than one pan.
This pumpkin fit into my roasting pan snug as a bug in a rug!
Roast your pumpkin for about an hour. You want it to be at least fork tender, but I like to wait until the pumpkin has collapsed, and the skin is blistered and pulling away from the flesh.
Step 3: purée and drain
Once your pumpkin has cooled enough that you can handle it, peel the skin off of the flesh. The skin should come off quite easily; I normally start at the edge or by pulling up on a blistered section, and it will come off in strips.
Transfer the roasted pumpkin flesh into a food processor and puree until smooth. You will likely have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pumpkin.
Homemade purée from a pumpkin tends to be quite liquidy. In order for your homemade pumpkin purée to have the same consistency as canned pumpkin would, you need to drain some of the liquid out. Line a colander with cheesecloth or thin dishcloth, set it over a large bowl, and let it sit for 2-3 hours.
Once drained, you're ready to use your pumpkin! There are about as many pumpkin purée uses as there are pumpkins in a patch, so get cookin!
What kind of pumpkin is best for pumpkin puree?
You've got options, my friends! The pumpkin pictured here is a Muscat pumpkin, which is also referred to as a Fairytale pumpkin because it looks like the one Cinderella went to the ball in.
The canned pumpkin puree that you buy at the store is typically sugar pumpkin, which is great for pumpkin pies. Check at your farmer's market or produce stand for different kinds of pumpkin. I've roasted and pureed Blue Hubbard and Hokkaido pumpkins too, with delicious results.
I routinely cook Halloween pumpkins as well, though they are not as sweet or flavorful as other varieties. The puree is still great in pumpkin muffins or pumpkin pie, though!
Pumpkin Puree Recipe for cakes, pies, and more!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.1 medium pumpkin
- Place the pumpkin cut-side down into a roasting pan.
- Place in the oven and roast until the skin has blistered and the pumpkin flesh is very soft.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Peel the skin away from the pumpkin flesh, and transfer in batches to a food processor.
- Puree until smooth.
- Line a strainer with a cheese cloth (or similar) and strain the pumpkin over a bowl for 2-3 hours, until thick.
- Transfer the puree into freezer bags in 1 or 2 cup portions.
- Freeze for 3-6 months.
Notes
- How much pumpkin puree will one cooked pumpkin yield? This will totally depend on the size of the pumpkin you started with. This beauty yielded about 8 cups of purée once it was drained.
- How long will homemade pumpkin puree last in the freezer? According to food safety guidelines, you can freeze homemade pumpkin puree for 3-6 months.
- Can I can my pumpkin puree? Pumpkin isn’t acidic enough to safely can in a water bath canner. Botulism is not your friend. Trust me, just freeze it.
- Can I cook my Halloween Pumpkin? Yes! Please do! Note that Halloween pumpkins aren't as flavourful or sweet as, say, a sugar pumpkin, but you can still use the puree in muffins, pies, etc.
Erin says
I came to you through Sarah at Sustainable Cooks and I am here to stay! This method was easy and helped us process our overflowing pumpkin harvest. Thanks!
Katie Trant says
Hey Erin! So glad you found this easy pumpkin purée. May there be many delicious pumpkin recipes in your future!
Laila Clark says
This is the best tasting pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. The spices are well balanced and the texture is so creamy and smooth. Most pumpkin pies are so bland and blah. This one had all of our family coming back for just one more small piece.
I used a store bought crust and didn’t even try making the cranberries, but I will be making this pie for our family until I can’t make pie anymore!
Hazel says
What the heck, Katie! For 3 years I’ve thought about this post each time I chucked my jack’-o-’lantern friend to the compost and hadn’t bothered to heed your advice. I cannot believe how freaking easy and delicious this was. After making the purée and then subsequently your pumpkin overnight oats and then pumpkin miso soup, I went and saved my in-laws pumpkin from his compost fate, and now have a freezer full of of purée to use this fall. All those years wasted!! thanks for the instructions and annual reminder. Im a convert.
Emily says
It's just so easy to do this, I don't think I'll ever buy canned pumpkin again.
Cassie says
We don't sell pumpkin puree over here in Australia and I always feel so left out this time of year. Not anymore - I can so easily make my own!! Thank you for all the tips
Kristina Gentleman says
This is so easy! I roasted both butternut squash and sugar pumpkin together and added to your pumpkin risotto recipe. Delicious!
Katie Trant says
Yes! I love roasting my pumpkin, and mixing with different kinds of squash is such a great idea. I hope you enjoyed the risotto - would love to hear your thoughts on that recipe as well!
Sustainable Cooks - Sarah says
This is such a great method and you make it look so easy!
Carolyn says
I love making my own pumpkin and squash purée! It saves on packaging(even though the recycling in Germany is great, the tin cans still require energy to be produced, shipped, filled, and recycled again), and tastes even better than the canned versions, imo. I recently had some other Canadian immigrants over for a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner, and they were all wondering where I found the puréed pumpkin for my vegan pumpkin-pecan cheesecake, so I told then how east it was to make with a Hokkaido, which are so abundant in Germany. I just picked up a muscat and am excited to try half of it puréed and frozen for pumpkin spice smoothies!
Linda @ Veganosity says
Thank you for this!!! I really hate canned food because few companies use BPA free cans. I roast squash all the time but had a fear of making my own pumpkin puree. Now that I know how simple it is, I don't think I'll use canned again, unless pumpkins are out of season. Don't forget to roast the seeds! They are delicious. I'll be posting the recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds next week on my blog.
Katie Trant says
It's just a gigantic squash! Super easy to roast your own and stash it in the freezer. And yesssss, the seeds must be roasted. There's so much great nutrition in pumpkin seeds. I usually just toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast 'em till nice and crunchy.
Emma says
So much better than buying from a can. Great, clear tips!! Thanks Katie 🙂
Katie Trant says
Thanks Emma! Glad you liked the post.
Ella-HomeCookingAdventure says
Looks wonderful.. I always love to make my own pumpkin puree - Yesterday I just baked a big pumpkin and made few cups portions and froze them. Never bought pumpkin cans yet as it doesn't represent me:)
Katie Trant says
The cans are pretty convenient, but I much prefer to make my own puree. And I love having it stashed in the freezer!
Ella-HomeCookingAdventure says
Looks wonderful.. I always love to make my own pumpkin puree - Yesterday I just baked a big pumpkin and made few cups portions and froze them. Never bought pumpkin cans ye .as it doesn't represent me:)
Margot says
This looks wonderful and so easy! You really don't need a sugar pumpkin in order to use your purée in food?
Katie Trant says
I've cooked many a jack'o'lantern in my day and used it in food. The flavour isn't as sweet or rich as a sugar pumpkin, but it works just fine. I've used it in everything from pies to muffins to taquitos with no complaints!
Tina @ Just Putzing Around the Kitchen says
This post is amazing! I am so in awe of you for processing your own pumpkins - usually I just buy the canned puree and get real pumpkins for carving only. Definitely going to give this a try though!
Katie Trant says
Aww, thanks. But don't be in awe, it's actually really easy! If you can roast a squash, you can roast a pumpkin. Give it a try!
Chelsea says
This looks wonderful! I've yet to try roasting a pumpkin (a food blogger's crime!) but I will definitely come back to this when I do. Maybe this thanksgiving for my pumpkin pie!
Katie Trant says
Definitely try it! It's not hard, and the puree you get is sooooo good. Plus there's so many things to do with it!
marcie says
It doesn't get any better than homemade, roasted pumpkin, and this puree looks like perfection! 🙂
Katie Trant says
It is pretty dang good!