How to Make Pumpkin Puree From a Whole Pumpkin
To make pumpkin puree, roast a small pie pumpkin at 400°F (200°C) until a fork slides in easily, scoop the flesh off the skin, and blend it smooth. If it’s runny, drain it in a sieve, then use it or freeze it in portions.
That’s it. No can, no canner and no special gear beyond a blender or a potato masher. You’re also about to find out that the stuff in the can is just cooked pumpkin, which is a slightly humbling discovery about a product you’ve been paying for.
What you need
- 1 small pie (sugar) pumpkin, 2 to 3 pounds
- A little cooking oil
- A baking sheet and parchment
- A blender, food processor or potato masher
- A fine sieve, in case it’s watery
Which pumpkin to use
Buy a small one sold as a pie or sugar pumpkin. The Kitchn describes these as the sweet, smooth-fleshed ones that are best for cooking and baking, and says the big carving pumpkins are better left as decorations. The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) makes the same call: small sugar or pie pumpkins “make better products.”
This recipe is written for a 2- to 3-pound pumpkin. Pumpkins up to about 6 pounds work too (The Kitchn’s range). Cut the same 3-inch wedges and check with a fork, not the clock.
How to make pumpkin puree, step by step
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Cut the pumpkin. Lay it on its side and slice off the top with the stem. Cut it in half from top to bottom and scoop out the seeds and stringy insides with a spoon. Keep the seeds (there’s a line about them below).
- Cut it into wedges about 3 inches wide. Wedges are what The Kitchn’s method uses.
- Roast it. Put the wedges skin-side down on the sheet and brush the cut flesh lightly with oil. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until a fork slides in easily.
- Cool and scrape. Give the wedges about 10 minutes, just until you can handle them. The flesh comes off the skin in one go. Toss the skin.
- Blend or mash until smooth. A blender or food processor is quickest. A potato masher works if you’re patient.
- Check how wet it is (next section).
Why roast it? NCHFP says pumpkin for the freezer can be cooked in boiling water, steam, a pressure cooker or an oven, so any of them is fine. We roast because nothing goes into the pumpkin but a little oil.
Is your puree too watery?
Homemade puree should look like the canned kind: thick enough to sit in a mound on a spoon rather than running off it. If yours runs, tip it into a fine sieve over a bowl and let it drain until it thickens. Wet puree is the usual reason a pumpkin loaf comes out gummy.
How much puree does one pumpkin make?
A 2- to 3-pound pumpkin makes about 2 to 3 cups of puree (The Kitchn’s figure). A 15-ounce can holds roughly 1¾ to 2 cups, so one small pumpkin is about 1 to 1¾ cans. That’s our arithmetic from those two numbers, so treat it as a rough guide.
How to freeze pumpkin puree
Yes, you can freeze it, and it’s the right way to keep it. NCHFP’s steps for pumpkin:
- Cool it. Set the pan of mashed pumpkin in cold water and stir now and then.
- Pack it. Fill freezer containers, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
- Seal and freeze.
Freeze it in the amounts you’ll use. A 1½-cup portion is one loaf of pumpkin bread from scratch, and a little less than a can. NCHFP doesn’t give a freezer time for pumpkin, so write the date on the bag.
Not freezing it yet? The Kitchn says roasted pumpkin, chunks or puree, keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can you can pumpkin puree?
No. NCHFP says home canning is not recommended for mashed or pureed pumpkin or winter squash. Older USDA directions existed, but they were withdrawn after expert review in 1989. The reason NCHFP gives: there was “too much variation in viscosity” between batches of puree to work out one safe processing time.
If you want shelf-stable pumpkin, NCHFP does have a pressure-canning method for cubed pumpkin, and its instructions say plainly: do not mash or puree. It needs a pressure canner. For an apartment kitchen, the freezer is the easy answer. NCHFP’s canning FAQ says the same thing.
Don’t toss the seeds
Rinse them, dry them, toss them in oil and salt, and roast them. The full method is in the pumpkin bread post.
What to make with it
- 2-ingredient pumpkin bread, and the from-scratch loaf that starts with a whole pumpkin
- Feeding a baby? See the homemade baby food guide.
Small start
One pumpkin, one tray, one hour of mostly waiting. If you’d like more small kitchen habits like this, start with the free guide.
Know someone who’s about to buy a can of pumpkin? Send this their way.
