Don’t you just love pumpkin?
Pumpkin donuts, Pumpkin Poundcake, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin Flan. And especially Pumpkin Pie. With real whipped cream.
Do you ever ask yourself at Thanksgiving why you never make pumpkin pie at any other time of the year?
I do.
Every.
Single.
Year.
But no longer! Now I have pumpkin cubes canned in my pantry. I just drain the water and throw the cubes into my handy dandy Ninja food processor, and voila!
Pumpkin Puree.
So now I can just grab a jar anytime I want to and make a *gasp* “out of season” pumpkin pie.
I’m such a rebel!
But not everyone cans. Yet.
And since we all love everything pumpkin, I thought I would give you a how-to on making your own WAY better than the canned stuff Pumpkin Puree.
I have several recipes on the blog that call for pumpkin puree, so I thought, why not?
It’s not that hard.
Or time consuming.
You can absolutely use canned pumpkin, (which is usually Butternut Squash btw), in any of the recipes here on the blog. I have measurements for both. 🙂
But it’s always fun to make your own.
But, first things first.
PLEASE do not can pumpkin puree.
If you want to can pumpkin or other winter squashes, you have to can them in cubes. It’s just not safe any other way.
You can read all about why at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website here.
Now, on to the puree!
First of all, preheat your oven to 375° F.
Then get a really big knife and cut the pumpkin in half in either direction.
pumpkin insides
Scoop out all the seeds and stringy stuff and put them in a bowl so you can roast the seeds later. Because roasted pumpkin seeds are amazing…
these guys are gonna be so yummy later!
Now coat the cut edges of the pumpkin with butter or coconut oil or olive oil.
butter it up good
Place the cut pieces on a rimmed cookie sheet because it may drip a little.
They can be right side up or upside down. Which ever way floats your boat.
Put it in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. If you can stick a fork through it it’s done. 🙂
I stuck a fork in ’em. They’re done!
Once you have finished roasting the pumpkin, you can scoop the insides away from the outsides easily.
Put the insides in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Put the outsides in the compost pile or chicken coop.
all smooth and ready to use
And now you have pumpkin puree for all the tasty pumpkin recipes in cyber space.
This one made right at 3 cups, which is perfect for my Pumpkin-Thyme Soup recipe.
You can do more than one pumpkin at time of course. Just make sure there is a little space between them for heat circulation.
So now you know how to make your own pumpkin puree.
Go forth and make Pumpkin Spice Everything!
Blessings!
Amazing recipes that use Pumpkin Puree:
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- pumpkin
- butternut squash
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375° F.
- With a large knife cut the pumpkin in half in either direction.
- Scoop out all the seeds and stringy stuff .
- Coat the cut edges of the pumpkin with butter or coconut oil or olive oil.
- Place the cut pieces on a rimmed cookie sheet right side up or upside down.
- Put it in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. If you can stick a fork through it it’s done. 🙂
- Once you have finished roasting the pumpkin, you can scoop the insides away from the outsides easily.
- Put the insides in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Jamie Marie says
I love everything pumpkin except pumpkin pie! I know, I’m weird… I think that they are just not sweet enough for me!
Anyways, Thanks for sharing with us at the Homesteader hop!
Cery says
Wow, never heard that before, lol. Good thing there’s plenty of other pumpkin things. It would be a shame to miss out. 🙂
Sara says
Do you have any instructions on how you would freeze the puree (if that’s even possible…)?
Cery says
Hi Sara! You certainly can freeze the puree! I would freeze it in 1 cup portions since some recipes call for one cup. You could put it in baggies or canning jars if you have them. If you use a jar, make sure you leave about 2 inches of headroom so it doesn’t crack the jar as it freezes. Let it thaw completely before using. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Laurie J says
I grew a bunch of pie pumpkins in my garden this year – first time! I just baked the pumpkins in the oven and mashed them up with my immersion blender. I put the puree in those oblong Rubber maid Freezer containers and put 2 cups of puree in each one, then put them in the freezer. I have used the puree in pumpkin bread and pumpkin sheet cake. The only thing you have to do is let the pumpkin thaw, and I pour it into a metal sieve and let it drain whatever liquid has accumulated when thawing. I hope this helps!
Michelle says
You talked about using cubes. How do you make the cubes and how much puree comes from one cube?
Cery says
Hi Michelle! Pumpkin for canning should be cut into 1 inch cubes. A quart jar of cubes yields about 2-3 cups after draining and mashing. I don’t have a post up yet for canning pumpkin, but you can follow the process from the National Center for Home Preservation website. Thanks for stopping by!