Learn how to turn a fresh pumpkin into an easy and delicious Homemade Pumpkin Purée. Use this purée the same way you would use any pumpkin from a can. Perfect for that Thanksgiving pie, those pumpkin bars, or a pumpkin spice latte.
Homemade Pumpkin Purée from Fresh Pumpkins
I’m a sucker for A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G pumpkin! Pumpkin Pie!? Yes, please! A Pumpkin Roll!? Ahem! Duh! Pumpkin Seeds!? Oh yeah! How about Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal!? Oh my gosh, YES!
First thing is first though…you need to start with a can of good organic pumpkin (this one is my FAVORITE canned pumpkin!) or…yep, you guessed it…the WHOLE PUMPKIN. This may sound a little scary, but the process is pretty basic and just requires a little baking time and cooling time.
Are All Pumpkins the Same?
I recently learned that ‘pie’ pumpkins are different than ‘jack o’ lantern’ pumpkins. Pie pumpkins are much smaller, sweeter, and don’t contain as much moisture. My favorite pie pumpkin varieties are Winter Luxury and Small Sugar. You can see them both here or check out this post with other seed companies that I recommend.
Why Grow Your Own Pumpkins
Pumpkins are such a fun and easy thing to grow in the garden. You can grow smaller pie-sized pumpkins or pumpkins to carve on Halloween. Some pumpkin varieties look like the pumpkin that Cinderella’s carriage was made from, and some are so big that you would need an implement to lift them. They start as a tiny sprout and quickly spread and vine throughout the garden. Every year I find surprise pumpkins growing underneath of the leaves, that I didn’t know were there. Proceed with caution though, because one single pumpkin plant produces a lot more than one pumpkin. I like to keep it to one or two pie-pumpkin plants each year.
How is Fresh Pumpkin Purée Different Than Canned Pumpkin?
Fresh Pumpkin Purée:
First off, you grew it. You cared for a tiny seedling and watched it grow into a massive vine, sprinkled with tiny green pumpkins. You watched as those green pumpkins grew and began to turn orange. You were there the day it grew too cold and the leaves died (exposing yet MORE pumpkins that you didn’t know were there!). You harvested these pumpkins with your own bare hands, and carried them into your kitchen. They made a beautiful fall decor for your home while serving a purpose. You then baked and froze the puree to use in all of your delicious baked goods throughout the holidays and the rest of the winter season.
Canned Pumpkin:
You go to the store or look online. You buy a can of pumpkin. You don’t know where or how the pumpkin is grown and surely don’t know how it was harvested. What factory was it processed in? Did a human even hold this pumpkin? How did it get to the store?
I think you will agree that the fresh pumpkin has a lot more meaningful story, and I guarantee that baked goods will taste better because of it too!
I Cannot Grow a Garden Where I Live – What Should I Do?
- My top suggestion would be to go to a Farmer’s Market. I grow a big garden and still venture out to our local Farmer’s Market every week, until it freezes. The folks who sell goods at the Farmer’s Market can grow things that I simply cannot (I’m talking to you Kohlrabi!) While shopping each week, I have formed wonderful friendships with the people there and love that I can ask them for advice on gardening, homesteading, or just simply living a life eating and preparing good whole foods.
- Ask around. Do you know anyone with a garden? They may be willing to trade some pumpkins if you will come over and pull some weeds for them.
- Ask around on local ‘selling sites’. Generally, there will be someone who overplanted pumpkins and would be thrilled if you would help take some off of their hands! You can bake them a delicious pumpkin pie as a thank you!
- If worst came to worst, I bet you could figure out how to take a pot or a tote and fill it with soil. Stick a pumpkin seed or two in there and watch it grow. This would be especially fun to do on a balcony. It would maybe even grow over the side. Please let me know if you try this and send pictures!
- Check out the grocery store. I have seen pie pumpkins in stores around my area. If they don’t have them, ask! They may be able to get some ordered for you.
Supplies and Ingredients Needed
Sugar or Pie Pumpkins
Sheet Pan
Sharp Knife
Spoon
Bowl
Food Processor or Blender
Quart Size Freezer Bags
Permanent Marker
How to Make Pumpkin Purée
Preheat your over to 350*. Scrub all the soil off of your pumpkins with a stiff brush. Hit the stem on the side of the counter to remove (seriously, you aren’t going to hurt it – give it a good WHACK!). Place all of the pumpkins onto a sheet pan.
Poke each pumpkin with a knife to vent. Poke it down into the center if you can. Since you just removed the stems, the knife pokes in fairly easily.
Place the pumpkins in an oven for 20-60 minutes depending on the size.
Take your knife again and poke it into the side of the pumpkin. If it inserts easily, you can take it out of the oven. If not, continue to bake a little longer. You want them nice and soft.
Tip: Make sure that you check each pumpkin. Pumpkins grow in many shapes and sizes, so the smaller ones are going to finish baking before the larger ones do.
Once all of the pumpkins are soft, carefully remove them from the oven. Leave these to cool until they can be easily handled. Once they are cool enough, slice them in half and remove the seeds. Save these seeds to roast and make pumpkin seeds, toss them to the chickens, put them into the compost pile, or discard into the trash.
Note: If the variety of pumpkin you choose is too watery, after you slice the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds, you can place it back into the oven to remove a bit more moisture. You do not want it to be too dry so that you can blend it and get a nice, smooth consistency.
Then, grab a bowl and scoop the pulp from the flesh with a spoon.
Here is the result of all 8 pumpkins (some were not pictured, because only 6 would fit in my oven at a time) I baked today – a huge mountain of pumpkin goodness!
Finally, place the pumpkin in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. You shouldn’t need to add any water, but if you find it a bit dry and not getting smooth, feel free to add a little bit of water and blend again.
Package into glass jars (leaving 2 inches of headspace to allow for expansion) or into quart-sized bags and freeze. I always freeze about two cups in each bag, which is equal to one can. Don’t forget to label them!
Note: I freeze my bags flat onto a sheet pan that I place directly into my freezer. Then I have a small basket in my freezer that I can stack all of these nicely together in, so I always know where my homemade pumpkin purée is.
Homemade pumpkin purée will keep in the freezer for six months to a year. Make sure that you remove all of the air before freezing to prevent freezer burn.
Note: This is NOT an approved canning method. Please only use this method to FREEZE the pumpkin puree.
More Recipes From Scratch to Try
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
How To Make The Best Homemade Chicken Bone Broth In The Instant Pot
Here is a Great Post About The Seeds I Buy
Pin It For Later
Homemade Pumpkin Purée
Ingredients
- Sugar or Pie Pumpkins
Instructions
- Preheat your over to 350*. Scrub all the soil off of your pumpkins with a stiff brush. Hit the stem on the side of the counter to remove (seriously, you aren’t going to hurt it – give it a good WHACK!). Place all of the pumpkins onto a sheet pan.
- Poke each pumpkin with a knife to vent. Poke it down into the center if you can. Since you just removed the stems, the knife pokes in fairly easily.
- Place the pumpkins in an oven for 20-60 minutes depending on the size.
- Take your knife again and poke it into the side of the pumpkin. If it inserts easily, you can take it out of the oven. If not, continue to bake a little longer. You want them nice and soft.
- Once all of the pumpkins are soft, carefully remove them from the oven. Leave these to cool until they can be easily handled. Once they are cool enough, slice them in half and remove the seeds. Save these seeds to roast and make pumpkin seeds, toss them to the chickens, put them into the compost pile, or discard into the trash.
- Grab a bowl and scoop the pulp from the flesh with a spoon.
- Place the pumpkin in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. You shouldn’t need to add any water, but if you find it a bit dry and not getting smooth, feel free to add a little bit of water and blend again.
- Package into glass jars (leaving 2 inches of headspace to allow for expansion) or into quart-sized bags and freeze. I always freeze about two cups in each bag, which is equal to one can. Don’t forget to label them!
- Homemade pumpkin purée will keep in the freezer for six months to a year. Make sure that you remove all of the air before freezing to prevent freezer burn.
Notes
Make sure that you check each pumpkin when baking. Pumpkins grow in many shapes and sizes, so the smaller ones are going to finish baking before the larger ones do.
If the variety of pumpkin you choose is too watery, after you slice the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds, you can place it back into the oven to remove a bit more moisture. You do not want it to be too dry so that you can blend it and get a nice, smooth consistency.
I freeze my bags flat onto a sheet pan that I place directly into my freezer. Then I have a small basket in my freezer that I can stack all of these nicely together in, so I always know where my homemade pumpkin puree is.
Take Note: This is NOT an approved canning method. Please only use this method to FREEZE the pumpkin purée.
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