Name: Pumpkin Purée
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 medium pumpkin; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Jump to Recipe

Pumpkin season is upon us and the perfect time for making home made pumpkin purée.

I often buy canned pumpkin but love to make my own when pumpkins are available in the grocery store or at pumpkin patches all over the country.

A jar of orange pumpkin puree with a spoon of puree in the background on a slate — Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Baking with Pumpkin
Ways to Make Pumpkin Purée
Oven Roasted Pumpkin Purée
Directions for Making Pumpkin Purée
Recipe Card for Roasted Pumpkin Purée

Baking with Pumpkin

When my kids are in Ireland one thing they miss is pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin cake. Canned pumpkin isn't freely available on grocery store shelves in Ireland.

But I've heard rumors that some specialty health food stores stock canned pumpkin, but due to its rarity you have to pay an arm and a leg for them.

Pumpkins however are widely available in October. Most Irish people just use them as decorations for Halloween and don't cook with them.

And so today, I hope to introduce some Irish readers to the idea of making their own pumpkin purée to bring a little taste of America to their homes this autumn or fall.

Pumpkin seeds around a spoon and open mason jar of pumpkin puree — Mason Jar of Pumpkin Purée

Ways to Make Pumpkin Purée

There are three main ways to make pumpkin purée.

First you can peel it, clean out the pulp, cube it and steam it.

The second method is to peel it, de-pulp it, cube it and cook it in a crockpot or slow cooker.

I don't add any extra water when I use my crockpot since there's plenty of liquid just waiting to be released from the pumpkin flesh. Too much water and you produce thin pumpkin puree.

A spoon of pumpkin puree behind an open jar of the puree and surrounded by pumpkin seeds — Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Oven Roasted Pumpkin Purée

Now my favorite method for making pumpkin purée by far is roasting. It's the easiest method since there's no need to peel and cube the pumpkin flesh. You simply have to cut the pumpkin in half and take out the seeds and pulp. So easy!

You roast the pumpkin, skin and all. Roasting concentrates the flavor of the pumpkin, removes excess liquid and produces a concentrated puree fairly similar in consistency to the canned variety. It is a little more watery than canned, but much thicker than the steamed variety.

Directions for Making Pumpkin Purée

Here's how I make pumpkin puree in the oven.

A medium uncut orange pumpkin — Medium sized pumpkin

First choose a medium sized pumpkin.

Larger pumpkins are not as flavorful.

A can of pumpkin puree beside a medium sized pumpkin — Can of pumpkin beside a medium pumpkin

Here's a picture of the pumpkin I chose beside a can to give you a good reference sizewise.

Be sure to preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.

A knife cutting through a pumpkin — Cutting a pumpkin

Next I simply cut it in half.

A pumpkin cut in half with the seeds scooped out of one half — Removing seeds from a halved pumpkin

I scoop out the seeds and pulp and sprinkle the flesh with a little bit of sea salt.

Two halves of a cut pumpkin face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper — Pumpkin halves on a baking sheet

Next place them the two halves face down on a roasting pan lined with parchment paper.

Half of a roasted pumpkin on a baking sheet — Roasted pumpkin half

Pop them into the oven for about 30 minutes. The length of baking time required depends on the size of your pumpkin, but it's ready when you can stick a knife into the pumpkin skin and the flesh is tender.

Take them out of the oven and let them cool.

Then scoop the flesh from each half and place it in a food processor.

Whiz for about 2 minutes until you achieve a smooth texture.

A transparent bowl of homemade orange pumpkin puree with a black spoon resting in it — Bowl of homemade pumpkin purée

And here is my finished product in a bowl.

Now you can store this in the fridge for about 5 days. You can lengthen its shelf life by sterilizing the storage jars you use first.

My pumpkin yielded enough purée to nearly fill a one and half quart bowl. Yield depends on pumpkin size (about 4 cups)

An aerial view of a bowl of homemade pumpkin puree with a black spoon in it — Homemade pumpkin purée in a mason jar

I highly recommend this roasting method for a concentrated, flavorful pumpkin puree.

You can even freeze this purée. I put it into freezer bags in one or two cup quantities. Then I seal the bag and flatten out the puree, so they fit nicely into the freezer.

A whole pumpkin beside a mason jar of homemade pumpkin puree — Mason jar of pumpkin purée

And there you have it! My recipe for making pumpkin purée.

Recipe Card for Roasted Pumpkin Purée

Here's the printable recipe card for your kitchen files.

Pumpkin Purée

Homemade pumpkin purée made from roasted pumpkin for concentration of flavor.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cheese Sauce, Condiment, Pantry Staple, Pumpkin Purée, Purée

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Servings: cups

Calories: 88kcal

Equipment

Glass Pickling Jar

Ingredients

1 medium pumpkin
¼ teaspoon sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.
Cut the pumpkin in half using a sharp knife.
Scoop out the seeds and pulp and sprinkle the flesh with a little bit of sea salt.
Place the two halves face down on a roasting pan lined with parchment paper.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. It's ready when you can stick a knife into the pumpkin skin and the flesh is tender.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
Scoop the flesh from each half and place it in a food processor.
Whiz for about 2 minutes until the texture is smooth.
Store in air tight jars.

Notes

The yield varies depending on the size of the pumpkin used.

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Purée

Amount Per Serving (245 g)

Calories 88 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 149mg6%

Potassium 1156mg33%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 28944IU579%

Vitamin C 31mg38%

Calcium 71mg7%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

Tried this recipe?Mention @IrishAmericanMomBlog or tag #irishamericanmom!

I hope you enjoy this taste of fall and use it to make pancakes, muffins, cakes and pies.

Happy baking.