If you've ever wondered how to make Homemade Pumpkin Puree, it's just a few easy steps to a healthy and delicious base for all of your favorite pumpkin recipes!
Course Pantry Staples
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Cooling + Pureeing Time: 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour35 minutesminutes
Servings 10servings (recipe makes approximately 5 cups of puree total)
2small baking pumpkinssuch as sugar pie pumpkins, approximately 2 ½ pounds each
Instructions
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a large knife to carefully slice the stem off the top of a pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half, from the top to the bottom. Repeat with the other pumpkin. Use a melon baller (or large spoon) to remove the seeds and pulp from each pumpkin, scraping the cavities to get them clean. Lay each pumpkin half face-down on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the pumpkins for approximately 1 hour, or until the flesh is very tender when pierced with a fork. Turn the pumpkin halves face-up and allow them to cool on the pan for 20 minutes.
Use a large spoon to scrape the flesh from two of the pumpkin halves into the bowl of a large food processor. Process until smooth and creamy (add one spoonful of water at a time ONLY if necessary to get the puree smooth). Transfer the pumpkin puree to a container and repeat scraping and pureeing the remaining pumpkin halves.
Store the pumpkin puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Or transfer the puree in 2-cup portions to quart-sized freezer bags, squeezing out the air before sealing, flattening, and freezing.
Notes
If you freeze your pumpkin puree, be sure to label your freezer bags with the amount of pumpkin puree inside (as well as the date). A 15-ounce can of store-bought pumpkin puree contains just shy of 2 cups. So if you freeze pumpkin puree in 2-cup increments, you can thaw a bag any time a recipe calls for a 15-ounce can.