How to Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Name: Easy Pumpkin Puree in the Oven
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Pie or sweet pumpkin (as many as you want)

An easy recipe for how to make pumpkin puree for the best pumpkin pie ever. This homemade pumpkin puree is so much better than canned! Try it for yourself. It can be made in the oven or an Instant Pot.

Easy step-by-step directions for how YOU can make pumpkin puree at home! Fresh and delicious, and great in all your pumpkin recipes.

Tis the season!

Pumpkin season, that is.

I’m such a huge fan of pumpkin.

Pumpkin puree in my homemade coffee syrup.

Pumpkin puree in my oatmeal.

Even pumpkin puree in my red Thai curry. Ooooh, yeah.

I’ll eat it sweet or savory. Either way, it’s pretty much a free-for-all around here until Thanksgiving.

I’m an even BIGGER fan of pumpkins with multiple purposes. Our local farm stand has sugar pumpkins for cheap, so I buy a bunch of them, decorate around the house and make it look all Fall-y festive, and then I eat them.

That almost sounds mean.

But isn’t it great to have multi-purpose things?! I am a total minimalist wannabe, so multi-purpose gets me excited.

Homemade pumpkin puree is the best

Nothing beats fresh pumpkin puree. Seriously.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, but you will not be charged a penny extra! And mama, I never recommend products I don’t love or believe in.

Easy tips to make pumpkin puree …easy

If you want to give your hand a go at the best and easiest homemade pumpkin puree, here are some things you’ll need to know before we get to the nitty-gritty.

You’ll need to break off the stem on that pumpkin. The easiest way I’ve found is to turn the pumpkin sideways and hang the stem over the edge of the counter. That way you can apply enough force to bust it off. I have used a rolling pin. It’s very therapeutic.
You’ll need to cut the pumpkin in half, which can be slightly challenging. I recommend using a sharp butcher knife. Dull knife=dangerous knife. Ask any chef. Work slow, and don’t let the knife go further than about three inches into the pumpkin, because it can get stuck more easily if you do (if you are making this in the Instant Pot, you’ll leave it whole. That makes it extra easy).

What kind of pumpkins should you use to make pumpkin puree?

Pretty much any variety will actually work, but the best tasting pumpkin (to me) is the sugar or pie pumpkin.

These are usually really easy to get your hands on this time of year, as well. Local farm stands are a great place to snag a good deal, making it even cheaper!

But do you have a pumpkin you want to use from the pumpkin patch? The big ol’ Jack-O-Lantern kind? You actually CAN cook and eat it! I’ve done it.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Now, the taste isn’t as sweet or full to me, so it’s not necessarily the best choice.

What tools do you need to make pumpkin puree?

You’ll definitely need a high-powered blender or a food processer.

I seriously love my commercial Vitamix blender, but if you need something that is less expensive, this Hamilton Beach Food Processor has been a total gem in my kitchen and will work great for pureeing pumpkin.

I can’t believe how much it’s able to do, and I recommend it all the time. It’s a beast…and especially for the price. I also had great customer service when I blew the motor trying to force a double batch of homemade Lara bars in it.

…

Yeah, totally on me. Who wouldn’t want MORE Lara bars, though?!

Anyway, as long as you have a great blender or food processor, you really will be able to make pumpkin puree. Easy.

Not really ready to make your own? You can buy organic canned pumpkin for a steal HERE

Gluten free Thanksgiving Recipes and Planner

Want to make pumpkin puree in the Instant Pot? Here’s how.

Place 1 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Remove the stem of the pumpkin and place the whole pumpkin into the Instant Pot. If it’s small enough, you can place it on the insertable rack.

Close the lid, and turn the valve to seal.

Set the pressure cooker to high for 20-22 minutes, depending on size of pumpkin. Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, and then quick release.

Test that the pumpkin is done with a fork. It should easily go it, like butter. If it doesn’t pressure cook for another 5 minutes.

Allow to cool with the lid off. Once it’s cool enough to handle, use a peeler to peel the outside of the pumpkin, slice the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (this should be REALLLLLY easy now!). Instead of peeling the pumpkin, you can also just scoop the pumpkin out of the skin, but I have found the skin is really soft and it’s easy to get chunks of it in with the pumpkin “meat.”

Put the pumpkin in your blender or food processor. It took me a few batches since it didn’t all fit into the blender at once.

Blend until completely smooth.

How to store your homemade pumpkin puree

Most resources say to not can your own pumpkin puree. My preferred easy storing method is to freeze in freezer-safe containers like these. I just measure it out in 1-2 cup increments to freeze. Then the night before I need it I pull a container out and put it in the fridge to thaw.

It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months (I’ve even left it for 6 months with zero weird taste).

It will store in the fridge in an air tight-jar or container for about a week. Freeze whatever you don’t use in that time.

Now you can enjoy some fresh pumpkin puree!

Easy Pumpkin Puree in the Oven

Yield: 4-8 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

How to cook your own pumpkin puree for all of your pumpkin treats and feasts! This "recipe" makes cooking pumpkin easy.

Ingredients

Pie or sweet pumpkin (as many as you want)

Instructions

OVEN METHOD

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F
Break off the stem on your pumpkin and quickly wash the outside. Dry the pumpkin well so it’s not slippery!
Cut the pumpkin in half (doesn’t need to be perfect!) and scoop out the seeds and guts with a spoon. If you want to eat the seeds, place them in cool water as you scoop so that you can roast those next. My kids loved helping me with this part!
Lay the pumpkin halves flesh side down on a rimmed cookie sheet and place them in the oven
Pour water into the pan, around the pumpkin, until it’s about ¼ inch deep.
Bake for 1 hour. Pierce the skin with a fork to check for done-ness. If the fork easily pierces the pumpkin skin, you’re good to go.
Take them out of the oven and allow the pumpkin to cool.
Put the pumpkin in your blender or food processor. It took me a few batches since it didn’t all fit into the blender at once.
Blend until completely smooth.
You can use it as is but if you like a thicker pumpkin puree straining some of the water may be a good step.To do this, place a cheese cloth or tea towel in a mesh strainer and put that over a bowl. Pour all of your pumpkin puree into the cloth and let it sit for an hour or two, stirring every so often to help work the water out. I also like to pull up the cloth and give it a few good squeezes a couple times to coax it along.

INSTANT POT METHOD

Place 1 cup of water into the bottom of the instant pot. Remove the stem of the pumpkin and place the whole pumpkin into the instant pot. If it's small enough, you can place it on the insertable rack.
Close the lid, and turn the valve to seal.
Set the pressure cooker to high for 20-22 minutes, depending on size of pumpkin. Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, and then quick release.
Test that the pumpkin is done with a fork. It should easily go it, like butter. If it doesn't pressure cook for another 5 minutes.
Allow to cool with the lid off. Once it's cool enough to handle, use a peeler to peel the outside of the pumpkin, slice the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (this should be REALLLLLY easy now!). Instead of peeling the pumpkin, you can also just scoop the pumpkin out of the skin, but I have found the skin is really soft and it's easy to get chunks of it in with the pumpkin "meat."
Put the pumpkin in your blender or food processor. It took me a few batches since it didn’t all fit into the blender at once.
Blend until completely smooth.

NOTE

You can use it as is. But if you like a thicker pumpkin puree, straining some of the water may be a good step.To do this, place a cheese cloth or tea towel in a mesh strainer and put that over a bowl. Pour all of your pumpkin puree into the cloth and let it sit for an hour or two, stirring every so often to help work the water out. I also like to pull up the cloth and give it a few good squeezes a couple times to coax it along.

Now you can enjoy some fresh pumpkin puree!

HOW TO STORE

It’s perfect to can yourself or, my preferred easy storing method, to freeze in freezer-safe bags or containers . Just measure it out in 1-2 cup increments to freeze, and pull a container out and put it in the fridge the evening before you need it.