I don’t know about you, but beginning around early September, I start using a lot of pumpkin puree. I love it. Not only does it add beautiful pumpkin flavors to many sweet and savory dishes, but you can use it to make everything from pasta to pancakes, it can replace eggs in baked goods and you can even drink it in the form of milkshakes, protein shakes and my beloved pumpkin spice creamer.
Last month, there were rumors of a pumpkin puree shortage and everyone was all worried about running out of canned pumpkin puree, but as long as we have pumpkins, we can all make pumpkin puree! Its super easy and you literally need one ingredient (pumpkins).
Let’s get it started…
Many people want to know what kind of pumpkins you should use for pumpkin puree and technically you can use any pumpkin, but there are some that will yield the best results. My favorite types of pie pumpkins are sugar pumpkins, cinderella pumpkins, orange smoothies and baby bears. They will all give you smooth, flavorful puree to use in a wide variety of recipes.
I usually roast three medium pie pumpkins at a time when I am making puree, but you can make as much or as little as you need. To give you an idea of how much puree you will get, these three medium pie pumpkins gave me about 4 cups of pumpkin puree.
Begin by cutting each pumpkin in half and removing all of the seeds and stringy flesh. I like to sprinkle a bit of salt over the cut side of the halved pumpkins, but this is optional.
Place the halved pumpkins onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them on the center rack of a 400 degree oven for 40-60 minutes, depending on how large your pumpkins are. They are ready to puree when they are easily pierced with a sharp knife. At that point, transfer the baking sheet out onto a heat proof surface, such as a wooden cutting board, and let them cool for a few minutes.
Once the pumpkins are cool enough to handle, scoop all of the flesh out of the softened pumpkins and place it into a food processor or blender.
Pulse the pumpkin until it is very smooth and fully pureed…
If you are not using it right away, transfer your pumpkin puree into an airtight container and chill it in the refrigerator. Pumpkin puree will keep in the refrigerator easily for a week or for 3-4 months in the freezer, but we are deep in the heart of pumpkin season right now, so this particular puree will be gone very soon…
I hope this recipes helps you make lots of pumpkin puree, which you eventually use to make pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies…. you get the idea….
Happy pumpkin season everyone!
Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- fresh whole pumpkin
- salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Cut each pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and stringy flesh
- Sprinkle with salt (optional)
- Place the pumpkins cut side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet
- Bake on the center rack of a 400 degree oven for 40-60 minutes or until the pumpkins are easily pierced by a sharp knife
- Allow the pumpkins to cool until they are cool enough to handle
- Scoop out all of the flesh and transfer it into a food processor or blender
- Pulse until the flesh is completely smooth and fully pureed
- Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator
