How To Make Pureed Pumpkin

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Making homemade pumpkin puree is very simple. With the right pumpkin, you can make a fantastic creamy puree in less than an hour. Use it in place of canned pumpkin puree in all of your favorite seasonal pumpkin recipes.

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homemade pumpkin puree in a white bowl overhead picture

It's incredibly easy to make flavorful, creamy pumpkin puree in your own kitchen. I use my Instant Ace Nova Cooking Blender, but a strong blender or food processor works great too. Use homemade pumpkin puree just as you would canned puree, from making pumpkin spice cheesecake to cozy pumpkin chili to a sweet pumpkin bread loaf.

Some of my favorite and unique ways to use homemade pumpkin puree is to make creamy Instant Pot pumpkin pasta and this sweet and savory pumpkin soup.

Ingredients

Along with your blender or food processor, you'll need a cooked pumpkin. See the instructions here for air frying or pressure cooking a pumpkin. You can also oven roast it, but that takes a little longer.

Choosing Pumpkins for Cooking

What Pumpkins are Best for Cooking?

The best pumpkins for cooking and turning into a puree are sugar pumpkins (also called pie pumpkins), Long Island Cheese and New England Pie pumpkins. Pie pumpkins are probably most commonly used, as they are readily available in many local grocery stores. They are usually around 2 pounds.

How to Prepare Pumpkins for Pureeing

Once the pumpkin is cooked, peel off the skin and remove the seeds and stringy fibers. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and you're ready to blend it. Save the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds and the skin to make pumpkin chips!

*You will get approximately 1 cup of cooked pumpkin per pound or uncooked sugar pumpkin. So a 2 pound pumpkin will yield approximately 2 cups of pumpkin puree.

Instructions

Step 1: Peel the skin off of your cooked pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy fibers. Reserve seeds for later use and discard the pulp.

Step 2: Cut the peeled pumpkin into pieces that are small enough to fit in your blender or food processor.

Step 3: Put the pumpkin pieces into the blender. Add ¼ cup of water and blend on high until the pumpkin is smooth. This will take anywhere from 1 minute to 3 minutes, depending on your appliance. Every so often, stop blending to push pumpkin off the sides and into the blade if needed.

pumpkin blended in a Nova Cooking blender

Then use in your favorite recipes. I've given lots of delicious suggestions below!

Tips

Adding a little water helps to smoothly blend the pumpkin pieces if needed. Start with ¼ cup per pumpkin and add more in small amounts as needed.
If using the Ace Cooking Blender, use the puree setting first. This setting heats the blender, further softening the pumpkin. Once the puree setting has completed, cycle through the smoothie setting to smooth out any leftover chunks.
Homemade pureed pumpkin tends to be lighter in color than canned puree. While you're pumpkin recipes might turn out a paler orange than when using something like Libby's canned pumpkin, they will be just as delicious- if not better!

How To Use Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin puree can be eaten plain as you would eat mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. Use it as a baby food or in place of any recipe calling for canned pumpkin puree.

Make sure to give these ones a try!

Storing

Homemade pumpkin puree keeps in the fridge for 1 week and in the freezer for 3 months. Store in an airtight container or freezer safe bag.

Enjoy!

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