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Home » Instant Pot

How To Cook Pumpkin In An Instant Pot

Published: Sep 15, 2021 · Modified: Oct 13, 2024 by Kristina Tipps · This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small commission.

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2 whole pumpkins and an instant pot on a table

Easily cook a pumpkin in your Instant Pot in only 20 minutes. There is no prep work- no chopping or peeling the pumpkin beforehand! Simply add the whole pumpkin to your pressure cooker and let it cook away! An Instant Pot Pumpkin can be eaten mashed or cubed, used in other recipes, or turned into homemade puree.

instant pot cooked pumpkin on a cutting board
Table Of Contents
  • Ingredients and Tools
  • Timing
  • How Much Cooked Pumpkin Does This Recipe Yield?
  • Step-By-Step Directions
  • How To Store
  • What To Do With Cooked Pumpkin
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Recipe
  • Recommended Next
  • Recipe Reviews

In October when pumpkin season is in full swing and you're inundated with pumpkin recipes, it's a great idea to know how to pressure cook a whole pumpkin- so you can use it to try out all of those fantastic recipes!

With this easy method, you'll have a cooked pumpkin in only 20 minutes. It's perfect for making homemade pumpkin puree, autumn-inspired side dishes, mashed pumpkin and so much more. This recipe also leaves very little waste if you roast your pumpkin seeds and use the skin to make pumpkin chips.

Once you follow this recipe for making Instant Pot pumpkin, you'll never cook it any other way. Unless you have an air fryer, of course, and want to try out roasting pumpkin in there too! You can use this pressure cooking method to cook other edible squashes, too. It works for butternut squash, acorn squash, sweet dumpling squash, and other plump winter squash.

two pumpkins in front of an Instant Pot

Ingredients and Tools

With this easy method you need only:

  • A Whole Pumpkin: a pie or sugar pumpkin is recommended. These pumpkin are about 2-3 pounds and you'll find them in the vegetable section of the grocery store, at local pumpkin patches and farmers markets in September or October. Long Island Cheese and New England Pie are also fantastic.
  • Instant Pot: this works best in a 6 to 10 quart Instant Pot.
  • Steamer basket: a trivet with handles also works. While I highly recommend using one of these to easily lift the pumpkin out of the Instant Pot, you can also cook it directly in the inner pot.

Timing

A whole pumpkin cooks for approximately 8 minutes per pound. I had a 2.6 pound pie pumpkin and pressure cooked it for 20 minutes, with a quick controlled release at the end. The result was a soft and tender pumpkin with skin that was beginning to peel off.

How Much Cooked Pumpkin Does This Recipe Yield?

You will get approximately 1 cup of cooked pumpkin per pound or pie pumpkin. So for a 2.5 lb pumpkin, this recipe created 2.5 cups of cooked pumpkin.

Step-By-Step Directions

Step 1. Wash your pumpkin, scrubbing away any dirt. Add water to the inner pot and place the trivet or steamer basket inside. Put the washed pumpkin on the trivet or in the basket. The stem easily comes off once the pumpkin is cooked, so don't worry about removing it beforehand. If it's too tall for the lid to close, tilt the pumpkin on it's side or cut the stem off.

*For the pot to come to pressure correctly, use the amount of water according to the manual for your size. A 6 quart needs 1 cup of water, an 8 quart needs 1.5 cups water and a 10 quart needs 2 cups water.

a whole pumpkin in a steamer basket of the instant pot

Step 2. Close the lid, seal, and set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes per pound (20 minutes for a standard 2.5 pound pie pumpkin). When done cooking, complete a controlled quick release by lightly pressing on the pressure releasing valve to prevent hot water from spraying out (rather than pressing all the way down on the valve to release the pressure at full force).

*Because the pumpkin will be soft after pressure cooking, a steamer basket makes removal from the inner pot the easiest. If very soft it could slide off a trivet, so be very careful!

cooked pumpkin inside and instant pot

Step 3. Transfer the pumpkin to a chopping board and let cool.

cut pumpkin on a chopping board

Step 4. Cut the pumpkin in half. Using a spoon, scoop out the fibers and seeds. Discard stringy fibers and reserve the seeds for later use if desired.

sliced pumpkin with the seeds scooped out

Step 5. Peel the skin off using your hands or tongs. Use a knife to cut away any skin that is hard to peel off with your fingers. Discard or reserve for later use. Cut into cubes, mash, or puree. For more ideas on how to use your pressure cooked pumpkin, see the section below.

peeled and cut instant pot pumpkin on a cutting board

How To Store

If not serving immediately, store in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container or freeze in plastic freezer bags for up to 6 months.

What To Do With Cooked Pumpkin

There are many ways to use a whole pumpkin! Aside from making homemade puree, you can:

  • Add to pastas and rice dishes, like this Instant Pot pumpkin pasta and Instant Pot pumpkin risotto to give them a thicker, creamier texture.
  • Make pumpkin soup or a hearty pumpkin chili.
  • Instant Pot pumpkin cheesecake or oven baked pumpkin cheesecake.
  • Mash it like you would sweet potatoes and serve it with cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar. Mashed pumpkin is so sweet that it's even delicious served plain or with just a little salt and pepper.
  • Make bread: chocolate pumpkin bread, Instant Pot pumpkin bread, and bread machine pumpkin cranberry bread.
  • Muffins! Pumpkin cream cheese muffins and pumpkin spice muffins are delicious with fresh pumpkin.
  • Make pumpkin cornbread for Thanksgiving dinner.
  • Chewy pumpkin cookies
  • Creamy pumpkin pudding
  • Use as a substitution in recipes that call for sweet potatoes or butternut squash.

Recipe FAQs

How Long Do I Need To Cook Instant Pot Pumpkin?

A whole pumpkin will take approximately 8 minutes per pound to pressure cook with a quick pressure release.

I'd Like To Cut My Pumpkin Before Pressure Cooking. What Method Should I Follow?

Maybe your pumpkin is a little too big to fit in your Instant Pot whole, or you'd just like to cut it before cooking to avoid doing so when it's warm. Not a problem at all! Slice the pumpkin into halves, quarters or cubes. Place into the Instant Pot with the water and pressure cook for an adjusted amount of time according to the table below.

Whole: 8 minutes per pound
Halved/Quartered: 15 minutes total
Cubes/Chunks: 5-7 minutes total

Can I Use A Jack O' Lantern Style Pumpkin?

Field pumpkins, the "regular" pumpkins that are found in pumpkin patches and used for carving and decorating, are not ideal for cooking. Not only are they likely to be too large for your Instant Pot, they have watery, stringy flesh. These pumpkins are not recommended for eating.

Can I Use This Method For Other Squashes?

Yes! Use this same method for pressure cooking other squash whole. Then turn into a puree, season and serve as a side dish or use in other recipes.

How Can I Make My Cooked Pumpkin More Flavorful?

While I think a fresh cooked pumpkin is sweet and flavorful, much more so than canned pumpkin, some people find it to be bland. You can season pumpkin with a variety of spices and herbs to add some flavor. Some spices that pair well with pumpkin are nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder. It's also lovely drizzled with maple syrup or honey and sprinkled with brown sugar. Of course, the seasonings you use and if you choose any at all, depend on what you plan to use your fresh cooked pumpkin for.

More Instant Pot Recipes You'll Love

  • Instant Pot Celery Soup
  • Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup
  • Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
  • Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls
  • Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!

Recipe

whole pumpkins

Instant Pot Pumpkin

Kristina Tipps
Easily cook a pumpkin in your Instant Pot in only 20 minutes. There is no prep work- no chopping or peeling the pumpkin beforehand! Simply add the whole pumpkin to your pressure cooker and let it cook away! An Instant Pot Pumpkin can be eaten mashed or cubed, used in other recipes, or turned into homemade puree.
5 from 19 votes
Bookmark RecipeSaved!
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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 30 minutes minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 5
Calories 59 kcal

Equipment

  • 6, 8 or 10 quart pressure cooker
  • Steamer basket

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lb pie pumpkin see notes on pumpkin size
  • water see notes for correct amount

Instructions
 

  • Wash your pumpkin, scrubbing away any dirt. Add water to the inner pot and place the trivet or steamer basket inside. Put the washed pumpkin on the trivet or in the basket.
  • Close the lid, seal, and set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes (*see notes). When done complete a controlled quick release by lightly pressing on the pressure releasing valve until all steam has been released.
  • Remove the pumpkin to a chopping board and let cool. Cut in half and scoop out the fibers and seeds. Discard fibers and reserve seeds for later use if desired.
  • Peel the skin off using your hands or tongs. Use a knife to cut away any skin that remains. Discard skin or reserve for cooking later.
  • Cut into cubes, mash, or puree (see post for full suggestions).

Notes

Timing: a whole pumpkin pressure cooks for about 8 minutes per pound. Weigh your pumpkin with a kitchen scale and adjust the 20 minute cook time if needed.
Yield: You will get approximately 1 cup of cooked pumpkin per pound. So for a 2.5 lb pumpkin, this recipe created 2.5 cups of cooked pumpkin puree. Other squash and pumpkin varieties will yield different amounts.
Storing: If not serving immediately, store in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container or freeze in plastic freezer bags for up to 6 months.
Tip 1: The stem easily comes off once the pumpkin is cooked, so don't worry about removing it beforehand. If it's too tall for the lid to close, tilt the pumpkin on it's side or cut the stem off.
Tip 2: Because the pumpkin will be soft after pressure cooking, a steamer basket makes removal from the inner pot the easiest. If very soft it could slide off a trivet, so be very careful!
Tip 3: While pie pumpkins (or sugar) are one of the best for cooking because of their sweetness and availability, Long Island Cheese and New England Pie are also fantastic.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ozCalories: 59kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 771mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 19307IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 2mg
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Comments

    5 from 19 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Jeanette Pine says

    October 17, 2021 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    This works amazingly well! I will never have to buy canned pumpkin again. I do up several pie pumpkins while they're in season then freeze the puree in 1 cup portions. Ready for fall baking!

    Reply
    • Kristina says

      October 17, 2021 at 9:01 pm

      I’m glad to hear it! Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    October 09, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    5 stars
    I've wasted so many pumpkins saying I was going to make pumpkin puree for my pumpkin cheesecakes only to wast the pumpkin and not make the cheesecake. I just made exactly what the recipe said I would and now I cannot wait to try my cheesecake in the IP as well. This is so inspirational!!!

    Reply
    • Kristina says

      October 10, 2021 at 7:01 am

      Thank you for sharing this! I'm so glad you've been inspired to finally go ahead and make pumpkin puree now that the IP makes it so incredibly easy. Enjoy your cheesecakes!!

      Reply
  3. Leah says

    October 09, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    Can I get your instructions for making pumpkin chips? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kristina says

      October 10, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Hi Leah! I don't have it down just yet- but basically, you take the peeled skin, toss it with a little olive oil and salt (plus cinnamon and nutmeg if you'd like), then air fry it for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees, or until it's crispy. I am still working out the exact seasonings and timings, so I will have it posted in a couple days.

      Reply
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