Skip the grocery-store can and make your own homemade pumpkin puree. Perfect for fall baking or preserving your harvest.
(This post is a contribution by Melissa Keyser)
Choosing Squash for Homemade Pumpkin Puree
When recipes ask for “pumpkin puree,” the canned product you buy is often made from a winter squash variety rather than traditional small pie pumpkins. For the best flavor and texture, choose firm-fleshed winter squashes such as kabocha, red kuri (Hokkaido), butternut, New England Cheese, or dedicated pie pumpkins. Avoid large carving pumpkins—their flesh is usually watery and bland.
This method works with any winter squash, but varieties with dense, dry, sweet flesh yield the creamiest, most pumpkin-like puree. Red Kuri squash in particular has smooth, golden flesh that makes excellent puree.
Growing Squash for Pumpkin Puree
Winter squash grow on long vines and can be very productive. They store well when their skin is intact and hard. Any damage to the rind—cuts, insect bites, or soft spots—can lead to rapid spoilage. If you discover damaged squash at harvest, use them right away: roasting and pureeing is a great way to preserve the flesh.
If you harvest a large quantity at once, inspect each fruit carefully. Keep whole, undamaged squash in a cool, dry place for months. Those with soft spots should be processed immediately into puree, roasted squash dishes, or frozen for later use.
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Making pumpkin puree at home is simple and yields better flavor than many canned options. The key steps are roasting, scooping, and mashing or pureeing the cooked flesh. Below are clear, practical instructions and tips for best results.
Prep Your Pumpkin for Roasting
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Wash the squash, then carefully cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits—save the seeds for roasting if you like, or compost them. Trim away any soft or moldy areas and discard those sections.
If the squash is very hard to cut, you can pre-bake it whole until the skin gives slightly, then halve it to remove seeds and finish roasting. Small squash can also be cooked whole in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, then halved to remove seeds.
Roast the Pumpkin
Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the pan so the squash steams as it bakes. Roast until the flesh is very soft and easily pulled away with a fork—this can take around an hour, depending on size and variety.
Roasting is forgiving: you can pause partway through and finish later without seriously affecting the outcome. When done, the flesh should be tender and flavorful, not dry or stringy.
Scrape, Strain, and Puree the Pumpkin
Allow roasted squash to cool enough to handle. Scoop the flesh away from the skin and discard the peel. For a smooth puree, mash with a fork or potato masher, push through a food mill, or pulse in a food processor until even.
If your puree seems watery, let it sit in a bowl for 30–60 minutes and drain off excess liquid. For baking, you want a thick, concentrated puree so your recipes keep the right texture.
Use or Store Your Perfect Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Use the puree right away in pies, breads, muffins, soups, and sauces. To preserve it, pack into freezer-safe containers or jars, leaving about 1 inch (2–3 cm) of headspace for expansion. Label and freeze. Wide-mouth pint jars (filled about an inch below the rim) approximate the volume of a standard grocery-store can and are convenient when recipes call for “1 can of pumpkin.”
Do not attempt to can pumpkin puree at home: pureed pumpkin is too dense and low in acidity for safe water-bath canning. Chunks of pumpkin can be pressure canned, but purees should be frozen for safety and best quality.
Recipes Using Pumpkin Puree
Once you have homemade pumpkin puree, you can use it in many recipes. Ideas include:
- Making pumpkin flour from pumpkin puree (dehydrating and grinding)
- Pumpkin cheesecake
- Honey molasses pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin cookies
Homemade Pumpkin Puree (Recipe)
Author: Ashley Adamant
Homemade pumpkin puree is easy to make and works with any winter squash.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin or winter squash (amount as desired)
Instructions
- Slice the squash in half and remove seeds.
- Place halves cut side down on a baking dish. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the pan.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 1 hour, or until the squash is very tender when tested with a fork.
- Scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork, use a food mill, or puree in a food processor until smooth.
- Store pumpkin puree in the freezer for up to 1 year, or in the refrigerator for a few weeks.