Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Every fall we grow plenty of pumpkins for decorating, but some of them are meant for the kitchen too.

Our sugar pumpkins are the smaller, classic pie pumpkins you’ll see at the farm stand. They have a sweeter, smoother flesh than your typical carving pumpkin and are perfect for turning into homemade pumpkin purée.

And if you’ve never actually cooked a whole pumpkin before, I promise it’s much easier than it sounds.

How I Make Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Start with a sugar pumpkin.

Give your pumpkin a good wash, then carefully cut it in half from top to bottom.

Scoop out the seeds and the stringy center. You can save the seeds for roasting if you’d like, but otherwise the chickens are usually pretty happy to take them off your hands!

Roast it.

Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Roast at 400°F for about 35–50 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin.

You really don’t have to overthink this part. When you can easily pierce the pumpkin with a fork and the flesh is nice and soft, it’s ready.

Scoop and blend.

Let the pumpkin cool enough that you can comfortably handle it.

Scoop the cooked pumpkin away from the skin and add it to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.

And that’s it.

You now have homemade pumpkin purée.

What Can You Do With It?

Pretty much anything you’d normally grab a can of pumpkin for.

Pumpkin bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, soups, pasta sauces, cookies and, of course, pumpkin pie.

One thing to keep in mind is that homemade pumpkin can sometimes have a little more moisture than canned pumpkin. If yours seems especially watery, you can let it drain in a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth before using it in a recipe where consistency really matters.

Save Some for Later

This is probably my favorite part.

If I’m already roasting a pumpkin, I like to make enough to put some away for later. Once the purée has cooled, I portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags and label them before freezing.

I like 1-cup or 2-cup portions because that’s usually an easy amount to grab for a recipe.

If you’re keeping your purée in the refrigerator instead, I treat it like other cooked leftovers and use it within about 3–4 days.

Then, sometime in the middle of winter when pumpkin season feels very far away, you can pull a bag out of the freezer and make something that tastes a little bit like October.

So if you’ve been eyeing the little sugar pumpkins at the farm stand and weren’t quite sure what to do with one, grab one and give it a try.