Wondering how to make homemade pumpkin puree? We’re going to show you how to take those fall pumpkin you have sitting around them and preserve them to make all of those delicious pumpkin recipes.

We don’t like to let anything go to waste at the Cottage, and that includes our fall pumpkins! Some of our pumpkins will last until next season but others have to be preserved much sooner, we had several of our green ones begin to get soft so we went ahead and make them into pumpkin puree.

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How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Contents hide

1 How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree

1.1 Is Canned Pumpkin The Same Thing As Pumpkin Puree?

1.2 What you will need to make homemade pumpkin puree:

2 Making Pumpkin Puree: Step By Step Guide

2.1 How To Make Pumpkin Puree Step 1:

2.2 Making Pumpkin Puree Step 2:

2.3 Homemade Pumpkin Puree Step 3:

2.4 Making Pumpkin Puree Step 4:

2.5 How To Make Pumpkin Puree Step 5:

2.6 Tips For Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree

2.7 Some Recipes To Try With Your Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Is Canned Pumpkin The Same Thing As Pumpkin Puree?

Yes, canned pumpkin is the same thing as pumpkin puree. But don’t confuse pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie filling those are totally different things.

What you will need to make homemade pumpkin puree:

Whole Pumpkin
Sharp Knife
Roasting Pan
Blender Or Stick Blender
Wooden Spoon
Vacuum Sealer Or Ziplock Bags
Permanent Marker

Making Pumpkin Puree: Step By Step Guide

How To Make Pumpkin Puree Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Gently wash the skin of the pumpkin [our GSE cleaner would be perfect] but don’t scrub them.

Making Pumpkin Puree Step 2:

Cut your pumpkins in half, and scrape out the “guts” with a spoon. Then cut each pumpkin half, in half again to make it a little easier to handle. If you are working with small pumpkins you can skip this part. While you are cutting up your pumpkins make sure you remove any bad places.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree Step 3:

Place your pumpkin in a roasting pan with the skin facing up, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the roaster pan with the pumpkin in the oven and bake until you can easily poke a fork through the skin of the pumpkin.

Making Pumpkin Puree Step 4:

Remove the pumpkin from the pan, and place it in a bowl to cool. If you don’t feel like waiting you can go ahead and begin processing it but it will burn your fingers. When your pumpkin is cool, use a spoon to scoop the pumpkin off of the skin.

How To Make Pumpkin Puree Step 5:

Puree pumpkin in a blender or with a stick blender until it’s smooth. Place the pureed pumpkin into ziplock, or vacuum-seal bags (we like to divide the pureed pumpkin into 2 cups per bag), label, and date your bags. I like to smooth the bags of pureed pumpkin and lay them on a cookie sheet before I freeze them. This way they stay nice and flat which makes them easier to store in my freezer later.

Tips For Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Don’t throw the scraps away! You can save the seeds as we do and dry them in a dehydrator set very low to plant later. Make sure that the seeds aren’t touching while they are drying or they will stick together. Once dry place them in baggies and label them.

You can give the rest (skin and “guts”) to chickens or if you don’t have chickens you can also place it in a compost bin. Or leave it someplace that wild critters can eat it. This way nothing goes to waste!

Some Recipes To Try With Your Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Here are some of our favorite recipes to make with homemade pumpkin puree:

Before you go, check these out!

How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree From Scratch

How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Is Canned Pumpkin The Same Thing As Pumpkin Puree?

What you will need to make homemade pumpkin puree: