Pumpkins are one of the most versatile vegetables around. There’s so much you can do with them beyond traditional pumpkin pies. Pumpkin purée is the first step in a lot of great recipes. It’s not only a perfect meal for babies, but also an awesome ingredient for muffins, soups, or lattes.
In most U.S. kitchens, pumpkin purée is a commonly used ingredient, and you can simply buy canned versions in stores or online. But if you live somewhere else (or you want to prepare fresh pumpkin purée yourself), don’t worry—I’m here to help you prepare it at home.
Making pumpkin purée is very simple. All you have to do is bake the pumpkins in a moderate oven without any seasonings, then throw the softened flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth. Easy!
How to Make Pumpkin Purée
To make homemade pumpkin purée, you will need a small or medium-sized pumpkin.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces (one pumpkin can usually be cut into 6–10 smaller portions).
- Remove the seeds and put the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet. If you’re wondering what to do with the seeds, check out my roasted pumpkin seeds recipe.
- Bake for 45 minutes. The baking time can be slightly more or less, depending on the size of the pieces. Check with a fork to see if the pumpkin pieces are soft enough, and if not, roast them for a few more minutes.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes.
- Peel the pumpkin slices.
- Throw the softened flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth (it takes around 10–15 seconds).
Note: In contrast to roasted pumpkins, to make homemade pumpkin purée, you want to gently bake your pumpkins in a moderate oven only until they are completely softened.
Ways to Use Pumpkin Purée
Your pumpkin purée is ready!
You can use the purée to make pumpkin muffins or pumpkin drinks and smoothies. It’s also an excellent naturally sweet dessert by itself!
If you have kids, homemade pumpkin purée is an awesome healthy dish for little ones. You can feed your baby pumpkin purée by itself or mixed with other foods. You can even use organic pumpkins so you can be 100% sure what you’re giving your kids.
How to Store Pumpkin Purée
From 6.6 pounds (3 kg) of pumpkin, which is roughly one regular pumpkin, you can make around 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg), or 7 cups (1.7 liters), of pumpkin purée. This is plenty, and unless you are preparing for a large family gathering, you probably won’t use it all.
The good news is that pumpkin purée is easy to store. You can even make it in advance. It will keep for a week in the refrigerator and for months in the freezer.
Pumpkin Purée Cups to Grams
Converting pumpkin purée from cups to grams or vice versa depends slightly on the type of pumpkin. But as a rule of thumb, you can count on 270 grams of pumpkin purée per U.S. cup (240 ml).
Homemade Pumpkin Purée
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Cut the pumpkin into 6-10 pieces.
- Remove the seeds and put the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet. Use parchment paper for easy cleaning afterwards.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Check with a fork if the pumpkins are soft enough and if not, bake them for a few more minutes.
- Take them out and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Peel the pumpkin slices.
- Throw the softened flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth (it takes around 10-15 seconds).
- Use your homemade pumpkin purée in any recipe as you would use a canned version.
