Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Take your fall baking to the next level with Homemade Pumpkin Puree! Made with just one ingredient and ready in an hour, it's the perfect way to bake with pumpkin... from scratch!

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Cathy Trochelman

Equipment

1 food processor
1 cheesecloth

Ingredients

1 pie pumpkin also called sugar pumpkin

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and guts.
Place the hollowed out pumpkin halves face down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until the flesh is fork tender and the skin starts to pull away from the flesh naturally.
Remove from oven and cool slightly. Remove the skins, then spoon the cooked pumpkin into a food processor and process until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Spoon the puree into a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Gather the edges together and squeeze to strain off excess liquid. The goal is a texture similar to canned pumpkin puree. *Note: pumpkins vary in moisture level, so some may not need straining while some may need quite a bit of straining.
Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Notes

Pro Tips:

Use the right kind of pumpkin. Pie pumpkins (aka sugar pumpkins) are it! It's all in the name, really. This type of pumpkin is bred for pies and baking of all types.

Roast until completely tender. The more tender the pumpkin, the easier it will be to puree. Roasting also brings out the flavor of the pumpkin, which leads to maximum flavor in your puree.

Don't skip the cheesecloth. Freshly pureed pumpkin tends to have a higher moisture content than canned puree, so straining it through cheesecloth is a must. Most recipes that call for pumpkin puree will assume you're using canned pumpkin, so the moisture level in the recipe will be off if you don't strain it.

Nutrition