Today I am going to share with you just how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree. Don’t just let those pumpkins you bought for fall decoration rot away without getting further good use out of them! It is amazingly simple to turn pumpkins into puree, and is great to have on hand in the freezer to easily pull out when you have to urge to cook or bake with something pumpkin. I usually freeze the puree in the quantities that are called for in my favorite pumpkin recipes and would encourage you to do the same. I will post some of my favorite pumpkin recipes at the end of this post, so make sure to check them out!

I know that once you start making your own pumpkin puree, you will want to do it year after year! Enjoy! -Shelley.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree:

What you will need:
Pumpkins or squash {they are pretty much interchangeable in recipes – butternut or Tahitian squash are great!}
Large, sharp knife
Large steamer or
Large baking sheet with an oven to bake in

Start by cutting the very top {where the stem is located} off of the pumpkin…

Next, cut the pumpkin in half…

Using a spoon, scoop the seeds out and place in a bowl {but don’t throw away…they can be saved for seed or you can clean them and make some awesome roasted pumpkin seeds!}

At this stage you can either place upside down on a large cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-90 minutes, or until fork tender {depending on size/variety of pumpkin or squash}…

Or, cut into somewhat smaller pieces and place in a large steamer basket. Place lid on pot and steam anywhere from 20-45 minutes, or until fork tender.

When the pumpkins/squash are tender, remove from heat and allow to cool to be able to handle…

Once the pumpkins have cooled enough to be able to handle without burning yourself, the flesh can easily be scooped away from the skin and placed in a bowl.

Next, I used an immersion blender to puree my cooked pumpkin into puree. The pureeing can easily be done with a food processor or blender as well…

I used pumpkins and also Tahitian squash and originally wanted to keep them separate when I froze them. After I tasted the sweet Tahitian squash alongside the regular old pumpkin, I decided to mix them together because the flavor of the regular pumpkin puree was quite lacking in good flavor, if you ask me!

If you aren’t planning on using the pumpkin puree right away, I recommend freezing it in easily measured quantities {like 1 cup, 2 cup, 3 cup or 4 cup quantities}. Another way that I freeze it is by measuring out the amount that a specific recipe would use, so this can be tweaked to meet your specific recipe needs.

*Note: A 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree contains approximately 1 3/4 cups. Likewise a 30 ounce can of pumpkin puree would contain about 3 1/2 cups total.

I also went ahead and made pumpkin pie filling and froze that in a quart size freezer bag as well. When you are ready to use the puree, or pumpkin pie mix, just place in a bowl in the fridge and allow to defrost. I also have defrosted the puree in the microwave, but wouldn’t recommend that for pumpkin pie filling!

If you are looking for some good pumpkin recipes to use your homemade pumpkin puree, here are a few of my favorites for you to try out: