How to make homemade pumpkin puree
Fall is full of pumpkin filled recipes. Many of these will call for pumpkin puree as one of the ingredients. Get extra fancy by making your own homemade pumpkin puree instead of using the canned kind.
You can make it easily with this method for making pumpkin puree in an instant pot or pressure cooker.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of my links I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water
- 1 sugar or pie pumpkin
How to make Pumpkin Puree
1 – Wash the outside of your pumpkin then prepare it by cutting off the top and cleaning out the guts (seeds and stringy stuff), just like you would a carving pumpkin.
2 – Place a trivet inside your instant pot and then add one cup of water. Place the pumpkin on top of the trivet. You can discard the “lid” with the stem.
3 – Place the lid on and set to sealing.
Depending on your pot choose one of the following settings: high pressure, pressure cook, or manual. You’ll want a setting equivalent to high pressure.
Set the timer for 20 minutes.
4 – When the timer goes off do a quick release.
5 – Carefully insert a fork inside the pumpkin and press into the flesh. If it goes in easily your pumpkin is ready, if not replace the lid and cook it for a few more minutes.
Cooking time will vary based on the size and thickness of the pumpkin so if you feel you have a larger or thicker pumpkin you can set your timer for a few extra minutes.
Since you’re going to puree it, it won’t hurt for it to be a little more done.
6 – Remove the skin and then blend it in a food processor or blender into a puree.
What kind of pumpkin should I use?
For baking you’ll need a sugar or pie pumpkin, not the ones you grab at the pumpkin patch for carving.
They are smaller and a bit sweeter.
You may need to ask the produce person at your grocery store to see if they carry them.
Yield: How much puree will I get from one pumpkin?
There’s no way to know exactly as it depends on the size and thickness of your pumpkin and how much you lose cleaning out the inside and removing the skin.
A 2 lb pumpkin should give you 2-3 cups of pumpkin puree.
You can store the pumpkin puree in the refridgerator for a few days or freeze it in plastic bags or an airtight container for about 4 months.
What should I make with my puree?
You can use your freshly made pumpkin puree in any receipe that calls for pure canned pumpkin.
You can’t use it in place of canned pie mix as it has other ingredients added to it already.
Pumpkin Fluff is one of the most popular recipes on my blog in the fall!
I of course use the puree to make pumpkin pie which is my favorite to have at thanksgiving, smothered in whipped cream of course.
Happy Baking!
Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for more easy meal ideas and tag us with #easymommeals
