Two pumpkin halves face up exposing seeds with spoon and stem

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! FALL! The leaves are changing and the temps are getting cooler. It’s time for pumpkins and Halloween!

I picked up a tiny little organic pie pumpkin from a local farm called Norbury Acres.

I’m here to share with you instructions on how to make fresh pumpkin puree yourself in lieu of buying the cans.

Remember the great pumpkin shortage of 2010? No? Well, those cans were hard to come by back then. May we never have to experience that again!

What type of pumpkin do I need?

I used a small pie pumpkin that I got from a local farm. You can use small sugar pumpkins, too!

You can also do this same exact process with squash. My favorites include butternut and acorn squash.

What you need to make your own pumpkin puree from Scratch

The two most valuable tools for making pumpkin puree from scratch are a very sharp knife (Like this one, we love our knives!) and a food processor.

If you don’t have a food processor, you might have some trouble but you can try to mash it up with a potato masher or fork and do your very best!

Pro Tips for Making Pumpkin Puree

While blending the pumpkin into a puree with your food processor, if you need to add a bit of water to it, go for it.

I used the water I baked the halves in. It may be easier to blend that way.

This will also likely make the final puree a bit smoother.

Use a really sharp knife for this. If your knives suck, you should really consider buying a good set of knives.

It will be one of the best investments for your kitchen.

Black bowl with pumpkin seeds and pumpkin half face up

how do you store fresh pumpkin puree?

Freeze the pumpkin puree until you are ready to use it.

You can freeze it in a plastic freezer bag and lay it flat in the freezer.

If you are going to use it within a day or two, you can leave it in the fridge in a glass container with a lid.

a slice of pumpkin spice cheesecake with whipped cream and pecans on top.

WHAT TO MAKE WITH ALL THIS FRESH PUMPKIN PUREE?

I’m so glad you asked! I have so many pumpkin recipes for you to try out.

I suppose at one point, I went a little pumpkin spice crazy like the rest of the world.

I’m here to say: it’s okay to be basic sometimes.

Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin spice recipes:

A stack of pancakes with syrup being drizzled onto the top.

So what do you all call pumpkin insides?

Some people call it pulp, some membrane, some just call it pumpkin insides…But I will henceforth refer to pumpkin insides as pumpkin guts.

I really like saying pumpkin guts for some reason.

Two pumpkin halves face up exposing seeds with spoon and stem
Yield: 1 lb

Pumpkin Puree From Scratch

Making your own pumpkin puree couldn't be any easier! You can use this puree in place of any canned puree you can buy at the grocery store. Use it to make pumpkin spice pancakes or pumpkin malted milkshakes.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 ° F
  2. Cut open the top of the pumpkin and remove the stem.  Just like you would if you were going to carve the pumpkin. 
  3. Scoop out as much of the seeds and stringy bits as you can.
  4. Cut the pumpkin into two halves. You will need a really sharp knife for this. Turn the pumpkin over and started to slice it down the middle.
  5. Remove the remaining seeds that you may have missed
  6. Take the two pumpkin halves and place them face down in a baking dish and fill with 1 cup of water.
  7. Place them in the oven for 45 minutes or until the inside of the pumpkin is soft.
  8. After you take your pumpkin halves out of the oven, slice horizontal and vertical lines in the pumpkin halves.
  9. Turn out the pumpkin and remove the pumpkin pulp away from the shell with a knife and discard the shell.
  10. Place the pumpkin in the food processor and blend until smooth.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

5

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 10Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. You should spot check this information.

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