Once you learn how easy it is to make your own homemade pumpkin puree, you may never go back to the canned stuff again!
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Wanna know the secret to a stellar pumpkin baked good this time of year? Secret’s out and it’s not from a can.
Homemade pumpkin puree pretty much takes the cake (pun not intended) for pumpkin goodies where you can actually taste ALL the pumpkin goodness! Fall is too short to not be baking with the best and lucky for us, it’s also easy as heck to make!
So let’s talk pumpkin puree and the fact that HOMEMADE pumpkin puree is pretty much my new favorite thing on the planet. Soon to be yours!
This Pumpkin Puree Features…
- A perfectly creamy texture
- Rich pumpkin flavor that works very well in baked goods
- An easy recipe that takes less than an hour to make
Making the Pumpkin Puree
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Sugar (sometimes called pie) pumpkin
- Salt
Equipment You Will Need
- Chef’s knife and cutting board
- Sheet pan for roasting
- Blender or food processor
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Puree
- Take care when cutting pumpkin – use a chef’s knife to cut from the bottom of the pumpkin all the way up and do not try to cut through the stem. Wiggle the pumpkin apart with your hands until it separates in half.
- Remove all the pumpkin seeds – you can save the seeds for roasting later or discard them.
- Season pumpkin with a pinch of salt – you don’t need a lot of salt, just a pinch will bring out the pumpkin’s flavor.
- Roast pumpkin halves at 400F – depending on the size of your pumpkin this could take anywhere from 40-50 minutes. The pumpkin is done when a paring knife easily goes through the flesh.
- Blend pumpkin flesh – you can use a blender or food processor for pureeing the pumpkin smooth.
Storing and Freezing Pumpkin
This pumpkin puree stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days. You can also freeze portions up to 2 months.
Ways to Use Pumpkin Puree
- Pumpkin Spice Scones
- Best Pumpkin Pie
- Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- Spiced Pumpkin Bars
- Baked Pumpkin Ziti
- Caramel Pumpkin Spice Latte
Save this recipe for later using the ‘save to recipe box’ button. If you make it, please let me know by leaving a comment + star rating below the recipe card. This only takes moments and helps support my website so much!
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 (3-5 lb) sugar pumpkin
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Use a chef's knife to cut the pumpkin in half, starting at the bottom and working your way up (do not try to cut through the stem). Once you get to the top, use your hands to pry the pumpkin apart.
- Scoop the seeds out of pumpkin halves and discard (or save for roasting). Season pumpkin halves with a pinch of salt and place flesh-side down on prepared sheet pan.
- Roast pumpkin at 400F 40-50 minutes until pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a paring knife. Allow pumpkin to cool.
- Once pumpkin is cooled, peel the skin off of the flesh and discard. Place the pumpkin in a food processor or blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 10/15/26.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Oh this is great, Sarah! I’ve never even thought to make my own pumpkin puree. I love your tips! I’m totally going to try this out soon. Sounds way better than the canned kind!
Sarah says
It’s almost insane how much better it is then the canned stuff!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
This is so great! I like to buy pumpkins AFTER halloween, when they are on sale so cheap! Usually to make Shawn roasted seeds. But now I can also make my own puree!
Sarah says
Oh, I’m totally going to stock up on pumpkins after this weekend then! Genius. 😀
annie says
This does look so easy! I have always wanted to make my own, but never wanted to go through the trouble of “fighting” with the pumpkin. Now I see that there’s really not much fight involved at all. My regular blender is too small to handle all of this at once, but my immersion blender would be perfect for the job.
P.S. great photo
Sarah says
Homemade pumpkin puree so much easier then most people think! And well worth the little effort. 😉 And yes! An immersion blender would work great. Let me know how it turns out, Annie!
marcie says
This looks SO much prettier than the stuff out of the can! I made it myself a couple of times and really does taste better. Great how-to photos — I love how-to’s! Can’t wait to see what else you’ve learned at school! 🙂
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Yay I love seeing your How-To’s 🙂 Homemade pumpkin puree totally beats the stuff out of the can! So gorgeous!
Sarah says
Homemade absolutely beats all else, right?? Thanks girl!
Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen says
I followed your steps last night and made my own pumpkin puree for the first time! And now I’ve got a totally from scratch pumpkin pie baking in my oven! 🙂 Great tutorial, Sarah! The step by step photos make it so easy to follow!
Sarah says
Yeah! I’m so happy to hear that you love the puree, Kristine! Don’t you just feel the urge to make ALL the pumpkin things now?? 😀
Martha says
Hi, Sarah! I tried this last week and the result was good. The color was appealing and gorgeous.
Sarah says
There’s no color quite like homemade pumpkin puree, right? Glad you enjoyed, Martha! 🙂