“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” -Linus Van Pelt
Roast your pumpkin for a fresh pumpkin puree that adds great flavor and freshness to all your fall treats.
Sugar baby pumpkins have the best flavor with flesh that is a little drier than the larger pumpkins but any pumpkin will work just fine. The trick is to roast the pumpkins cut side down so excess juice is allowed to seep out of the pumpkin.
Once the pumpkin is pureed it is a good idea to allow the puree to drain as well.
These steps will ensure your pumpkin puree is not too runny to make delicious pies, cakes, cookies and treats with.
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds: Don’t waste those precious pumpkin seeds, roast them instead
As long as you are going to the trouble of making your own delicious puree, why not buy a few extra pumpkins and put some puree away in the freezer for later.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Whiskey Butter Sauce
You will be glad you did.
- Pumpkin
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Cut pumpkin in half and clean out all the fibrous innards and pumpkin seeds. (set seeds aside for roasting)
- Rinse inside of pumpkin and set halves cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easier clean up).
- Roast pumpkins in oven for 25-35 minutes in oven until pumpkin shell is easily pierced with a fork and pumpkin is soft.
- Allow pumpkin to cool until easy to handle keeping pumpkin cut side down while cooking to allow any juice from the pumpkin to drain onto baking sheet.
- Once pumpkin is cool, gently scrape all flesh from the pumpkin shell into a bowl.
- Run pumpkin through food meal or mash by hand for desired consistency.
- Place finished pumpkin in sieve lined with cheese cloth and place sieve over bowl to allow pumpkin to drain excess juice from puree.
- Allow pumpkin to drain for a couple hours.
- Place in refrigerator if using in the next couple days or freeze in 1 to 2 cups portions for later use.
- The small can of puree bought in the store is 15 oz. or a little less than 2 cups. When freezing my pumpkin I like to freeze portions in a 1 cup size. I can always grab 2 when I am making pies, but have the option of using less for cookies or bread with a 1 cup portion.
- Be sure to save all that pumpkin juice that drains from the pumpkin. It is great for added nutrients in breads, soups, and stocks.
[ois skin=”pure grace”]
pumpkin puree is also good for dogs – helps add a bit of fiber and vitas to their diet. I am going to try my own puree this year. I am going to check into canning it if that’s possible. Thanks for the instructions!!
Canning pumpkin puree is not recommended due to the surety of being able to kill all the toxins that could lead to botulism. You can process cubes of pumpkin or squash in a pressure canner but warnings stress not to mash them in any way. For me freezing is a lot less hassle and I can puree the pumpkin when I’m freezing so it is ready to use when I need it. Hope this gives you a little information that helps. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Shari