Get rid of the canned stuff and learn how to make homemade pumpkin puree! It's easy and your result will be fresh and ready for all your pumpkin recipes.
Snap or cut off the stems and cut each pumpkin in half. Be careful when doing these steps! To make it a little safer, slice off the top or bottom of each pumpkin to create a flat and more stable surface to cut the pumpkins).
Place the halves on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350º for about an hour or until a fork slides through easily.
Remove from the oven and let them sit to cool. When they have cooled off, flip them over and scoop out the insides with a spoon.
Place the insides into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
Refrigerate your puree or separate it into 1 cup portions, place into freezer safe containers and freeze.
Notes
I always process two pumpkins at a time because that is the size of the baking sheet I bake them on. Feel free to do more if you have the space.
Be sure that your baking sheet has raised edges because the pumpkins release a lot of moisture while baking.
Depending on the size of your pumpkins and how many you bake, the amount of pumpkin puree you end up with will vary. The two pumpkins (shown above) gave me 5 ¼ cups or puree.
Homemade pumpkin puree will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and a half.
Homemade pumpkin puree will keep in the freezer for 6-8 months if it's stored in proper, freezer-safe packaging.
Calorie count is for 1 cup of the finished puree and is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here to learn how nutrition info is determined on this website.