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How to Make Smooth Homemade Pumpkin Puree for Cooking and Baking

Homemade pumpkin puree tastes far better than store-bought, is easy to make, and fills your kitchen with cozy fall aromas.

We found several small pumpkins at the store—some plain, some painted. The paint doesn’t affect the inside, so I picked up the painted ones too. The skin is discarded, so they worked perfectly for puree.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree in a white ramekin with a pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and a jar of Homemade Pumpkin Puree sitting behind it on a white towel that says hello pumpkin

My family didn’t keep many pumpkins around when I was a kid. We rarely carved them because the kids didn’t like touching the insides and my mom didn’t want to clean up the mess. Neither of my parents loved pumpkin flavor, so I only recently began exploring all the ways pumpkin can be used—pumpkin spice treats, pies, coffees, soups, cheesecakes, and roasted or salted seeds. It’s impressive how versatile a single vegetable can be, and most of it is edible; scraps can be composted so nothing goes to waste.

3 Pumpkins sitting on a pumpkin plate on a counter.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients:

  • At least 1 pumpkin

That’s it—simple and straightforward.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. While it warms, cut the top off the pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy insides. You can scoop them out with your hands, a spoon, or a pumpkin-carving scooper.

a pumpkin with the top cut off and the seeds and guts taken out and put into a glass measuring cup sitting on a wooden cutting board.

Once the pumpkin is cleaned, place it on a baking sheet (lining with aluminum foil makes cleanup easier). Put the pumpkin top back on and bake. Cooking time depends on size: small pumpkins (about two cups tall) take roughly 1 hour, while larger pumpkins may take up to 2 hours or until fork-tender.

3 pumpkins sitting on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil

After baking, let the pumpkin cool for 10–15 minutes before handling. If you peel them too soon you risk burning your fingers—wait until they’re cool enough to touch safely.

3 pumpkins after coming out the oven sitting on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil

When cool, the skin should peel off easily. Remove it and put the pumpkin flesh into a blender. Pumpkin contains a lot of water, so drain excess liquid before blending if possible. Blend until smooth with no chunks remaining.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree in a blender

Store the puree in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for short-term use, or freeze portions for longer storage. Use this puree in pies, breads, soups, coffee, cheesecake, and any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree with a pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and a jar of Homemade Pumpkin Puree sitting be hind it.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Additional Time
1 hour
Total Time
2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • at least 1 pumpkin

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Cut the top off the pumpkin(s), remove the seeds and guts, replace the top, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour for small pumpkins; larger pumpkins may need up to 2 hours or until fork tender.
  3. Let cool 10–15 minutes. Peel the skin off, add the flesh to a blender, drain excess liquid if needed, and blend until smooth.
  4. Store in a jar or airtight container.

Notes

My pumpkins were about as tall as a 2-cup measuring cup and cooked in an hour. If your pumpkins are much larger, plan on around 2 hours or until the flesh is fork tender. The skin should peel away easily when properly cooked.

© Grace Hayes

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