Sugar pumpkins are so plentiful (and affordable) during the fall and they make the BEST pumpkin puree!
Canned pumpkin can be spendy – usually $1.50 – $2 on sale for a 15 oz can. But making it homemade is so much more afforable! I was able to get 3.5 cups (or 28 oz) of fresh pumpkin puree from my smallish sugar pumpkin. So nearly twice the pumpkin puree for the same price.
Is it worth the extra hassle? That’s up to you. I did like the “roasted” flavor and also knowing that it’s fresh and free of extra preservatives.
- 1 sugar pumpkin
- Cut the stem off the top of the pumpkin. Be very careful and use a sharp knife – it can be tricky to cut into the tough skin.
- Cut the whole pumpkin down the middle – right in half.
- Scoop out all the seeds inside.
- Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and lay pumpkin halves facedown on pan. Cover with another layer of tin foil. Bake, covered, in the oven at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Once cool to touch, peel the skin off the top. I found it easier to find the little air pockets under the skin and start from that area. It was incredibly easy to peel the skin off.
- Toss into food processor and puree until smooth.
- Spoon into zipped baggies and flatten for the freezer! I bagged mine in 1 cup amounts, so they’d be easy to measure for recipes. I used quart bags and they worked just fine, but if you want less mess, go with the gallon size bag – it’s easier to fill if it’s big enough for the spoon.
I hear you can also roast the entire pumpkin in the oven – that you don’t even have to bother cutting the top off, cutting it in half and scooping out the seeds until AFTER it’s roasted. I will give that a try next time, but I was worried about having seeds and goop mixed in with the soft, cooked pumpkin.
The whole process took me about two hours – 10 minute prep to start, 1.5 hours in oven and 20 minutes to peel, puree and pop in the freezer. I’m not sure I’ll do this every time I need pumpkin puree but I think it’s certainly a good option and it will save you about 50% off.
Here’s the perfect recipe for your pumpkin puree – it’s Slow Cooker Turkey Pumpkin Chili and it’s delicious!
So tell me – have you done this before? What should I make with my pumpkin puree?
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