Create Delicious Pumpkin Recipes with Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin puree is exactly that: Pureed pumpkins! It consists of the flesh that has been cooked, then blended into a smooth mix. When you purchase pumpkin puree in the can, it should say 100% pumpkin as the only ingredient. Keep in mind that Pumpkin puree is NOT the same as pumpkin pie filling! You want to use pumpkin puree in all recipes calling for pumpkin. Pumpkin puree has no sweeteners or anything else added, whereas the pumpkin pie filling contains spices, sugar, and water. The purpose of pumpkin pie filling is as the name suggests - to use it directly into a pie so you don’t have to sweeten it yourself. However, it’s not customizable whereas pumpkin puree is. You can use pumpkin puree in desserts, drinks, pasta, and risotto! You cannot do that with pumpkin pie filling! If you’ve purchased pumpkin pie filling by mistake, either make a pie soon or give it as a gift or exchange it at the store (hopefully you’ve kept the receipt!). On the other hand, if you’ve purchased pumpkin puree, the possibilities are endless!

Yes, they mean the same thing! When a recipe calls for “pumpkin puree,” it usually refers to canned pumpkin puree. There is no difference at all, so don’t be confused!

Whenever a recipe calls for pumpkin puree, you can definitely use your own! In fact, it may make your final dish even more delicious than if you were to use the canned pumpkin puree! It’s all the same thing!

Depends on you! After doing this for the first time, I believe it is! All of the points mentioned above are convincing for me, especially the cost. If you were to plan to make a recipe calling for pumpkin last-minute, then unfortunately making your own puree will take a lot of time and it will delay you, especially if you have a dinner party where you need to make a pumpkin pie. However, if you’ve carved out some time (no pun intended!) to prepare this puree, then it’s really really worth it! For many recipes, making the puree would probably be the longest step. Once you have it, it’s just mixing pumpkin puree with other ingredients for whatever you need! Personally I really enjoyed making my own pumpkin puree, and I loved the taste of it. I made it for the first time when writing this recipe and I plan on doing it again later this week! Honestly, this helped spark my excitement for pumpkin because I’ve found the homemade pumpkin much more delicious!

Did you know that there are over 100 types of pumpkins? I honestly didn’t realize that until now! While they certainly aren’t all created equally, you can’t eat all of them too.

The pumpkin I’ve used here is called a small sugar pumpkin. They range from 5 to 8 pounds and are about 10 inches in diameter. While you may be tempted to use the big pumpkins you get at the pumpkin patches, the flesh is not the tastiest.

You want sweet and starchy pumpkins to make a pumpkin puree. If you’ve used a pumpkin that produces a watery puree, you’ll need to strain the excess moisture with a cheesecloth. I didn’t find the need to do that!

Here are my recommendations:

• Blue pumpkins: Blue doll, Blue Hubbarb, and Blue Jarrahdale are excellent for making pumpkin puree! The orange flesh makes them excellent for pies.
• Cinderella: They are also referred to as Rouge Vif d’Etampes. They are given the name “Cinderella” because these pumpkins look like Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. The moist flesh makes these pumpkins perfect to puree for pies.
• Dickinson Pumpkin: These are the pumpkins that are used in the canned pumpkins at grocery stores. They range from 10 to 40 pounds with a slightly round but elongated shape. They are about 18 inches long and 14 inches in diameter with a pale orange colour.
• Fairytale: Similar to the Cinderella pumpkins but slightly larger. These pumpkins contain sweet flesh perfect for pies and curries. They are a vibrant orange colour on the outside and have a deep orange flesh.
• Jack-o-Lantern: These are the typical large pumpkins you see at stores when fall rolls around. You can carve and cook them. They are medium-sized and slightly oblong-shaped.
• Jarrahdale: These are an Australian variety of pies, the ribbed blue-gray pumpkins are super sweet and are amazing for pies!
• Kabocha pumpkins: A Japanese type of pumpkin, they have a dark green skin and a firm yellow flesh that’s sweet. These are also common in India and Australia.
• Long Island cheese: A perfect option for pies. They are pale orange in colour, and the name comes from the pumpkins resembling a large cheese wheel!

To learn more about pumpkin varieties, check out this list.

No, it is highly recommended that you do not can pumpkin puree. Despite being acidic, according to the USDA, pumpkin puree is not acidic enough to can. Additionally should pumpkin butter, mashed pumpkin and winter squash should not be canned. You can only can pumpkin or winter squash that are cubed with the flesh on. There is a very specific process for this, so read more about canning pumpkins here if you’re interested.

One 2 pound sugar pumpkin should yield around 2 to 2 1/2 Cups of puree.