Homemade Pumpkin Puree

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Follow these steps to create your own homemade pumpkin puree to use in pie, breads, and more! The process is incredibly easy, it just takes a little bit of time. A 4-pound pumpkin will yield about 2.5 cups of puree.

A dish of pumpkin puree, a spoon with pumpkin puree on it, a gray and white dish towel, and a small pumpkin sitting on a counter.

What You'll Need:

1 sugar pumpkin (sometimes called a pie pumpkin), 3.5-4 pounds

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the stem from your pumpkin. I found the easiest way to do this was with a cleaver, but if you don't have one, use a sharp knife and some muscle :)

The author using a cleaver to take the stem off a pumpkin

Step 2

Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds and guts. I used a cookie scoop for this job, but you could easily use a spoon as well. If you are the type of person who likes to save and roast your seeds, don't throw them away!

The author using a cookie scoop to scoop the seeds and guts out of a pumpkin half

Step 3

Place your pumpkin halves cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easier clean-up. Roast in oven for 45 minutes.

2 pumpkin halves sitting on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet

Step 4

After 45 minutes, check pumpkin halves with a skewer. If the skewer slides through the skin and flesh with no resistance, they are ready to flip. If you meet resistance, continue to roast, checking every 5 minutes until your skewer slides easily through.

Step 5

Flip pumpkin halves over and continue to roast for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before using a spoon to scoop the cooked flesh out of the pumpkin halves. Discard skin.