How to Make Pumpkin Puree to Use in Your Recipes

Yep, it's possible to make pumpkin pie and other pumpkin goodies without opening a can. Our Test Kitchen pros love cooking fresh pumpkin for fresh pumpkin puree that showcases the natural sweetness of the fruit. Once you learn how to cook fresh pumpkin (promise, it's easy!), you can put local produce to delicious use in sweet and savory recipes. While roasting is the best method to amplify the flavor and caramelize the sugars in pumpkin, you can hit fast-forward on cooking fresh pumpkin by doing so in the microwave. We'll explain how to cook fresh pumpkin both ways.

How Many Cups in a Can of Pumpkin, Really?

Fifteen ounces of canned pumpkin is just shy of 2 cups (16 ounces would be 2 cups). By comparison, a 3-pound pie pumpkin will likely give you enough puree for a recipe that calls for a can of pumpkin.

After cooking and draining a pumpkin, this is about what to expect from a typical cooking pumpkin transformed into fresh pumpkin puree:

• 2½ pound pie pumpkin = 1¾ cups puree
• 3½ pound pie pumpkin = 2½ cups puree
• 6 pound carving pumpkin = 2¾ cups puree
• 5 pound round pumpkin = 3⅓ cups puree

How to Select the Best Pumpkin for Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Small, bright, and vibrant-colored pumpkins that are deep orange with few green spots or blemishes are best for cooking fresh pumpkin. Buy one from a local pumpkin patch or farmers market, or discover how to grow your own! Our Test Kitchen recommends pie pumpkins for their sweetness over carving pumpkins, but if you're carving pumpkins and don't want to waste anything, they will work, too. Whichever type of pumpkin you plan to buy, look for those that are heavy for their size and store them in a cool place up to a month.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Now that you've got your pumpkin picked out, it's time to make the pumpkin puree recipe to use in any dish you would use canned pumpkin. Here's how to do it in the oven.

Step 1: Bake Pumpkin

 Preheat oven to 375°F. Clean your pumpkin for cooking. Scrub pumpkins thoroughly. Cut pumpkins into 5×5-inch pieces. Remove and discard seeds and strings (save seeds for roasting, if desired). Arrange pieces, rind sides up, in a single layer in foil-lined baking pans.

Step 2: Remove Rind

Bake, covered, until tender, 1 to 11/2 hours. When cool enough to handle, scoop pulp from rind into a food processor or blender. Cover and process until smooth.

Step 3: Strain

Spoon puree into a fine-mesh sieve (if you like, line the sieve with a double layer of 100%-cotton cheesecloth). Let stand 1 hour to drain. Lightly press puree to remove any additional liquid; discard liquid.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Filling

Prepare as directed through Step 3. In a large bowl combine 7 cups strained pumpkin puree, 3 cups packed brown sugar, 5 tsp. ground cinnamon, 4 tsp. ground ginger, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground cloves, and, if you like, 1 tsp. orange zest. Divide filling into four portions (about 2 cups each).

How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Fresh pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin pie filling can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container up to 3 days or stored in the freezer up to 6 months. Be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the container or zip-top bag before freezing your fresh pumpkin puree. To use, thaw in refrigerator.

How to Use Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin pie recipes are a stellar option, of course! Beyond that, we like to use fresh pumpkin puree in Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies, and so much more.

Now that you're a pro at making fresh pumpkin puree, you can mix things up with canned and fresh as your timeline allows. It's no longer just for fall once you have some in the freezer and the pantry. So are you ready to pump up your menu all year long? We sure are!