Homemade pumpkin purée is a beautiful addition to both sweet and savoury harvest recipes! Easy to make, it tastes so much better than canned.
Photos by Sophie MacKenzie
This post first appeared October 18, 2018, and was last updated October 6, 2021.
Though it works in a pinch, we’re not huge fans of pre-made pumpkin pie filling. Canned pie filling can be overly sweet, and sometimes too heavy on the pumpkin spice. Pies made with homemade pumpkin purée are something special.
We use whole sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie pumpkins. We scoop out the insides, then roast and purée the flesh for a flavour that’s naturally sweet and rich. To use homemade pumpkin purée in recipes, we add just enough spice to warm the mouth and compliment the earthy roasted pumpkin. Making purée from scratch is easy, doesn’t take long, and freezes well so you can enjoy it all year long.
Look for sugar pumpkins at the market or grocery store when you see them. Keep in mind, especially if you’re shopping at a farmers market, there may be other varieties available to experiment with! Ask your local produce managers, or farmers what kind of pumpkins they recommend for roasting.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
One small sugar pumpkin—Sugar pumpkins are also called pie pumpkins or baking pumpkins. Because they are smaller than your typical jack-o-lantern pumpkin, they retain a sweetness that’s perfect for baking.
Method
Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a large, sharp knife, carefully cut the sugar pumpkin in half, from top to bottom. Avoid slicing through the stem as it is tough and awkward to cut through.
Using a sturdy spoon, scoop the seeds and stringy flesh out of the pumpkin into a bowl.
Scoop the cavity of the pumpkin until it is clean, as if you are scooping out the inside of a jack o’lantern. Discard the stringy bits and keep the seeds to make these Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!
Set the pumpkin halves, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
Place the sheet in the oven and bake the pumpkin until it’s tender and the skin can be pierced easily with a fork. If the skin is too tough to pierce through, return the pumpkin to the oven and continue to roast until the skin is soft and a fork pokes through easily.
Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Once it’s cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop the pumpkin flesh away from the skin.
Place the roasted pumpkin flesh in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.
Purée the roasted pumpkin until smooth then scoop it into a container with an airtight lid. Store the homemade pumpkin purée in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for several months.
Tips & Notes
To use homemade pumpkin purée for savoury recipes, rub the cut edges and the inside of the pumpkin halves lightly with olive oil. Top with a sprinkle of salt and pepper before roasting.
If you have room in your oven, roast two pumpkins at once to double the recipe.
Use potato masher or potato ricer if you don’t have a food processor or blender.
Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, homemade chai spice, or cardamom pumpkin pie spice directly to the pumpkin when you purée it if you like.
Substitutions
This roasting method works with any pumpkin or squash.
What To Make With Pumpkin Purée
Homemade Pumpkin Mousse (Easy, No Gelatin)
Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Loaf With Maple Drizzle
Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Latte
Pasta With Pumpkin Purée, Roasted Mushrooms, And Herbs
Pumpkin & Cranberry Cardamom Muffins (dairy-free)
Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
Recipe
Homemade Pumpkin Purée
Description
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- sharp knife
- Scoop or spoon
- Wire rack
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 small sugar pumpkin, 750g to 1 kg (also called pie or baking pumpkin)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a large, sharp knife, carefully cut the sugar pumpkin in half, from top to bottom. Avoid slicing through the stem as it is tough and awkward to cut through.
- Using a sturdy spoon, scoop the seeds and stringy flesh out of the pumpkin into a bowl.
- Continue to scoop the cavity of the pumpkin until it is clean, as if you are scooping out the inside of a jack o'lantern.
- Discard the stringy bits and keep the seeds to make these Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!
- Set the pumpkin halves, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the sheet in the oven and bake the pumpkin for 40 to 45 minutes until it's tender and the skin can be pierced easily with a fork. If the skin is too tough to pierce through, return the pumpkin to the oven and continue to roast until the skin is soft and a fork pokes through easily.
- Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
- Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop the pumpkin flesh away from the skin.
- Place the roasted pumpkin flesh in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.
- Purée the roasted pumpkin until smooth then scoop it into a container with an airtight lid. Store the homemade pumpkin purée in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for several months.
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