The Easiest Homemade Pumpkin Puree Recipe

Guys, I mean serious business. My photos are even starting to shout at you in caps lock. Go and pick yourself a pumpkin right now and throw it in your oven. That's all it takes. I know you just bought a billion and a half cans of pumpkin for all the pumpkin pies, soups, cookies, and breads that took over your brain as soon as the first leaf changed color. Take them all back to the store. You will never need them again.

It's hard to find a good pie pumpkin here in Germany. I've seen many a beautiful Kürbis (as they call call pumpkins around here), but not many Pumpkins that look like the American ones I know. Finally I spotted this bad boy..

I was so excited, I stabbed it.

Actually, that's all you have to do before you throw it in the oven. Just stab a few holes for  ventilation and throw it on a pan. No cutting. No peeling. Trust me.

Bake it at 350ºF or 180ºC (yes I've finally been forced to start doing Celsius conversions for you) for about an hour or until it's tender when you poke it with a fork.

Wait for it to cool a little so you don't burn your hands off and then slice the whole pumpkin in half.

Scoop all the seeds and guts out. You can roast the seeds too. I was going to, but... well, they sat on the counter for two days and started smelling like a million dirty dishrags that hadn't been washed for a century, so that plan was kind of ruined.

Or maybe that actually was the smell of a million dirty dishrags on my counter that I haven't washed for a century... hmmm....

Use a spoon to scoop all the flesh off of the skin and into your food processor.

After a quick whirl in there, you're good to go.

I think the best plan is to keep it in the refrigerator in a tupperware. I'm sure you could freeze it too.

My pumpkin was really big so it made a ton of purée. I think for every pound of pumpkin, you'll probably get about a cup of purée.

Also, if you're converting from recipes that call for a can, the small can (15 oz.)= 1 3/4 cup pumpkin purée and the big can (29 oz.)= 3 1/2 cups.

• • The Easiest Homemade Pumpkin Purée
  • Buy your pumpkin. A "pie pumpkin" is best. Every pound of pumpkin will be about a cup of purée.
  • Stab about 3-6  holes with a sharp knife around the top of the pumpkin for ventilation.
  • Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment for about an hour.
  • When the pumpkin is very tender when poked with a fork and the skin is dark, it's done.
  • Allow the pumpkin to cool slightly and then slice the whole thing in half.
  • Scoop out all the guts and seeds with a spoon.
  • Scoop all the flesh into your food processor with a spoon.
  • Purée until smooth.
  • If you have excess moisture, it will gather in the container and you can pour it off after it has been refrigerated overnight (as you can see it was beginning to gather at the edges of my bowl).
  • Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It should keep for about a week. You can also freeze it. It should keep in the freezer for a few months.
  • Replace in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin.
  • 1 small can of pumpkin (15 oz.)= 1 3/4 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1 big can of pumpkin (29 oz.)= 3 1/2 cups.