Name: Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4-6 pound pumpkin ((2-4 kilos)); water

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Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree, fast and easy with no additives. The better substitution to store bought. The Perfect How to make Pumpkin Puree without an oven recipe.

Ever since I came to Italy (over 20 years ago), and Autumn would come, all I would think about was Homemade Pumpkin Pie.

Of course my Italian friends and relatives had never heard of it and had never seen a Pumpkin, so there I was with my cravings of everything Pumpkin coming and going year after year.

Until believe it or not a few years ago, Halloween and everything Pumpkin became the rage, even my mother-in-law planted pumpkin seeds! And how those pumpkins grew. So I knew that my sweetest Pie desire, Pumpkin Pie was even closer.

And since I would never find Pureed Pumpkin in the can here, I decided to make my own Homemade Pumpkin Puree.

Different ways to make it

Boiling Method – Clean and chop pumpkin into one inch size pieces, place in large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, continue on a low boil until tender.
Then drain and place in a blender, and blend until smooth. Use in sweet or savory dishes.
Roasting Method – Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, then slice the pumpkin in half, be sure to cut crosswise through the stem then scoop out the seeds and strings.
Place the halves, cut-side down, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast uncovered, for approximately 40-60 minutes, or until tender. Let cool.
Roasted Pumpkin is already soft so you can mash it with a fork or puree it in a blender or food processor.
Be sure to use small sugar pumpkins for puree.

How to Store it

Place unused puree in glass or plastic container and refrigerate for up to 7 days. To freeze the puree place it in an airtight freezer safe container and it will last for 4-5 months in the freezer. A little liquid may separate, just stir it back into the puree.

And this is where this fast and easy method to make Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree comes in. Once you have made homemade there will be no going back to the canned stuff.

How to substitute with Pumpkin Puree

Just like you can substitute oil with Applesauce, well you can also do it using Pumpkin Puree.

Using it as a substitute for oil, the ratio is one to one. In other words, one cup of oil is simply replaced with one cup pumpkin puree.

To substitute pumpkin puree for butter, you would then multiply the amount of butter by 3/4. In other words If a recipe calls for one cup, use 3/4 cup puree in its place.

If that seems too drastic a change and you do like some butter in a recipe, then why not do a half and half substitution?

Is Pumpkin good for you?

Pumpkin is a great source of potassium and beta-carotene. It also contains some minerals including calcium and magnesium, as well as vitamins E, C and some B vitamins. So yup Pumpkin is very good for you!

What to make with Homemade Pumpkin Puree:

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Cinnamon Cake

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Gelato

Pumpkin Focaccia Bread with Black Olives

and more to come!

This is pure Pumpkin Puree, no additives no salt just plain old Pumpkin. Now just imagine all the recipes you can make?! Enjoy!