Easy Ways to Bake, Roast, and Purée Pumpkin
Here’s how to clean and cook pumpkins two different ways. Plus, if you’re cooking your own pumpkins, it’s just one more step to make homemade pumpkin purée! Enjoy the fall flavor and healthy goodness of fresh pumpkin!
Picking the Right Pumpkin
Before you get to cooking, it’s important to pick the right pumpkin for the job.
- The “sugar pumpkin” or the “pie pumpkin” is the most popular cooking pumpkin. You’ll see these in the grocery store in the fall.The are rounder and smaller than regular carving pumpkins. The flesh is sweeter and less stringy than a decorative carving pumpkin, too.
- Another pumpkin that’s great for cooking is the Japanese Kabocha pumpkin, which has a bright orange color. It is sweeter and more flavorful than the sugar pumpkin and has a fluffy texture.
Note that all pumpkins are edible! The Jack-O’-lantern pumpkins tend to be stringer, less sweet, and have a higher moisture content than the smaller sugar (pie) pumpkin, but they can still be cooked and eaten.
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Storing Pumpkins
To store pumpkins that you’re not going to cook right away, keep them cool but not quite as cool as root crops. If you have a coolish bedroom, stashing them under the bed works well (just don’t forget about them). A mudroom, garage, or cool basement will also work. They keep best at a temperature of about 50° to 65ºF (10° to 18°C).
How to Cook a Pumpkin
Baking Pumpkin
Baking a pumpkin is as simple as cleaning it, cutting it into chunks, and sticking it in the oven.
- Heat oven to 325ºF (168°C).
- Scrub the outside of the pumpkin with a vegetable brush to remove any visible dirt.
- Cut off the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half (from top to bottom). Use a spoon to scrape out any fibers and seeds out of each half. A serrated grapefruit spoon or an ice cream scoop work great for this. Clean and save the seeds for roasting, if you like.
- Cut the pumpkin halves into smaller chunks, then place the pieces skin-side up in a shallow baking dish with a lid.
- Add water to just cover the bottom of the dish, and cover tightly.
- Bake in oven for about 1 hour or until the pumpkin is fork tender. The time could be more or less depending on the size of your pieces, so keep an eye on them. If in doubt, cook longer; you won’t hurt the pumpkin.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes, and then either cut off the peel or scoop out the flesh.
Roasting Pumpkin
It’s even easier to roast the pumpkin at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, which brings out that caramelized taste. Here’s how:
- Heat oven to 400ºF (205°C).
- Scrub the outside of the pumpkin with a vegetable brush to remove any visible dirt.
- Cut off the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half (from top to bottom). Use a spoon to scrape out any fibers and seeds out of each half. A serrated grapefruit spoon or an ice cream scoop work great for this. Clean and save the seeds for roasting, if you like.
- Place the pumpkin cut-side down on a baking sheet lined in parchment paper.
- Bake 35 to 50 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and nearly collapsing.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes, and then either cut off the peel or scoop out the flesh.
Making Fresh Pumpkin Purée
This step takes 5 minutes: Simply purée the cooked pumpkin chunks in a food processor until smooth! That’s it! Use your homemade pumpkin purée within a few days. Or freeze it in giant freezer bags for later use.
(Note: If your purée is too dry, add water. If it’s too watery, strain it through cheesecloth or over a fine mesh strainer.)
There’s certainly no harm in using canned pumpkin; the main difference is texture. Homemade purée is lighter in texture, fresher, and more vegetal. Canned pumpkin taste will taste predominantly of the spices added. We enjoy using homemade purée as a base for soups, in pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin dip, and more.
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Don’t let those pumpkin seeds go to waste! They make a tasty snack when seasoned and roasted. Check out our roasted pumpkin seed recipe here.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Not sure what to do with all that pumpkin? See our favorite pumpkin recipes!
Catherine Boeckmann
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Trying to make things easy here…..
After removing seeds and baking in oven for about 1 hour (and cooling period), take each half and slice them like you would a cantaloupe….more manageable pieces. Now you can take each SMALLER slice and cut the pulp right down to the rind….much, much easier than trying to scrape each larger half. After slicing each smaller section, cut up into 1”- 2” pieces and toss into your blender/food processor to purée. Once the purée is ready, measure out two (2) cups into a FREEZER ZIP LOCK BAG. Then toss them in your freezer. This is about the right quantity for pies, breads, muffins, etc…
Seriously you couldn't include Celsius?
Hi Harry-
Thanks for your feedback! I have updated the article to include Celsius information as well. You can also always refer to our Temperature Conversion Calculator.
Hi,
Another way I cooked pumpkins is by boiling them. It seems quicker, but you need to drain well or the pie comes out with too much moisture.
Each has it own flavor. My wife likes boiled pumpkins for her pies while I think baked gives the pie a more robust flavor.
I love any squash . This year I tried a small pie pumpkin in my air fryer. 24 minutes and done . Made my bread and loved it . Happy Fall everyone
This is my second year of growing Jack o Lantern. I have an old carpet on top of my compost bin that is still maturing. I start a pumpkin seed indoors in a large pot with holes in the bottom. Once the frost has passed I sink the pot through the hole in the carpet with the rim just above the carpet. The compost provides warmth, nutrients, and moisture for the whole season. Only very occasionally do I have to water it. The carpet keeps the fruit off the soil.
This Almanac article suggests you can use the same pumpkin to carve and to make into puree. Actually, the puree pumpkin is smaller, round and better in texture and flavor; while the carving for decoration pumpkin is more like a gourd - fibrous and poor in flavor. You should not recommend eating the large jack 0 lantern pumpkins.
We have used the jack-o-lantern pumpkin for both with no noticeable difference either. I suspect the jack-o-lantern ones may get more spray than the pumpkin pie variety though...
I've been cooking my jack-o-lantern after using it as a Halloween decoration for years; it makes great pies, cakes, breads, soup, etc. and I've not had any complaints about it. I have grown pie pumpkins too and haven't found any difference in flavour or texture.
Thank you for your comment. We’ve edited the article to make it more clear that folks should be using pie pumpkins!
