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Gourdness Gracious! How to Cook a Pumpkin

pile of orange pumpkins with the text, how to cook a pumpkin. pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie and roasting pumpkins
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Pumpkins make a great decoration during the fall months, but they are also quite tasty.

Here’s how to clean and cook pumpkins in two different ways. Plus, if you’re cooking your own pumpkins, it’s just one more step to make homemade pumpkin purée! Enjoy the 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.

  1. The “sugar pumpkin” or the “pie pumpkin” is the most popular cooking pumpkin. You’ll see these in the grocery store in the fall. They are smaller and more round than carving pumpkins. The flesh is sweeter and less stringy than a decorative carving pumpkin, too.
  2. Another pumpkin that’s great for cooking is the Japanese pumpkin (Kabocha squash), 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 stringier, less sweet, and have a higher moisture content than the smaller sugar (pie) pumpkin, but they can still be cooked and eaten. 

Storing Pumpkins 

To store pumpkins that you’re not going to cook right away, keep them cool—just not quite as much as root crops. If you have a bedroom on the cooler side, stashing them under the bed works well (just don’t forget about them). A mudroom, garage, or basement will also work. They keep best at a temperature between 50° to 60ºF (10° to 16°C).

Raw pumpkin slice

How to Cook a Pumpkin

Baking Pumpkin

Baking a pumpkin is as simple as cleaning it, cutting into chunks, and placing in the oven.

  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF (163°C).
  2. Scrub the outside of the pumpkin with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt.
  3. Cut off the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half (from top to bottom). Use a spoon to scrape out any fibers and seeds. A serrated grapefruit spoon or an ice cream scoop work great for this. Clean and save the seeds for roasting, if you’d like.
  4. Cut the pumpkin halves into smaller chunks, then place the pieces skin-side up in a baking dish with a lid.
  5. Add water to cover the bottom of the baking dish, and cover tightly.
  6. Bake in the 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.
  7. Let it cool for 10 minutes, and then either cut off the peel or scoop out the flesh.

Roasting Pumpkins

It’s even easier to roast a pumpkin at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, which brings out that caramelized taste. Here’s how:

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF (204°C).
  2. Scrub the outside of the pumpkin with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt.
  3. Cut off the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half (from top to bottom). Use a spoon to scrape out any fibers and seeds. A serrated grapefruit spoon or an ice cream scoop work great for this. Clean and save the seeds for roasting, if you’d like.
  4. Place the pumpkin cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake 35 to 50 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and nearly collapsing.
  6. 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 and fresher. Canned pumpkin will taste predominantly of the spices added. We enjoy using homemade purée in soups, 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!

Pumpkin Recipes

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>This Is Me</span> Fri, 09/25/2015 - 16:07
Why must we remove the seeds? Now if we're farmers and want to plant the next crop, I understand. But if not, does it alter the flavor to cook the whole pumpkin with the seeds inside?
<span>Robert Garson</span> Tue, 10/02/2012 - 15:55
Clean, cut, cook and mash as above but use your microwave oven. About twenty minutes on high then cool and remove peel and mash. Just did it!
<span>Diana Colon</span> Thu, 09/27/2012 - 19:05
How do you CAN the pumpkin? I would love to save some of the mashed puree pumpkin for relatives next year for summer.
<span>David C Long</span> Mon, 10/13/2014 - 17:05
I freeze it in bag using the food saver vac. Everyone thinks it's fresh when my wife bakes one for the 4th of Juy.
<span>Joan Van Zante</span> Tue, 10/02/2012 - 13:09
I put 3 cups of the puree into freezer ziplocks bags and freeze them. 3 cups will make 2 9" pies or 4 loaves of my pumpkin bread. It freezes well and if you flatten the out in the bags, they will stack nicely in the freezer.
<span>D. Smith</span> Wed, 10/05/2011 - 10:21
Just toss the whole, washed pumpkin into the oven, let it bake for a while (til softened a little) then take it out and cut the way you desire (around the top or cut the whole top off, or cut in half - whatever) and scoop out seeds (save them). Then add some spices and bake about an hour. Then stir around the inside of the pumpkin loosening the flesh but being careful not to poke a hole, and bake until completely tender. Divide into 2 cup servings and place into freezer bags. You can also add cream to the inside of the pumpkin after adding the spices, if you know you're going to be using the whole pumpkin right away. Depends on the size. This is the easiest way I've found to get pumpkin ready for pie filling.
<span>Sturnage</span> Wed, 10/03/2012 - 18:04
I too bake my pumpkin this and if it too large, i simply cut in half. Adding the spices does make your home spell great while cooking! Yummy I have already began this year!
<span>Terry</span> Thu, 10/20/2016 - 15:30
What do you do with the outside of the pumpkin once it is baked and how long on what temperature do you bake it at, please!!!??? Make puree out of the insides but what with the outside? How do you cook your seeds, or bake them? How do you clean the seeds? My understanding is that you can eat all of the pumpkin except the stem and the stuff around the seeds. Is this correct? I am trying this for the first time and read soooo many posts but this seems the easiest and healthiest but need to know a little more please. Thank you.