Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin purée is a very versatile ingredient that can be used in cakes, sauces, and many other dishes. It’s well worth keeping in your pantry, especially during autumn. Making homemade pumpkin purée is incredibly easy. But which pumpkin should you use? Which variety is best? What are the differences between Hokkaido, butternut, and common pumpkins? Below, I’ve put together a quick comparison to help you choose the right pumpkin for your recipe.
- Hokkaido pumpkin – deep orange colour, the thickest purée, and the most versatile option. It adds a beautiful colour and a distinct pumpkin flavour to your dishes. It’s perfect for sauces, soups, cakes, muffins, quick breads, fritters, pancakes, waffles, dumplings, and as a filling for Polish pierogi. Hokkaido pumpkin has an edible skin, but I still recommend peeling it before roasting to achieve a perfectly smooth purée.
- Butternut squash – produces a creamy, buttery purée that is less firm than Hokkaido pumpkin purée but still nice and thick. Its colour ranges from bright yellow to orange. The flavour is milder, but still noticeable in dishes. It adds sweetness and a velvety texture, making it ideal for sauces, soups, tarts, and cheesecakes.
- Common pumpkin – the most popular variety in our gardens and shops. It has yellow flesh and the mildest flavour of the three. The purée is also the thinnest because the flesh contains a lot of water. After roasting, it’s a good idea to leave the pumpkin in a sieve for a few hours to drain off any excess liquid that continues to seep out. It’s excellent for soups and can also be used in sauces, although it contributes more to their colour and texture than to their flavour. It’s not suitable for dumplings.
Recipe variations:
This is a basic recipe for versatile pumpkin purée that you can use in many different ways. You can also make flavoured versions, such as:
- Pumpkin purée with roasted garlic and bell peppers.
- Pumpkin purée with sugar and vanilla, perfect for cakes and desserts. The added sugar also helps preserve the purée.
- Pumpkin spice purée with warming spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice, anise).
Why should you roast pumpkin for purée?
When pumpkin is roasted at a high temperature, its natural sugars caramelise, giving it a wonderful sweetness and rich aroma. Roasting also helps remove excess moisture. Roasted pumpkin is much more flavourful than boiled pumpkin. Boiling causes the pumpkin to absorb water, resulting in a thinner purée with less flavour. If you don’t want to make roasted pumpkin purée straight away, you can freeze raw or roasted pumpkin in pieces instead.
How to make roasted pumpkin purée?
Cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces and remove the seeds and stringy pulp. Peel the pumpkin, preferably using a vegetable peeler, then place it in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F). Roast for approximately 1 hour, or until tender. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender or a countertop blender.
How much pumpkin purée will I get from 1 kg of pumpkin?
It all depends on the variety, the size of the seed cavity, the thickness of the skin, and how much water the pumpkin contains. From 1 kg of raw pumpkin, you can expect to get approximately 700 g of purée from Hokkaido pumpkin, 600 g from butternut squash, and 500 g from common pumpkin.
- Hokkaido pumpkin – 70% of the raw pumpkin’s weight.
- Butternut squash – 60% of the raw squash’s weight.
- Common pumpkin – 50% of the raw pumpkin’s weight.
How to store roasted pumpkin purée?
Roasted pumpkin purée can be frozen or preserved in jars using an appropriate canning method. Freshly made roasted pumpkin purée can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
What can you make with pumpkin purée?
You can use homemade roasted pumpkin purée to make a classic American pumpkin pie, which is especially popular during Thanksgiving. If you prefer Polish recipes, try pumpkin kopytka (Polish potato-style dumplings), which can be served as a savoury or sweet dish. If you love pasta, make pasta with a creamy pumpkin sauce or a cheesy pumpkin pasta bake. And if you have lots of pumpkin and aren’t sure what to do with it, a delicious pumpkin soup is always a great option. I also recommend the recipe for pumpkin risotto. These are just a few ideas for using homemade pumpkin purée.
Depending on the variety and size of the pumpkin, you can get anywhere from 400 g to as much as 800 g of pumpkin purée from 1 kg of raw pumpkin.
Follow the step-by-step recipe to learn how to make the best roasted pumpkin purée, and watch the video below for extra guidance.
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Pumpkin Puree
Video
Pumpkin Puree Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg pumpkin
- salt (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces, remove the seeds, and peel off the skin. Place the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put them into an oven preheated to 180°C (
356 °F) and bake for approximately 1 hour. Blend the roasted pumpkin. You can preserve the resulting purée by sealing it in jars.1 kg pumpkin, salt
Nutrition
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
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