In this illustrated tutorial, I’ll show you how to make pumpkin puree + how to roast pumpkin seeds with an easy smoky sweet spice mix. Freezer friendly!
Roasting pumpkin, pureeing the flesh and roasting its seeds couldn’t be simpler. My favorite pumpkins to cook and bake with include sugar pie pumpkin (pictured below) or winter luxury pumpkin. I’ve included a tutorial on how to roast pumpkin and how to prepare and roast sweet and smoky pumpkin seeds. *Kabocha and butternut squash can be roasted the same as pumpkin, although I’ve not tried their seeds.
Use this luxurious puree in Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Scones with Candied Ginger, Pumpkin Chocolate Pecan Bread, Autumn Spice Smoothie, Pumpkin Granola and Pumpkin Porridge!
How To Make Pumpkin Puree
Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the pumpkin in half. If saving the seeds, using a metal spoon and/or your hands, scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the seeds in a bowl of water. Set aside (see below for roasting seeds). If the seeds will not be saved, roast the pumpkin, or squash with the seeds and scoop them out after roasting. It’s much easier! Place pumpkins skin side up on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Roast for 50-60 minutes or until flesh is soft and fragrant.
After removing from the oven, allow the pumpkins to cool until they can be safely handled.
If you roasted the pumpkin with seeds, use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Otherwise, scoop out the flesh. Puree the flesh of one pumpkin at a time in a high speed blender. Puree’ on low speed, then increase to high for about 20-30 seconds. Periodically, scrape the container down as the pumpkin really sticks to the side. Blend again for 30-40 seconds, stopping to scrape when needed. Blend until silky smooth or desired consistency is reached. Pumpkin can be pureed using a food processor as well.
I like to store my puree in freezer bags at 15 oz each. This is the same amount one would find in a can of pumpkin puree’. I’ve frozen my puree up to 4 months and have had good results.
An alternative freezing method that I’ve used is to freeze the puree’ in ice cube trays, pop the puree’ out when frozen and place in freezer bags. This is convenient when making smoothies or you need a smaller quantity of pumpkin.
For two sugar pie pumpkins I yielded three freezer bags of 15 oz each.
Use this luxurious puree in Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Scones with Candied Ginger, Pumpkin Chocolate Pecan Bread, Autumn Spice Smoothie, Pumpkin Granola and Pumpkin Porridge!
Pictured below, on the right, is a winter luxury pumpkin.
How To Prepare and Roast Pumpkin Seeds
On to the seeds! I know, they can be such a stringy mess. But, I hope this method will take some of the frustration out of preparing pumpkin seeds.
The seeds you’re roasting will still have a seed coat on them, so they are chewy. The pepitas are inside that white seed coat. I don’t recommend peeling each seed, rather, the entire seed is to be enjoyed!
In the bowl of water with the pumpkin seeds, give them a good agitation. Swish them around! Discard the solids. Place the seeds in a colander to drain. Place seeds on a towel and cover with another towel. Blot dry. Be patient here, this takes a few minutes. As you continue to blot, some of the pumpkin solids will fall away.
Preheat or turn oven down to 300F. Place the dry seeds (they’ll still be a bit slippery) on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 Tbs of coconut oil over the seeds and use your hands to toss the seeds until they are all coated. I recommend about 1 Tbs of coconut oil per cup of seeds. Sprinkle the following spices for a smoky sweet blend (or create your own favorite blend!):
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbs Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Smoky Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
Toss with hands to distribute the seasoning. Roast seeds for about 30 minutes. Store in covered container.
It’s Fall, y’all! Enjoy the pumpkins!
I ended up chopping the pumpkin into semi circular slices! Can I still make the puree?
That’s fine. Just be sure to cover the pumpkin with foil before roasting, otherwise the exposed edges tend to dry out.
Made the roasted seeds with the seeds of a pumpkin we carved in my Early HeadStart class and sent them home with the kids they are a huge hit!! Thank you!!
I made both recipes. Yummy goodness!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Hi Cheryl! So glad to be of help! Thank you for sharing your success! :D
Homemade pumpkin pure is the best! I love making it! Thanks for the great step by step tutorial on roasting pumpkin seeds. They are a great healthy snack!
You are welcome, Mira! I hope you enjoy the seeds, healthy, yessss!
I seriously needed this post. I have not yet made ANYTHING with pumpkin yet. This definitely needs to change!
LOL! I can totally relate! I had been seeing so many pumpkin recipes and I thought, hello!!, it’s time to make some pumpkin recipes! SO glad this is helpful! :D
This was so handy Traci! I am bookmarking this for later. In the UK, pumpkin cans are very hard to come by – I have to buy mine online! So seeing this tutorial really inspires me to stop being a wimp and to just buy + prepare a whole pumpkin of my own…it’s so much cheaper and you sell it as being 10 x tastier too! Great photo’s, I’m Looking forward to making my own pumpkin puree!! :)
Hi Tash! Yes, tasty indeed! So glad you have pumpkins available too! Go for it! I think you’ll love the results!
Tracy, thanks a lot for this post. Although I live in the biggest city in Canada I found it is so hard to find can pure pumpkins here. I don’t know why. So, now I can make my own, which it is better because it is chip and healthier too ;-)
Oh yeah, Olivia, if you can get fresh, whole, pumpkins, DO IT! You’ll love the flavor!
What a fantastic tutorial! I ADORE pumpkin seeds and fresh roasted pumpkin. Love the versatility of them. You can make them savoury or sweet and use them in SO many recipe. Nice one, Traci! P.S. I need a silpat ASAP. So chef-y!!!
Hi Allison! Thank you! LOL! Chef-y! Get yourself a silpat. You’ll love it!
Oooh, I’ve never roasted my own pumpkin seeds before! This looks delightful and I’d love to try!
Hi Carla! Oh you should try it! These are not like the green pepitas purchased from the store. These have the seed coat on, so they are a bit tough and chewy. I love them, however, Rob does not. I like the process of eating these little morsels from chewing on them, enjoying the seasonings and then getting to the actual pepita inside. I hope you enjoy the recipe, Carla!
This is awesome Traci!! I’m embarassed to admit that I have never roasted my own pumpkin seeds or made my own pumpkin puree! I’m not sure why I haven’t done either, but now I really want to do both! I bet homemade pumpkin puree is much better than the canned stuff! I’m going to the pumpkin patch this weekend and I will have to look out for those sugar pumpkins so I can roast up something delicious! Have a great weekend :)
Oh Izzy.. no worries! Go get that pumpkin and roast it up! The pumpkin patch has the best sugar pumpkins! Load up on them, if you can. They store for a few months at least, so when you run out of puree’ you’ll have more to whip up! And it is worth the effort for sure! Can you imagine pumpkin mac n’ ‘cheese?’ There’s so much to make!!! Hope your weekend is beautiful, too, Izzy!
I live in Germany and I really struggle here buying pumpkin puree, so thanks for the great idea! Unfortunately my freezer is pretty small, so I can’t store a lot of pumpkin there :(
Hi Evi! So glad the tutorial is useful. You know, my freezer is small too. In fact, I can’t believe I was able to stuff 3 packs of pumpkin in there! Things fall out when I open it! :) I try to preserve as much as I can before winter hits.. So, I just keep stuffing it full!
Just put 2 small bags in my freezer, too. I’ll be very thankful in the spring and summer times to you :)
Woo hooo, Evi! Way to go!! Just think of all the delicious things you’ll create! And look at you! You were able to stuff those little bags in there! Made me smile, thinking of my stuffed freezer! :D
Great tutorial, Traci! With halloween right around the corner this couldn’t come at a better time. Love the combination of sugar and spice that you use on the seeds. Thanks!
YaY for pumpkin seeds!
What an excellent tutorial, Traci! Can you believe I’ve never made my own pumpkin purée? I’m always intimidated! But no longer.. I have two little pie pumpkins sitting outside our house and I think I know just what to do with them now.. I”m thinking an elegant pumpkin-something (hazelnut? chocolate? coconut milk?) tart and maybe a red curry soup?!
Mmmmm coconut milk and pumpkin… mmmmmmm… :D Cheryl, you must puree your own pumpkin! Do IT!