Fresh Pumpkin Pie Puree- and Seeds Too!

Fresh pumpkin puree is great for anything pumpkin. Join the pumpkin craze with this easy fresh pumpkin puree. It is a perfect 1-1 substitute for any canned pumpkin. It is seriously delicious with NO added anything that you might find in your canned pumpkin.

Pumpkins! (any will do, but the small pie pumpkins actually work the best and are easiest to handle).

You also might need:

Oil (I used olive oil, but coconut also works good)

Salt

Cookie Sheet

High quality blender or food processor

Just rinse of the pumpkin and place on cutting board. Cut in half. I like to cut it horizontally so that I don't have to fit the stem. Then take a spoon and scrap out the seeds. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Usually two or three pumpkins can fit onto one large cookie sheet.

I don't like throwing away the seeds and we love eating them. So at this point I rinse off the seed, toss them in oil and sprinkle with salt. Then place them around the pumpkins on the same cookies sheet. The cooking time works out to be the same and it prevents the pans from burning along the edges of the pumpkins which helps with clean up.

Then place the overloaded tray in the oven at 350 degrees. Cook for an hour and then check to see if the pumpkin is cooked enough. Cooking time can vary depending on the size and firmness of the pumpkin. The best way to tell if it is done is by pushing on the pumpkin to feel if it is soft. It should slightly cave in when you push on it. It is better to over cook than under cook.

Remove from oven and let cool until you can handle it without burning your fingers. Then gently scrape the flesh of the pumpkin away from the skin.

Now, just take your pumpkin and place it in the blender. I usually have to add about a 1/4 cup of water for every two full pumpkins. The amount differs slightly due to the variety of pumpkin. But don't worry! This only helps to blend it up and get it to the same consistency of canned pumpkin. I have used overly wet pumpkin and overly dry pumpkin and have not seen a difference in the final recipe. Pumpkin is great that way! Blend until smooth. And that's it!

This can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or can be placed in freezer bags and frozen for later use. It's a great way to have fresh pumpkin all year long!

Now you can be done here, or if you want to add some spice this is a great time to do it.

I use the follow spices for every 1 cup of pumpkin.

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

Or you can just use 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice!