Learning how to process a pumpkin for making homemade pumpkin puree is a quick and straightforward process. So don’t be daunted by the large size of the squash
After you’ve done it once, you’ll probably never need to reference a recipe for it again.
Making homemade pumpkin puree will provide the main ingredient you need for just about all pumpkin and squash favorites. It only takes a few minutes of prep work to create something delicious.
From pumpkin pie from scratch, pumpkin cheesecake bars, ice cream, pumpkin ravioli and even pumpkin dog treats, there are so many wonderful ways to use pumpkin puree. So once you learn these simple steps for how to process a pumpkin, you’ll be able to easily make all your favorite pumpkin recipes.
Before we get going with how to make pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkin, you need to pick out your squash, if you don’t already have it. If you’re not certain as to the best pumpkins for pumpkin pie, we’ll cover that here.
If you don’t need to know that and/or already have your pumpkin picked out, you can jump to one of these other articles or sections.
How to Process a Pumpkin
There’s more than one way to process a pumpkin, and we’ll get into that shortly. But if you need any of these other topics first, you can jump straight to them:
Cutting Fresh Pumpkin
Halving a Pumpkin
Our writer, Sarah Hamelman, a homesteader in the mountain wilderness of Montana, likes to slice the pumpkin in half horizontally. She says that a horizontal cut is the easiest way for her, since it avoids the tough stem while opening the entire pumpkin at once.
For larger pumpkins, you can go on to cut it into smaller pieces, by cutting vertically along the ribs if that’s easier for you to work with.
But for processing pumpkin for puree, it’s easier to cook it in halves, and then to remove the seeds and stringy pulp.
PUMPKIN FACTS: The scientific name for the fibrous, stringy pulp around the pumpkin seeds is funiculus (fyū-NĬK-ūlŭs). The most popular common terms for it is guts or brains. Your choice! 😄
Sectioning a Fresh Pumpkin
Alternately, you may prefer to follow the natural vertical ridgeHow to Process a Pumpkin for Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree s of a pumpkin to slice out a section at a time. Here’s a helpful video on how to do that.
However, if you’re elderly, have weak hands, or are just timid about cutting through the hard pumpkin rind with a big sharp knife, you can jump to this section of cooking lightly before cutting.
A Safer Way to Process Cut Pumpkin
Good for kids, seniors and anyone with weak hands or wrists.
It can be scary to struggle to cut a big squash with a large sharp knife. Knives slipping while cutting are a contributing cause of knife cuts during cooking.
Our kids started helping cook when they were young, especially our daughter who wanted to be in the kitchen whenever Mom was. She especially loved stirring the pots and the wonderful aromas. My son didn’t really start cooking until late teens, but still needed guidance with cutting and knife use.