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Not sure about how to cook pumpkins? Roasted pumpkin is quick & easy, and today I’m going to show you how to cook a whole pumpkin, which you can use to make homemade pumpkin puree.
Which Pumpkin Is Best for Baking?
You won’t want to use the large carving pumpkins for baking; instead look for smaller pie pumpkins (also called sugar pumpkins) which are dense and darker in color.
These are the types of pumpkins you want to use when making puree for Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bars, and Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal.
How Do You Prepare a Pumpkin For Cooking?
First, you’ll scrub the outside of the pumpkin to remove any visible dirt. Then, you have two choices for preparation.
- Cook the pumpkin whole, without cutting it.
- Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, then roast it.
The first method is my preference when you want to make homemade pumpkin puree, because the inside doesn’t get dark and caramelized at all. Instead, the inside is steamed, leaving you with a bright orange flesh that’s easy to puree later.
Cooking a pumpkin whole also means you don’t need to struggle to cut through the tough shell while the pumpkin is raw.
When you roast pumpkin whole, it’s tender enough to be cut with a butter knife, and the seeds are easily scooped out, once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle.
How to Cook a Whole Pumpkin
Preheat your oven to 400ºF and have a baking sheet ready. Rinse off the pumpkin, then use a knife to stab the hard outer shell a few times, to allow for ventilation.
Place the pumpkin on the baking sheet (or use a square baking dish) and transfer to the oven. For a 2.5 to 3 pound pumpkin, it will need to roast for about 60 minutes at 400ºF.
The pumpkin is ready when the flesh is darker, and the skin can be easily pierced with a fork.
Cut the pumpkin in half, and allow to cool until cool enough to handle.
Use a large spoon to scrape out the seeds, and reserve them for another use. (Like making crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds!)
How to Cut a Pumpkin
To cut a pumpkin, I like to leave the stem in place, and cut right next to stem, as close to the center of the pumpkin as possible. This leaves you with one half that is slightly larger than the other, but in my experience, both sides will still bake evenly.
Alternatively, you can cut the pumpkin in half cross-wise, just like you do when cooking spaghetti squash, so one half with have the stem, and the other half won’t.
The perk of cutting a pumpkin before cooking it, is that it will cook faster, and you won’t have to scoop the seeds out later, when it’s hot from the oven. (The seeds are easier to clean the pulp off, if you scoop them out raw, too.)
How to Cook a Halved Pumpkin
If you’d prefer to cut your pumpkin in half first, it will shave off some of the cooking time later.
Plus, the pumpkin seeds are easier to clean from a raw pumpkin, compared to a cooked pumpkin. So, if you’re looking to snack on the seeds later, this method will make that process easier.
After you cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush the inside and edges of the pumpkin lightly with olive oil, then arrange the halves cut-side-down on the pan. (Line the pan with parchment paper, if you want to save yourself some clean-up later!)
Roast at 350ºF until tender, about 45 minutes for the average 2.5 to 3-pound sugar pumpkin.
Let the pumpkin cool until you can handle the pieces, then make pumpkin puree as directed below.
How to Make Pumpkin Puree
Once the pumpkin is cooked, scoop out the tender pumpkin flesh from the outer shell. It might be a little stringy at this point, so I like to transfer it to a food processor.
Briefly process the cooked pumpkin in the food processor, pulsing several times. Stop and scrape down the sides, as needed, until everything is very smooth.
You can add a splash of water, if needed, to help everything blend, but that shouldn’t be necessary in most cases.
How to Store It
Store the pumpkin puree in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week, and use it in your favorite pumpkin recipes! You could also freeze it to extend it’s shelf life indefinitely.
For a pumpkin that is roughly 2.5 to 3 pounds in weight, you should get about 3 cups of puree from cooking it. (Close to 2 cans worth!)
We’ll be using ours in my favorite pumpkin pie.
Ingredients
- 1 (2 to 3 pound) sugar pumpkin
Instructions
How to Cook a Whole Pumpkin
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF and have a rimmed baking dish ready.
- Rinse off the pumpkin, then use a knife to stab the hard outer shell several times, to allow for ventilation.
- Place the whole pumpkin on the rimmed baking dish, then transfer to the oven to roast until tender, about 60 minutes. (Smaller pumpkins may cook in only 45 minutes.) The pumpkin is ready when the outer shell is darker, and can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Cut the pumpkin in half, then allow to cool until you're able to handle it. Use a large spoon to scrape out the seeds, and reserve them for another use.
- Once the seeds are removed, use the spoon to scrape out the cooked, tender pumpkin from the shell. You can transfer this to a food processor to puree until very smooth, then use it in your favorite pumpkin recipes! Pumpkin puree can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Cook a Halved Pumpkin
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the pumpkin in half, lengthwise or crosswise, avoiding the stem to make the cutting process as easy as possible. (It's okay if the halves aren't perfectly equal in size.) I think it's easiest to cut the pumpkin in half crosswise, where it's hollow, rather than by the stem.
- Scoop out the seeds, then brush the halves lightly with olive oil, to help prevent too much browning around the edges. Arrange the halves cut-side-down on the pan.
- Roast at 350ºF until tender, about 45 minutes. A fork should easily piece through the shell, and it should look visibly darker in color.
- Let the pumpkin cool until you can handle it, then scoop out the tender insides and puree in a food processor until smooth. Use the puree in your favorite pumpkin recipes! Cooked pumpkin can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update note: This was originally posted in November 2012, and has been updated October 2020 with new photos and more detailed instructions. I used to bake the pumpkin at 350ºF, but I’ve found the hotter oven temperature guarantees more tender results.
Pumpkin Recipes
Need ideas for using up your freshly cooked pumpkin puree? Try one of the delicious recipes below!
- Pumpkin Smoothie
- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
- Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
- No-Bake Pumpkin Tarts
- Healthy Pumpkin Donuts
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Creamy Pumpkin Tomato Soup
- Flourless Pumpkin Bars
- Gluten-free & Vegan Pumpkin Bars
If you try this roasted pumpkin method, please leave a comment below letting me know how it works for you! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever made your own pumpkin puree?
Can you do more than one pumpkin at a time?
Am doing two right now…but might have to leave them in longer.
Using convection roast. They are both bigger than my head.
Brilliant! I am in process of making a stuffed pumpkin for 2 (croutons,cheddar,cream, veg bouillon cube). Using a Turk’s Turban squash from the garden 1kg, took 1 hour, softened, easy to cut the top of the turban shape off, scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Stuffed and back in the oven. I expect it to be delicious, served with sweetcorn.
Just to add that now eaten it was delicious. I’m an English vegetarian staying in France for a few weeks where we grow Musquée de Provence, Turk’s Turban and Invincible pumpkins/squash. I found the recipe, Potimarron Surprise on a French website. Bon appétit!
Took the pumpkin, put it into the oven at 375, forgot about it. Sliced and bbqd the pork loin, baked and smashed the potatoes, pulled the pumpkin out after maybe two hours? Slit it in half, looks beautiful! Just waiting for it to cool, then I’m going to slice it up into smaller pieces, and put into a stew pot, simmer it with cinnamon, sugar, and condensed milk, unsure about the nutmeg though, then see what we have left. The condensed milk will sweeten it up but it will also keep it from cracking when I put it into my crust later!
It didn’t work – pumpkin is still hard as a rock!
Just got about 4cups of puree from a rather small “Pie Pumpkin” and a bag of seeds (will get roasted)
I had to add about 1/3 cup water to each batch in the food processor.
In New Zealand many people enjoy pumpkin as a roasted vegetable. Despite many near misses I am still blessed with all my fingers. BUT recently I offered to help a 90 year old friend cut her pumpkin. She declined, and asked me to follow her outside where she lifted the pumpkin as high as she could and let go. Gravity helped, and said pumpkin was dashed into a number of pieces. After a wash and scraping out the seeds, it was ready for the oven. The skin was removed when it was cooked. I love practicing and sharing Ida’s idea!
Thanks for your help – a whole pumpkin is in the oven!
after cooking and processing your pumpkin place it in a strainer line with cheesecloth. Place it over a bowl and put it in the refrigerator overnight to strain out the extra liquid to make solid packed pumpkinthis way you can use any variety of pumpkin for your pumpkin pie.this way it is cup for cup with canned pumpkin
This may be a crazy question but would you use the “sugar pies” to puree for savory pumpkin dishes or would you use a regular pumpkin?
I have used sugar pumpkins for savory but I think it’s not a bad idea to follow the rules for apples: some make wonderful pies and some don’t. I’d use the sugar pumpkin for desserts and other pumpkins for savory. Unlike some poster, I do use “Halloween” pumpkins. I have my neighbor’s monster in the oven now. My dog doesn’t really care about the flavor and texture and pumpkin is very good for dogs and the love it. Also our ancestors didn’t have all these hybrid pumpkins and they managed to cook and eat them.
I frequently roast whole squash and pumpkin. Never a mishap and I never have to struggle to peel a butternut squash or pumpkin or other thick skinned produce. I roadt beets with their skin too.
Yes, I would, as this variety is cultivated for eating. Most are grown for carving and lack flavor, or are bitter. THey have been hybridized for size, color, and to slow down the rotting,,regardless of edibility.
As someone else said, her dog is not fussy. For people it is worth knowing the variety. It could be fun to try heirloom seeds if they exist.
HavE been usuing fresh pumpkins for breads and pies since 1972. I used to cut them up and cook in a pressure cooker. Either way, there’s NOTHING like fresh pumpkin for your fall goodies! 🙂
I did this and not sure what happened. Maybe cooked it too long. The inside was the color and taste of butternut squash. Any suggestions?