Looking for an easy way to cook up a whole pumpkin? Instant Pot Pumpkin puree is unbelievably simple with no peeling or dicing required.
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Preserve Cooker Pumpkin Puree
This easy method for pressure cooker pumpkin will give you fresh pumpkin puree in minutes! There are several benefits to cooking whole pumpkin from scratch to make puree.
- No additives. While canned pumpkin puree generally has pretty clean ingredients, cooking it yourself ensures that there is only one thing in there- pumpkin!
- A great way to preserve your harvest. Pumpkins can grow pretty easily and you may have more than you know what to do with. Freezing pumpkin puree for later ensures that nothing goes to waste and your freezer can be stocked full of delicious pumpkin for use in all of your favorite recipes.
- Simple. You can't get much easier than plopping a pumpkin in the pressure cooker and turning it on. Pumpkin can be pretty hard when it's raw, so I also find this method safer than others.
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin- Look for a smallish pumpkin (they are often labeled "pumpkin pie pumpkins" or "sugar pumpkins" ). Somewhere between 1 ½-2 pounds works great and will yield about 2 cups of cooked pumpkin.
- Water- This is necessary to help the Instant Pot pressurize.
How to cook a pumpkin in the Instant Pot
Step 1. Clean pumpkin by wiping down outside with a wet towel or rinsing under water.
Step 2. Place trivet into the instant pot bowl. Place whole pumpkin on top of the trivet. You can remove the stem or leave it on. Pour in ½ cup of water.
Step 3. Set pressure to High Pressure and a cook time of 15 minutes. It will take a few minutes for the device to pressurize. If your pumpkin is smaller than 2 lbs. use 12 minutes of cook time.
Step 4. Remove lid and carefully scoop pumpkin on to a plate or cutting board. Pumpkin will be very soft.
Step 5. Slice in half and remove seeds. Peel away pumpkin skin. It should peel away from the flesh very easily.
Step 6. Place pumpkin flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender or food processor for this step if you prefer.
Storage
If not using immediately, store pumpkin in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Like I said before in my Instant Pot Tomato Sauce recipe, I am not just a canner (some day!). So- I freeze everything. Pureed pumpkin keeps for months in the freezer when stored properly in an airtight container. Same goes for this homemade applesauce recipe. Into the freezer it goes.
If you have a lot to store, try using quart size bags or stasher bags to freeze the pumpkin in portions that lay flat and therefore take up less space. I freeze in 2 cup portions because that is very similar what would come in a can of pumpkin puree and easy for incorporating into recipes.
Uses for cooked pumpkin
The uses for cooked pumpkin go on for miles, from soups to baked goods, lots of meals benefit from lightly sweet and nutritious pumpkin puree in them! Adding pumpkin to baked goods adds moisture and color and it can make a great sauce as well. Here are some ideas to try for using your homemade pumpkin puree.
- pumpkin breads
- pumpkin muffins
- pumpkin cheesecake cookies
- pumpkin sauces
- pumpkin pie
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you would like. Simply slice the pumpkin in half and scrap out the seeds with a spoon before placing the halves into the pressure cooker.
You certainly can, but you will most likely have to cut it up or work in stages. Remove the seeds if you are cutting the pumpkin into chunks, you don't have to peel it. The peel will easily remove after cooking. The cook time will remain the same, but it will most likely take longer for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure because of the increase in volume.
If you tried this Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.
Instant Pot Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 1 ½-2 lb. pumpkin
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Clean pumpkin by wiping down outside with a wet towel or rinsing under water.
- Place trivet into the instant pot bowl. Pour in ½ cup of water.
- Place whole pumpkin on top of the trivet. You can remove the stem or leave it on.
- Close pressure cooker lid and make sure the pressure release valve is in the "sealing" designation.
- Set pressure to High Pressure and a cook time of 15 minutes. It will take a few minutes for the device to pressurize. If your pumpkin is smaller than 2 lbs. use 12 minutes of cook time.
- Once the time is up, carefully quick release to release pressure.
- Remove lid and carefully scoop pumpkin on to a plate or cutting board. Pumpkin will be very soft.
- Slice in half and remove seeds. Peel away pumpkin skin. It should peel away from the flesh very easily.
- Place pumpkin flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender or food processor for this step if you prefer.
- Once cool, use in your favorite recipes or store for later.
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