Did you know you can cook a whole Pumpkin in an Instant Pot? Learn how to make Pumpkin Puree at home using a Pressure cooker with a touch of a button. This is by far the easiest way to prepare homemade Pumpkin Puree without cumbersome pre-chopping or peeling the Pumpkin.
Instant Pot has truly made my life easier. All the store-bought canned stuff like this Pumpkin purée, Applesauce, beans and lentil is slowly getting replaced by home cooked ones. I love making Chana Masala, Vegan Lentil chili and this Spinach Kidney bean curry from scratch in my Instant Pot.
Homemade vs Canned Pumpkin Puree
I have nothing against store-bought Pumpkin purée. I always have a can or two sitting in my pantry for quick recipes.
Saying that, who doesn’t like Homemade stuff??
I started making Pumpkin purée from scratch since last year mainly for my baby.
Nothing better than homemade Pumpkin Puree right?? My baby just started eating pureed food this time last year and Pumpkin being in season was on top of my list.
Pumpkin purée is very easy to make using an Instant pot pressure cooker.
When pumpkins are in season and cheaper, I make it and stock up in the freezer whenever possible.
Making Pumpkin purée at home is easy and cost-effective too. Since I started cooking pumpkin this way, I prefer homemade Pumpkin Puree over canned one. Now just imagine all the recipes you can make!!!!
Roasting VS Pressure cooking method
I have to admit that I mostly shied away from cooking pumpkin for this reason – The exterior of a Pumpkin or any other winter squash like butternut squash is very hard to cut into. If you know me, you know how much I love easy methods and shortcuts in life.
Roasting requires to peel the Pumpkin and chop it into chunks before cooking.
If you will purée it anyway then steaming is a great alternative. No hassle of cutting the Pumpkin before cooking. After steaming the outer layer peels right off without any effort.
In my opinion, if you are looking for the most convenient way of making pumpkin purée at home for your cooking and baking needs or may be to feed your baby then the pressure cooker method is the best.
Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree Ingredients –
This recipe requires just one ingredient – Pumpkin, yes a simple pumpkin. Or may be a little water to aid blending it.
This Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree is made without any salt and additives. It is pure fresh Pumpkin.
Step by Step – How to make Pumpkin Puree in an Instant Pot –
- Choose the right size of Sugar pumpkin that can fit your Instant Pot.
- Make sure it has a smaller stem or else you will have to cut it off and place it in the IP.
- I have a 6-quart Instant Pot so a smaller pumpkin works well.
- If you have 8 quart one, you can fit a larger one too.
- Wash it nicely under tap water.
- No need to prick the Pumpkin.
- Add 1 cup water to the inner pot.
- Place pumpkin on the trivet.
- Insert it in the IP carefully.
- Switch on the Instant Pot.
- Press Manual HIGH pressure for 17 minutes.
- Turn the black knob to sealing position.
- Once the IP beeps let the pressure come down naturally (NPR).
- Once the silver pin drops down it is safe to open the Pot.
- Carefully open the lid as there would be steam inside.
- Check if it is done by piercing it with knife or a fork. It should easily slide in without resistance.
- With a help of two kitchen towels take out the trivet.
- On your work table Cut the pumpkin in half to let off the steam and cool down quickly.
- Scoop out the pumpkin seeds.
- Once the pumpkin has cooled down a bit i.e when you can comfortably handle it peel it.
- Do Not throw the Pumpkin seeds, you can always roast them and use in your salad and soup.
- The pumpkin peel should easily peel off.
- Roughly chop them into chunks and purée in a high speed blender or a food processor using less water as possible for thicker purée.
- You can always add a tablespoon water at a time to adjust the consistency.
Some frequently asked questions –
Which are the best Pumpkins for cooking or baking?
Pie Pumpkins also known as Sugar Pumpkins are the best choice for cooking or baking recipes. You can roast them, puree them or steam and eat them as chunks.
Sugar Pumpkins are creamier and smooth in texture as compared to the larger pumpkins. They are great for carving and not cooking.
Does size of a Pumpkin matter?
Sugar Pumpkins are smaller than the other variety of pumpkins, so that is good news.
If you are cooking Pumpkin in your Instant Pot make sure it fits inside without cutting it through.
I use my 6 quart Instant Pot to cook this sugar pumpkin. I pick up a Pie pumpkin which weighs anywhere between 2 – 3.5 pounds.
Just keep your Instant pot size in mind before buying a pumpkin.
Can you cook butternut squash or any other winter squash this way?
I am positive that you can make butternut squash or any other squash purée in your Instant Pot using pressure cooking method. Any winter squash that will fit in your pot works. The timing may differ a bit .I will soon be trying and posting variations. My friend just tried to make Cinderella Pumpkin purée in her 8 quart Instant Pot and it worked great for her.Spaghetti squash as well as buttercup works well in an Instant Pot.
How to use Pumpkin Puree?
After I made a big batch of Pumpkin Puree I was excited to use it in everything.
Soon I will update my blog with recipes using Pumpkin Purée.
Oh Yes!!! All your pumpkin dreams are going to come true using the “steaming method” in a pressure cooker.
- For starters you can make a simple Pumpkin soup like this butternut squash soup OR
- A Pumpkin Sauce Pasta like this butternut squash sauce pasta without pre-chopping , roasting the pumpkin.
- If you have a sweet tooth then try Pumpkin Pudding or even a simple Pumpkin Milkshake.
- You can even add this Pumpkin Puree to muffins, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles.
- Pumpkin Puree makes a healthy baby food so consider making it at home.
I mean sky is the limit. Just make the most of this season guys!!!
In short you can use pumpkin puree in anything as if you were to use the canned one.
How to substitute Store-bought canned Pumpkin Puree with homemade Pumpkin purée?
One can i.e 15 oz of store-bought Pumpkin Puree is approximately 1 ¾ cups of fresh Pumpkin Puree.
I have noted that Canned Pumpkin Purée is orange in color and homemade one is yellow.
This might be because of the type of pumpkin used.
Does homemade Pumpkin Puree work to make a Pumpkin Pie?
I have not made a Pumpkin Pie out of homemade Pumpkin purée. But I think if you make a thick purée using less water just like canned pumpkin purée it should work.
How to store Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree?
You may store pumpkin purée in the fridge for 3 days or freeze it for extended shelf life.
Can you freeze Pumpkin Puree?
- Yes, you can freeze homemade pumpkin purée for more than 6 months.
- Enjoy homemade purée even when Pumpkin is not in season.
- I like to freeze it in one time use portion mostly 1 3/4 cup size which is equivalent to one 15 oz canned Pumpkin purée.
- This way it is easy to use the purée in any recipe calling a can of Pumpkin purée. .
- Freeze in a air tight containers or freezer safe zip lock bags.
Homemade Pumpkin Puree for babies
Nothing like homemade fresh food for kids right!! Pumpkin is a healthy vegetable full of fiber and essential nutrients. I fed homemade pumpkin purée to my kids when they were babies. I love making pumpkin purée at home and add to various recipes like a soup, rice , stew, mac n cheese or even make some healthy muffins for my kids.
Other Instant Pot recipes that you will love-
Instant Pot Applesauce ( no peeling )
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Instant Pot Pumpkin Purée recipe –
Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree ( easy no pre-cutting required)
Ingredients
- 1 Sugar Pumpkin i.e a Pie Pumpkin
- 1 cup water
- For blending into puree –
- ¼ cup water or more
Instructions
- Wash it nicely under tap water.
- No need to prick the Pumpkin.
- Add 1 cup water to the inner pot.
- Place pumpkin on the trivet.
- Insert it in the IP carefully.
- Switch on the Instant Pot.
- Press Manual HIGH pressure for 17 minutes.
- Turn the black knob to sealing position.
- Once the IP beeps let the pressure come down naturally (NPR).
- Once the silver pin drops down it is safe to open the Pot.
- Carefully open the lid as there would be steam inside.
- Check if it is done by piercing it with knife or a fork. It should easily slide in without resistance.
- With a help of two kitchen towels take out the trivet.
- On your work table Cut the pumpkin in half to let off the steam and cool down quickly.
- Scoop out the pumpkin seeds.
- Once the pumpkin has cooled down a bit i.e when you can comfortably handle it peel it.
- The pumpkin peel should easily peel off.
- Roughly chop them into chunks and puree in a high speed blender or a food processor using less water as possible for thicker puree.
- You can always add a tablespoon water at a time to adjust the consistency.
Notes
Very small Pumpkins under 2 lbs will cook in 12 minutes NPR. Expert Notes –
- Choose the right size of Sugar pumpkin that can fit your Instant Pot.
- Make sure it has a smaller stem or else you will have to cut it off and place it in the IP.
- I have a 6-quart Instant Pot so a smaller pumpkin works well.
- If you have 8 quart one, you can fit a larger one too.
- Using a trivet makes it easy to take out the pumpkin after cooking.
- Do Not throw the Pumpkin seeds, you can always roast them and use in your salad and soup.
How to store Pumpkin Puree?
- You may store pumpkin puree in the fridge for 3 days or freeze it for extended shelf life.
- Yes, you can freeze homemade pumpkin puree for more than 6 months.
- Enjoy homemade puree even when Pumpkin is not in season.
- I like to freeze it in one-time use portion mostly 1 3/4 cup size which is equivalent to one 15 oz canned Pumpkin puree.
- This way it is easy to use the puree in any recipe calling a can of Pumpkin puree.
- Freeze in an air tight containers or freezer safe zip lock bags.
comments and suggestions are welcome