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Why use canned pumpkin when it's super easy to make pumpkin puree as a healthier, tastier canned pumpkin substitute?
I have to admit, when I first got to Spain, many years ago now, I was a little bit disappointed that they don't sell canned pumpkin here. I wanted to make a pumpkin pie to celebrate Thanksgiving, and had to figure out how to do it. At the time I couldn't rely on the internet (yet!), and I didn't even have any cookbooks with me.
Those years forced me to learn to make up my own recipes. I'm not very good at following recipes anyway; I always like to make up my own ways of doing things. Trying to replicate a recipe without a basic guideline, though, was a bit intimidating at first.
One year I successfully made pumpkin pie without a can of pumpkin and without a recipe. I think I just mixed together some pumpkin puree, cream, eggs, sugar and pie spices, crossed my fingers, poured them into a crushed cookie crust, and threw it into the oven. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, that pumpkin pie was amazing. I guess it should have been; fresh is usually better. Right?
Pumpkins from our garden
Still, I felt like I was missing out on the convenience of pumpkin in a can. The next time I went to the US, I brought a few cans back with me. I think I only ended up using one, though, because I came to the realization that it just wasn't worth it. Even without having heard anything about the possible health concern of BPA in cans, I stopped using canned pumpkin because fresh tastes better! (After seeing, and tasting, the real thing, looking at canned pumpkin actually grosses me out a bit!)
By now I almost take it for granted that everybody would know how to make their own canned pumpkin substitute or pumpkin puree; I mean, here, in Spain, most people do. I realized, though, that maybe some people are so used to only seeing pumpkin in a can, or as a jack-o-lantern, that they might not actually know how to make their own.
It couldn't be easier!
Watch how to make pumpkin puree
Pumpkin puree Canned Pumpkin Substitute
Canned Pumpkin Substitute: Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- pumpkin or butternut squash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
- Cut pumpkin in half.
- Scoop out seeds.
- Place each half, cut side down, on a baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven until the pumpkin softens. Start checking every 5-10 minutes or so, after 30 minutes, by lightly pressing on the skin.
- Once soft, remove the pumpkin halves from the oven and let them cool.
- Scrape the pulp off of the skin.
- If the pulp of your pumpkin is soft enough, you can mash it with a fork and you are finished. If not, or if you want it smoother, puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
Here you will see that I also used a Butternut Squash, which is also known as butternut pumpkin in some parts of the world.
Here, in Spain, it is also the most common “calabaza” (pumpkin), so I just always assumed it would be called pumpkin everywhere. In any case, It's what I most often use for recipes that call for canned pumpkin.
So, I guess instead of making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I made a spectacular butternut squash pie!
Either way, it was tasty.
You can use your pumpkin puree in some fall recipes immediately, or freeze some for later.
I like to freeze mine in these ice cube trays. You can see how and why in my post about making smoothie cubes/homemade baby food. Having pumpkin ice cubes is convenient for making quick pumpkin smoothies, or adding a little pumpkin flavor to your recipes…
…a necessity this time of year, of course!
Hi from Australia,
You mention pumpkin spice… what is in it?
Hi Cherie!
In the US, this time of year it’s very popular to have “pumpkin spice” recipes of just about everything. The coffee shops sell pumpkin spice lattes, people burn pumpkin spice candles, and you can find spiced pumpkin just about anything all autumn long. 😉 If you do a search of “pumpkin spice” in my blog search, you’ll find that even I have posted recipes for everything from pumpkin spice soap, to pumpkin spice biscotti cookies!
Pumpkin spices include cinnamon and cloves, and sometimes ginger, nutmeg and/or allspice. Cinnamon is probably always included; the other spices will vary from spice mix to spice mix. We Americans (generalizing here, of course) love our pumpkin recipes with that spice blend, and it reminds us of fall.
Here in Spain, the typical pumpkin pie doesn’t use any of those spices in it (as pretty much any US pumpkin pie does). I feel like it’s really missing what I was used to growing up with. They often throw bits of chocolate into the pies here too, something I’ve never been able to get used to. hahahaha 😉
Hi,
Thanks for the help. I live in north India (Chandigarh) .
We have abundance of pumpkin here but buying a canned pumpkin is very expensive and I’m making a pumpkin pie for the first time, so probably don’t wanna waste lots of money on that one. We call pumpkin ( Kaddu ) .
can you also suggest something that i can make with green pumpkin (RAW PUMPKIN) .
btw im gonna try making my pie with green kaddu.
Hello,
I’m not really sure. I almost always bake mine- either by roasting in the oven as shown here, or adding to soups like my roasted pumpkin soup. I also like to cut the pumpkin into sticks and make pumpkin “fries.”
Here’s my pumpkin recipes.
How long can you keep these pumpkin puree in the fridge
Hello,
It will keep for several days, probably up to a week or so, in the fridge. A lot will depend on the water content left in the pumpkin, etc.
Thank goodness I just stumbled across this!! I’m living in South Africa where pumpkin is abundant, but no canned pumpkin! It’s almost thanksgiving and I’m introducing pumpkins everything to my fiancé and all our friends (I even brought a little pumpkin pie spice from the states!), but after visiting multiple grocery stores, no canned pumpkin to be found! I’m going to try this out, thank you so much!
Hi Liz,
Greetings to another expat! 🙂
I think you’ll find that it’s super easy to make your own pumpkin puree, and it tastes amazing. I will never go back to cans!!
They even sort of gross me out now. hahaha
May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving abroad.
Thanks for the tip! Another expat will be doing the same thing this year and hopefully it will be so much better/fresher than the pies of Thanksgivings past 😀
Hi Chelsea!
I’m so happy to help a fellow expat! 🙂
May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you may be!
You mentioned canned pumpkin as well. After you put it into the canning jars, how long do you put it into the pressure cooker or water bath canner?
Hi Lisa,
While I know that you can can pumpkin puree, and know of people who successfully do it, it’s not something that I do nor is it my area of expertise. That’s why I only mentioned it and didn’t give directions. I figured (hoped) that my canning readers would know what they needed to do to can something.
I’m sorry I’m not more help.
If I ever get around to researching more and doing it, I’ll update the post.
Thanks a lot for this how to guide! I live in the Caribbean and there are lots of fresh pumpkin but no canned in the grocery. I enjoy experimenting with recipes and will definitely give this a try!
Hi Allison,
Lucky you! I love the Caribbean… dreaming of another Caribbean cruise someday soon. 🙂
I love making pumpkin puree this way, and it stores really well in the freezer for times when you just need a little. I hope it works out well for you!
Love this post! I just did a similar one on my blog (http://www.wayfaringhearth.com/), since we recently moved to South Korea and I had to get creative with the pumpkin as well. 🙂 We don’t have a full sized oven here, so I steamed them. Wish you all the best!
Alysha
Another expat! Good luck in your new country!
Yes, of course, there are several ways of doing things. For me the oven is easiest, and I love how part of the sugar of the pumpkin caramelizes a little around the edges in the oven. That’s my favorite part! 🙂
Many people peel the pumpkin and boil it, too. I don’t personally like it as much that way. I would think that steaming would be a lot better than boiling, but I’ve never tried it myself. I’m glad to hear it works out well for you. I’ll check out your post later on tonight! 🙂
<3