This Homemade Pumpkin Purée will Put the Canned Stuff to Shame

From home-baked pies to comforting soups to rich PSLs, pumpkin purée is a necessity in autumnal baking and cooking. As soon as October hits, many of us rush to the grocery store to stock up on cans of the orange, silky stuff.

But many major canned pumpkin companies don’t use actual pumpkin in their product — we know, shocking. We’ll give you a minute.

Instead, popular brands such as Libby’s use a type of squash that evokes a similar flavor to pumpkin: Dickinson squash. And while it shares a family with our beloved orange friend, something about a Dickinson squash spice latte doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. 

But not to worry — if you want authentic pumpkin flavor without the can of imitation (albeit still delicious) squash, the road to get there is not at all complicated. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to purée your own sugar pie pumpkin, and as a bonus, find out how to roast the seeds. 

Pumpkin Pure and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 50 minutesTotal time:1 hour 10 minutesServings:3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 sugar pie pumpkin roughly 2-3 lbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. 

So this fall, skip the canned food aisle, head for the produce section and make this simple yet delicious purée at home — your Thanksgiving guests will thank you.  

We win this round, Libby’s. 

• < 5 Ingredients
• Dessert
• Halloween
• Health
• Pumpkin
• Thanksgiving
• Vegetable