Best Way to Freeze Pumpkin Puree

So you’re likely planning to make some pumpkin pies this fall and then all of a sudden you realize you have a ton of pumpkin puree left over and you want to know the Best Way to Freeze Pumpkin Puree….. Or better yet, you’ve thought ahead from Halloween to Thanksgiving and you know that you can process your pumpkin puree once and then freeze it, and use it again for a Thanksgiving Fresh Pumpkin Pie.

Well whatever your reasoning remember this – A pumpkin is just a kind of a squash and you can use any kind of squash (within reason) to make fresh pumpkin pie or you can go traditional and make it with a baking pumpkin. Once you’ve pureed your pumpkin (or squash) you can use it in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin!

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil on your stove (a very large pot if you have a good size pumpkin)
2. While waiting for water to boil, rinse the pumpkin in your sink to get off any dirt then dry well with a clean dish towel.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds (see roasted pumpkin seed recipe here) and stringy fibers with a metal spoon.
4. Cut the pumpkin into evenly-sized smaller chunks.
5. Add to the boiling water and cook for about 25 minutes or until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife.
6. Remove from water, cool some then with a pairing knife easily peel off the skin (some people prefer to using a knife to remove skin prior to boiling – it’s just a personal preference, either way is fine
7. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, or in your blender
8.Place in freezer bags and freeze