My family loves pumpkin. Anything pumpkin…pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes….you get it?
I had heard that making your own pumpkin puree was difficult. I really don’t know much more of why it was or what the deal was. Also, every recipe I looked at, said to use the dreaded kitchen tool I don’t have, the food processor.
While glancing through one of my new recipe books: “The Vegan Slowcooker,” I noticed a recipe for “pumpkin puree.” It really looked so simple so I decided to give it a try.
Basic recipe for Puree Pumpkin
(Taken from “The Vegan Slowcooker”)
“Wash the pumpkin, and poke holes in it for the steam to escape. Place it in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. When it’s ready, a fork should easily slide through the skin and the flesh.
Let the pumpkin cool until you can touch it without burning yourself. Move it to a cutting board, and slice it in half. Remove the seeds and pumpkin guts. Scrape the flesh into a food processor (or use a hand mixer, potato masher, or blender) and puree until smooth.”
I found a cute little pie pumpkin at the grocery store and fell in love. They are small and very festive looking for the fall. I decided to adopt him and bring him home with me to cook. 
Pie pumpkins are much smaller than the regular jack-o’-lanterns. If you see one at the store, you’ll realize why I called it “cute.”
After the pumpkin was cooked and cool to touch, I broke it open and scraped out the seeds and “good stuff.” At this point, the pumpkin was cooked so perfectly, I didn’t even have to run it through a hand mixer or dirty up any more kitchen utensils. (YAY!) A fork made a good “masher” and broke up a chunks of pumpkin that were left.
At this point, I could’ve put it in a ziplock or container for future use (a.k.a. “pumpkin puree”). I decided to go ahead with making some pumpkin butter.
There was several recipes I found online that called for 1-2 cups of white sugar. Some called for brown sugar. But either way, I was trying to find a less sugar option for my pumpkin butter.
I found this recipe and modified it slightly because I was working with a whole pie pumpkin and not just a can of pumpkin puree. I added in 1/4 cup of honey as well as the agave nectar the recipe calls for.
Verdict: It turned out super yummy! Not too sweet either, which will be a great topping to some pancakes or gluten-free bread! Shawn said it tasted just like pumpkin pie. I’d say that’s a win! 
Kelly
Kathy did a nice job on her book – I met her at Vida Vegan in August of 11′ – I can’t wait for her new book to come out – it is on beans!
Yeah, it’s an excellent book that really talks about basic recipes and such. Sometimes the basics are ignored. When does her new book come out? Sounds great!!
In 2013 – she posts a lot online too
I really want to try this! I always trust your recommendations!
Great minds think alike! I posted the recipe on my blog yesterday with photos. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book. Be sure to email me if you have any questions about the recipes.
Thanks Kathy! It is an excellent book and I’m really enjoying it. I’m learning so much. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
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The results from this are so amazing that I want to cook a pumpkin weekly now if not more and stock up on pumpkin in my freezer. We use pumpkin when baking sometimes instead of oil and eggs to help add fiber and turn a brownie or a cup cake into a muffin (for a quick breakfast). Anyway, I did this today and the pumpkin just fell out of the skin. So much fun!!
Thank you Rose, for letting me know! I’m so happy it worked so well for you. I agree about using it instead of oil or eggs. At first, I thought it would “tint” the baked goods with pumpkin flavor. But instead it gives it the perfect moisture with no extra flavor. Thanks for the update!