I never even thought to make my own pumpkin puree until I found myself living in a little Italian town with NO canned pumpkin puree to be found. Sweat began to trickle down my face as I asked the woman behind the counter where the canned pumpkin was. Google translate had it correct…so why was she looking at me like I was crazy?

“Pumkin Puree? No. You make your own. There, (she points to some small pumpkins) You need those.”

And so, I awkwardly grabbed some pumpkins (no, not to decorate), paid and headed home.

My journey to homemade pumpkin puree (and everything else it seemed) began in this little Italian town and I am so thrilled to share it with you today. I promise, it’s SO much better than the canned stuff.

When making pumpkin puree, you typically want to use small pumpkins like sugar pumpkins. Keep in mind, I have used all sizes and they all work (with varying tastes). The only big difference is the sweetness – the bigger pumpkins will need extra sugar when baking with them.

The most “famous” pumpkins for puree are called sugar pumpkins. These are bright orange and small enough to bake in full on your baking dish. I will be using these today for the blog post.

 

The Sugar Pumpkin

Pick out a nice sugar pumpkin (ask the farmer for help if need be!) and give it a good rinse once you get home.

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

Slice the pumpkin in half (should be easy enough because of its size) and notice the gorgeous pumpkin seeds in the centre. Scoop these out and save them for a yummy roasted snack later.

Lightly season with sea salt and add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You want to lay the pumpkin cut side down for best baking. Bake until the flesh is nice and tender (super easy to scoop out!) which should be about 45-60 minutes.

Let cool, scoop out, food process and store! Homemade pumpkin puree is now yours!

 

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Our Current Blender: The Vitamix Explorian Blender

• It took me 3 years to choose this blender haha. I’m not even joking. I was so afraid of the price. So, instead, I purchased two other blenders in those 3 years that, low and behold, BROKE. The plant based lifestyle will wreak havoc on most blenders so you must choose a high quality one with a WARRANTY. The Explorian is one of the most inexpensive vitamix options but it still works great. I use it multiple times a day, every single day, and all of the recipes are from this beauty! Check out deals around Black Friday – you can usually snag one of these for under 200USD. For my European followers: Get ready to pay MORE than North America. I’m not sure why, but vitamix in Europe is double the price (which is actually more than double because we pay in euros/pounds/etc).

 

Blendtec Classic Fit Blender

• I have never owned a Blendtec, but I did live with someone who had one and it was pretty amazing. Never understood why it didn’t come with a tamper (?) but it does work beautifully. I am pretty biased with my years of experience with the vitamix over the Blendtec, but the price point is fantastic and there are TONS of videos out there comparing the two.

 

Nutri Ninja

• I had a Ninja blender for years and years before I found the plant based lifestyle (or it found me). Prior to going plant based, I loved to make smoothies on a daily basis (still do today!). However, my smoothies were much *kinder* to the blender than today. While having owned both, I could just (and never would) compare a Ninja to a Vitamix – the difference is staggering. However, if you are just looking to blend up some oats, make light smoothies, or create epic dressings? Then go ahead and choose this one!

 

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