Pumpkin Puree in the Crock-Pot

Submitted by Kate J

"Homemade Pumpkin Puree in the slow cooker! I scoured the internet for a recipe like this and didn't find one, so I decided to just try it and it works just as well as the traditional oven roasting method. In fact I think this was easier, no need to worry about it burning or monitor an oven for hours."

 

• Ready In: 6hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 2
• Yields: 3 cups

ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin (See Note)
• 14.79 ml water (Nothing else but pumpkins are needed, but recipe zaar wouldn't take the recipe with only one ingredi)

directions

1. Wash the pumpkin. Remove the stem if it has one. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. I like to use an ice cream scoop or a melon baller for getting the stringy pulp out.
2. Cut pumpkin into pieces, place in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until skin is soft and easy to piece with a fork.
3. Puree in a blender or food processor. At this step you MAY need one tablespoon of water if doing it in the blender, but I don't recommend watering it down (this could make your pies watery), just do smaller batches if it sticks in your blender.
4. Freeze or use within one week for pies, breads, cookies or your favorite pumpkin recipe.
5. Note: I leave the skin on and puree it with the flesh. I remove any blemishes or dirty parts on the skin before cooking. It adds nutrients, a lovely color and does not alter the taste as far as I can tell.
6. Note: Size and number of pumpkins will depend the size of your slow cooker. The smaller the pumpkin the sweeter it will be, I like to use the small pie pumpkins (they are about 6 inches) and I can fit two in my 5 qt crock. I get about 3 cups of puree from one small pie pumpkin.

Reviews

[Buffalo Gal 75]

This is a total winner! I did this as written and it worked perfectly. I used my immersion blender to make it super smooth. I used it in a recipe and it tasted the same as if I used the canned stuff. The rind didn't make a bit of difference. Thanks for a great recipe.

 

[justformoving082708]

Perfect recipe! I did it for the full 6 hours on the first try, and left the skins on. Puréed perfectly with my little Cuisinart Magic Bullet-type blender, the pumpkin tastes fresh and amazing compared to the canned. Am doing it again right now and wanted to leave a big 'thank you' to the author. Thank you!!

 

[Horsestalktome]

So easy, and the puree is so much better-tasting than canned pumpkin. I may never buy canned pumpkin again, except when real pumpkins are out of season! I removed the skin, as I did this for Thanksgiving pumpkin pie-didn't want to risk non-smooth puree. It was really easy to scoop the pumpkin out with a spoon after the pumpkin was cooked. I've got another one going for Christmas pumpkin pie now. Thanks for posting!

 

[TexasKelly]

This was a great idea and an easy to follow recipe. I had an 18 lb pumpkin I wanted to use instead of throwing out. I had to do mine in 2 batches because it would not all fit in my crock pot. One batch I left the skins on, and noticed that the puree was not smooth no matter how much I processed it, so the next batch I removed the skins before pureeing. I haven't used the skin-on batch yet, but I am sure it would be just fine in something like muffins or bread. I did use the non-skin batch and it yielded perfectly tasty pumpkin muffins that I gave out as gifts to my co-workers for Christmas. Thanks for posting this recipe! I will probably use it every year now to get rid of my Halloween pumpkins.

 

[Marg (CaymanDesigns)]

So much easier than roasting! It worked beautifully!