Easy Sugar Pumpkin Puree {Instant Pot}

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Easy Sugar Pumpkin Puree {Instant Pot}, yes you can! 

In fact you can puree your big un-carved Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins, if  you don’t have any sugar pumpkins on hand.

Just follow along and I’ll show you how it’s done.

Sugar Pumpkin Puree in the Instant Pot is so easy to make.

You’ll never go back to the canned stuff, ever again.

It’s so much tastier and healthy, because you know what’s going into your puree.

Did you know that the canned pumpkin puree isn’t just pumpkin?

Nope, they use a blend of different squash mixed with the pumpkin.

I personally love the flavor of pumpkin. So I prefer my pure pumpkin puree.

The color is also a more vibrant orange instead of the traditional dark color, of the canned pumpkin puree.

The reason I prefer using sugar pumpkins.

Is because they are much sweeter than your regular, Jack-O-Lantern types.

I also prefer the texture and color of the little sugar pumpkins.

The Instant Pot that I happen to have is the 6 Qt 7-in-1 model.

The 8-quart version would work even nicer, because you’d have more room to work with.

When choosing your sugar pumpkin, you want them to be around 3 1/2 pounds each, or less.

Place a steam rack or steamer basket in the bottom of your Instant Pot.

Add a cup of hot water and place your sugar pumpkin on top of the rack or basket.

When you’ve placed your whole pumpkin in the Instant Pot. Make sure to test the lid to see if it will close.

If your pumpkin’s stem is to tall, you can cut the stem down.

Just don’t cut the stem out, because it cooks better this way, and won’t get watery.

There may be times when your sugar pumpkins are just to big or fat.

Then they should be cut in half, seeds taken out and cooked like any other type of squash.

I just prefer the whole pumpkin method. Because there’s less water that needs to be strained from your puree.

The cooking time for your pumpkin is going to be different each time.

The reason is, the thickness of its skin and your elevation.

Some are going to require a longer pressure cooking time than others.

So I usually start out with a base time and go from there.

There are times that I’ll have re-cook my pumpkin an extra 5 minutes or so.

Now that you’ve got your pumpkin fitting nicely in your Instant pot.

Hit the saute button and let the water start to boil. This will help with bringing the pressure up quicker.

Once it’s reached a boil, turn off the saute. Place the lid on and seal it, make sure to turn the valve to close and not venting.

Then hit the manual button, high pressure for 15 minutes.

When It’s done cooking and it beeps, turn it off. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, you can release the rest of the pressure. When the pin drops, take off the lid.

The pumpkin should be very soft. You can test it by inserting it with a fork.

If it seems to hard, then repeat the pressure cooking process for another 5 minutes or more.

The pumpkin will be very hot so be careful when taking it out of the pot.

Set your cooked pumpkin on a cutting board and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes.

After your pumpkin has rested, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Save those seeds, for baking. They make a yummy and healthy treat.

 Take your spoon and scoop out the soft pumpkin out of its shell.

Once I get all the pumpkin scooped out, I put it in a food processor or a blender.

Blend it until it’s smooth and no clumps.

As it blends, stop your food processor or blender and scrap down the sides. So everything blends evenly.

Now I like to strain my pumpkin puree, to get out the extra liquid.

This way I will have a nice and thick puree. Almost as thick as the store-bought canned stuff.

I like to use a yogurt strainer to strain my pumpkin puree.

                                             It isn’t necessary to use a yogurt strainer. You could use several of those plastic coffee filters for straining as well.

Just place it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.

Make sure to cover it so your puree doesn’t dry out.

Once the pumpkin puree has strained, I like to transfer it to a measuring cup.

So I can see just exactly the amount I have.

If you’re not going to use your puree right away.

I would divide it up into freezer bags or some other freezer type container, for using it later.

A typical can of canned pumpkin is fifteen ounces, that is almost 2 cups.

After straining my cooked sugar pumpkin I got 4 cups.

So I roughly divided my puree into two vacuum sealer bags.

  If I’m storing my pumpkin puree in a freezer bag.

I like to use one of these Hands-Free Baggy Rack Clip.

These little gadgets come in very handy when you need a helping hand.

Once I carefully put the puree in the bag with the amount I desire.

I wipe away any pumpkin that I may have gotten on the opening of the freezer bag.

So when I vacuum seal it will seal properly.

Each of my freezer bags has about 2 cups of puree in it.

So there’s the right amount to make a pumpkin pie or anything I choose to make.

When using a vacuum sealer with liquidity type foods.

I will freeze it before I seal it! 

This way when you go to vacuum seal your bags.

There will not be liquid being vacuumed out of your freezer bags.

 Causing your bags not to seal properly, if not at all.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer machine.

No worries, just use what you have.

Either way your pumpkin puree will freeze for up to 6 months.

Happy Eats!