Is it too soon to start talking about pumpkins? It’s still hot where I’m at, with temperatures averaging between 85° and 90°. The calendar says autumn is fast approaching though, as we make plans for Fall Festivals and fall-decorated events around my community. I’m sure looking forward to some cooler weather!
Unfortunately, I never did get around to planting any pumpkins this year. Luckily, Hubby discovered some volunteer pumpkin plants in the empty chicken coop from us feeding vegetable scraps to the chickens last fall.
I love pumpkin, so I was ecstatic to hear of the volunteer plants. Because Hubby is not really into gardening, it’s fun to watch him take it upon himself to water the plants and move the vines so they would climb the fence. He has even rigged some “hammocks” to support the little pumpkins.
These are small pie pumpkins that I planted and grew last summer, but any pumpkin will work. If you didn’t grow your own pumpkins, watch for them to go on sale. Sometimes you can buy them pretty cheap after Halloween.
Note: I took these pictures last fall for this post that did not get written until now.
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Prep Pumpkin for Cooking
Rinse or wipe the pumpkins to remove dirt. To prepare the pumpkins, cut them in halves or quarters, and then scoop out the seeds. I cleaned and rinsed the seeds for roasting, plus saved some to plant the following year.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin
Place the pumpkins upside down in the slow cooker with about an inch of water. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. I actually used both of my Hamilton Beach 7-Quart Slow Cooker
These slow cookers don’t have all of the fancy bells and whistles, but sometimes simpler is better. How easy can it get? Cook on high or low, and when done, turn it on warm for serving. They get a lot of use in my kitchen.
When the pumpkins become soft and fully cooked, remove them from the slow cooker to cool.
How to Make Pumpkin Puree
When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scrape the cooked pumpkin into a large bowl. I like to put the bowl in the fridge for a few hours. Putting food in the freezer before being fully cooled encourages ice crystals on the food.
To blend into a puree, run the pumpkin through a blender or food processor. I just mashed mine a little with a potato masher, since most pumpkin recipes would require using a mixer anyway.
Once cooled, put it in your freezer containers in 2 cup portions. (2 cups is the equivalent of one standard size can) I prefer to use freezer bags, placing them on a baking sheet until frozen solid, for easier storage.
To thaw frozen pumpkin, put a bag in the fridge to thaw overnight. The flat bags don’t take long to thaw though, so I just put them on the counter for an hour or two. Use thawed pumpkin puree within a couple of days.
Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
Here’s a few of my favorite drool-worthy pumpkin recipes from some of my favorite Blogging Buddies. Be sure to check them out!
- Make Ahead Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Sweet-n-Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
- Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
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Haphazard Homemaker 
Great way to cook pumpkin! Thanks for sharing!
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I love fall! Pumpkin is definitely one of the best things about fall. Great post
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Thank you!
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Nice, informative post. I’m envious of your volunteer pumpkins, because I have never successfully grown one. Last year I tried cooking a pumpkin in my Instant Pot. It worked, but was extra work because the pot is not all that roomy. It took at least four repeats of the cooking process to get the whole pumpkin cooked. I’d try your slow cooker method…if I hadn’t gotten rid of mine when I got my Instant Pot. Argh.
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Thank you! This was so easy in the slow cooker with no attending necessary. It’s actually quicker to bake them in the oven. Just follow the same prepping directions and place them upside down on a baking sheet, then bake in a 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes or until done. I’m still thinking about getting about getting an Instant Pot.
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I’ve done the oven method, and actually liked the baked color, which was a deeper orange. I could also attempt a diy slow cooker, with a big pot on the stove with some water in the bottom. We’ll see. First, I need to score a bargain Halloween pumpkin. 🙂
I highly recommend the Instant Pot, or a similar programmable pressure cooker. It has made so much of my food prep easier and/or faster.
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Thanks for the info. A friend of mine has one that she hasn’t used much, and she told me I could borrow it to play with. 🙂
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Take her up on it, I say!
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Lovely recipe
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Looks like a great way to cook pumpkin. I don’t dislike pumpkin flavor, but it’s just not one of those things I crave. Maybe I’ll make Dad a pumpkin pie with this recipe!
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He’ll like that. 🙂
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Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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I have always prepared mine in the oven. But I have gotten lazy in my old age and buy canned pumpkin. The Crockpot is a good idea. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for visiting…Canned is good, but I couldn’t bring myself to let these little pumpkins go to waste. I’ve baked them in the oven before, depending on how hot it was outside and if we could keep the indoors cool enough to run the oven. At least with the crockpot, we can sit it outside on the porch.
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It has been hot here too. I been baking at night.
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Great ideas …. I’m longing for an outdoor kitchen….. maybe someday…. anyway, I have a little secret for getting pumpkins, squashes, etc for pennies that I will share. You know all those Fall festivals and Pumpkin festivals and Apple festivals that are coming up? I go the very last day, at the very last 1-2 hours and offer to buy their unsold produce…. they all but hand it over free, lol…. they hate packing it up and taking it home! If the festivals are near the produce farms, I go to the farms 1-2 days after the festivals end with the same results! I come home with cases of produce for pennies on the dollar. Hope this helps.
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Love that suggestion! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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😁
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I never even thought of this Robin!!!!!
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It was nice being able to move the slow cooker to the porch, so I didn’t have to heat up the kitchen.
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I like this idea. I may have to try it if my granddaughters will relinquish their painted pumpkins. I only have one crock pot, but its one of the big ones. I don’t have an instant pot, but I do have one of the old pressure cookers you use on the stove. How long would it take to cook it in a pressure cooker or instant pot? I know my pressure cooker only cooks at 15 lbs of pressure. I think the instant pots can go higher than that. Also, I know that pumpkin puree is different than the pumpkin pie filling. What would I need to add your the puree so I can make at pie? Oh and can I freeze it when I make the pie filling? I might can it instead since I have the pressure cooker out. LOL The oven roast sounds good too. How do you roast it and for how long?
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If you can use their painted pumpkins, I would be sure to wash off the paint first.
My crockpot is a large one too. After cutting and cleaning out the pumpkins, you might be able to cut them in smaller pieces to fit more in the crockpot.
You could also turn the cleaned halves upside down on rimmed baking sheets, punch several holes in the rind with a fork, and bake at 350° for 30 minutes to an hour. The time depends on the size of pumpkins, but when a table fork goes through the skin easily, they are usually done.
I’m not real familiar with pressure cooking times yet, but I read it would be about 15 minutes on high pressure.
After scraping the cooked pumpkin out, I let it cool in bowl over night in the fridge. The next day, I measure 2 cups of pumpkin into a quart freezer bag. That is equivalent to a small can of pumpkin. To make it pumpkin pie filling, you just need to add 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix to each bag. I add the seasoning when I make my pumpkin desserts. But you could easily add it before freezing or canning and just mix it in well.
Hope this helps!
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