Instant Pot® Pumpkin Purée

This fall, skip the canned pumpkin! Instead, make homemade Instant Pot pumpkin purée with a sugar pumpkin!

Do you want to make your own pumpkin purée?

Does the thought of cooking a whole pumpkin and scooping out the tasty orange middle make you excited, but also a little nervous?

For a long time, for years, I thought that making pumpkin purée from scratch would be SO DIFFICULT.

Recently, as I wandered past the winter squash at Trader Joe's and saw the pretty little sugar pumpkins sitting right next to the acorn squash, something occurred to me.

I cook squash all the time!

What was I so worried about?!

And so, I grabbed several sugar pumpkins (or pie pumpkins), and headed home.

Once I was in the kitchen, I realized something.

The only difficult part about cooking sugar pumpkin (and other winter squash) is cutting them in half (because winter squash are notoriously difficult to cut) and also waiting on them to cook.

This Instant Pot pumpkin purée recipe solves both problems.

You'll cook the pumpkin whole, and then when you cut it in half your knife will glide right through without struggling.

And this Instant Pot pumpkin purée is ready in about 35 minutes-- a full 25 minutes faster than roasted pumpkin purée.

No Instant Pot yet? Use your oven instead and make roasted pumpkin purée.

What Kind of Pumpkin Should I Use?

Look for a sugar pumpkin or a pie pumpkin.

They're the same type of pumpkin, but you'll see them labeled both ways.

These pumpkins are usually near (or with) the winter squash at the grocery store.

This recipe uses a 2-3 pound pumpkin, which is a pretty average size.

If your pumpkin is bigger, try adding one extra minute of pressure cooking for each extra pound.

And keep in mind that if you buy a massive sugar pumpkin, it might not fit in the Instant Pot whole, and you'll have to cut it before cooking.

How to Make Instant Pot Pumpkin Purée

Start by rinsing the dirt off your pumpkin.

Next, grab the trivet that came with your Instant Pot and set it in the pot. Place the pumpkin on top.

Add one cup of water to the pot.

Close the Instant Pot, turn the valve to the sealing position, and press pressure cook (or manual).

Set the timer to 14 minutes.

Some Instant Pots models have a pressure cook button, and others have a manual button.  They do exactly the same thing.

It will take about six minutes for the Instant Pot to build pressure, and then it’ll start counting down.

When the countdown finishes, your pot will beep and begin counting up.

Let the Instant Pot do a natural release for ten minutes. 

Next, carefully release any remaining pressure.

Remove the pumpkin from the Instant Pot, set the trivet aside, and discard the water.

Cut the pumpkin in half, and scoop out the seeds and membrane.

Next, scoop out the cooked pumpkin.

The skin will be very soft at this point, and it should separate easily from the pumpkin flesh.

If there's any tough bits that feel like they should've cooked a little longer, don't worry about it, we'll take care of that next.

Go back to your Instant Pot, and press the sauté button.

Add a little olive oil, the pumpkin, and some salt.

Mash the pumpkin down with a wooden spoon or spatula, and let it cook in the oil for about five minutes.

Cooking the pumpkin in the oil adds a little extra flavor, and it also helps cook off any extra water.

At this point, you've got mashed pumpkin.

If I know I’ll be blending the pumpkin in a recipe later, or if I just want to eat the pumpkin as a snack, I stop here.

Want more Instant Pot ideas?  Check out all of my Instant Pot recipes.

For a silky pumpkin purée , scoop the pumpkin into a blender or food processor, and blend until it's creamy!

At this point, you can either use the pumpkin immediately (in a recipe or as a snack), or stick it in the fridge or freezer for another day.

Want recipes that USE pumpkin purée? Check out all of my pumpkin recipes, and try this Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo from Imagelicious!