How to Cook a Pumpkin in the Slow Cooker | Easiest Pumpkin Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to cook a pumpkin? ›

Cooking the Pumpkin

If you're roasting, roast at 400 F for 35 to 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft. If you're steaming, fill your steamer pot with a few inches of water, bring it to a boil.

For a 2-3 pound sugar pumpkin (also called a pie pumpkin), we like to bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 Celsius) for 45-50 minutes. You'll know it's done when the skin is tender when pierced with a fork. Let the pumpkin cool slightly before handling.

Place 1/2 butternut pumpkin (cubed) in a large saucepan and fill with enough water to cover by 2.5cm. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 mins or until the pumpkin is very tender.

Place the entire pumpkin onto the baking sheet and place it into your preheated oven. Bake your pumpkin whole for 1 hour, or until the pumpkin is extremely tender.

Briefly cooking your canned pumpkin purée on the stove can help improve both the flavor and texture. This method helps reduce excess moisture, which gives the pumpkin a superior texture. It also releases the natural pumpkin flavor and helps reduce the metallic taste from the can.

The water does not need to cover the pumpkin pieces. Cover the pot and boil for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender, or steam for 10 to 12 minutes. Check for doneness by poking with a fork. Drain the cooked pumpkin in a colander.

Depending on what type of squash you are using you might not need to peel it, with thinner skinned squash such as butternut squash you can eat the skin. For thicker skinned squash it is often easier to cut the squash into large wedges, roast, and then peel the skin off after it's cooked when it's softer and easier.

Which part of the pumpkin can I eat? You can eat all of the pumpkin - except for its stalk. Whether you can eat the skin or not depends on the variety. Smaller varieties such as onion squash have deliciously edible skin, the skin of larger varieties may be too tough to eat or less than appealing.

The Rind - the pumpkin skin (known as rind) will be hard if the pumpkin is ripe. To test its readiness try to pierce the skin with your fingernail. It should be strong enough to resist puncture so if the skin dents but doesn't puncture, the pumpkin is ready to pick. The Sound - a ripe pumpkin will sound hollow.

There are a few ways you can prepare your pumpkin, I recommend either steaming it or oven roasting/baking it. Both of them are great, but I feel like the roasting brings out a little more of the sweetness due to sugar caramelization. Steaming seems to cook faster, however, there's usually a bit more prep involved.

Do you have to peel pumpkin before boiling? ›

Depending on what type of squash you are using you might not need to peel it, with thinner skinned squash such as butternut squash you can eat the skin. For thicker skinned squash it is often easier to cut the squash into large wedges, roast, and then peel the skin off after it's cooked when it's softer and easier.

This is the best method to make pumpkin puree as a side dish. In fact, roasting the pumpkin gives it a delicious flavor, and it keeps the puree smooth, thick, and not watery. To use this method, first cut the whole pumpkin and scrape down the side if dirty and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Try eating pumpkin raw: trim off the skin, slice the flesh thin like a tortilla chip using a mandolin, and have it with garlicky hummus! Use in cakes, custards, cookies, breads, muffins, homemade pasta, ravioli… ours never lasts that long… Make pumpkin pie.