how to roast a pie pumpkin plus the best pumpkin muffin recipe

How to Roast a Pie Pumpkin (Plus The Best Pumpkin Muffin Recipe)

Somewhere along the way of making foods convenient, we seem to have overcomplicated the simplest of kitchen tasks. It’s easy to learn how to roast a pie pumpkin (sometimes called a sugar pumpkin) to use in your holiday baking, and you’ll be rewarded with the best tasting pumpkin for your favorite recipes.

Welcome back to the newest installment in our holiday series, Home for the Holidays: A Southern Season of Charm. Today I’m sharing the simple steps to roast your own pie pumpkins, which brings out the sweetest, richest flavors of the season. You’ll learn how to make pumpkin puree, talk about ways to store it, and explore how to cook with it. I’ll also link my family’s favorite pumpkin muffin recipe, and I know you’ll love it as well.

The other articles in this series are linked below. I hope you’ll browse through other reader favorites at your leisure.

What Is a Pie Pumpkin?

When I’m making homemade pumpkin puree, I usually opt for sugar pie pumpkins. Sugar pie pumpkins look just like the kind that you’d buy to carve a jack-0’-lantern, but they are much smaller. Sugar pie pumpkins are easily split into two to fit inside your oven to bake. But if you’re feeling adventurous, there are many varieties of edible pumpkins that provide rich, sweet flesh for cooking. You can see other types of edible pumpkins on the image that I’ve created below, and if you want to research more about edible pumpkins, you may enjoy this book.

There are many varieties of edible pumpkins. Flavors range from mild to savory to sweet.
Sugar pie pumpkins are smaller and sweeter than carving pumpkins — perfect for homemade purée.

How to Roast a Fresh Pie Pumpkin (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you’ve ever wondered how to roast a pie pumpkin at home instead of using canned puree, this simple guide walks you through each step.

Roasting a fresh pumpkin to make puree is a beginner-friendly kitchen task. All you need are a few kitchen tools and a little bit of time. Here you can see all the steps and equipment you’ll need, plus a few tips for storing and using your pumpkin puree. Keep reading for a link to my family’s favorite pumpkin muffin recipe!

how to roast a pie pumpkin plus the best pumpkin muffin recipe
Abby | Belle Antiquarian

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Rich, smooth, and naturally sweet homemade pumpkin puree. Perfect for pies, muffins, soups, and all your favorite fall recipes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings: 2 cups puree
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Pie pumpkin (also called sugar pumpkin) about 2 ½ to 3 pounds
  • 1-2 tsp Olive or avocado oil. Optional, for lightly brushing the cut sides before roasting
  • 1 pinch Salt. Optional, helps draw out moisture and deepen flavor
  • Water for blending, as needed. Start with 1-2 tablespoons

Equipment

  • 1 Sharp chef's knife for safely cutting the pumpkin in half.
  • 1 Large cutting board sturdy and non-slip to handle round produce.
  • 1 Metal spoon or scoop to remove seeds and stringy pulp.
  • 1 Baking sheet a rimmed sheet pan to catch any caramelized juices while roasting.
  • 1 Parchment paper or silicone baking mat for easy cleanup and even roasting.
  • 1 High-speed blender or food processor to create smooth, creamy puree.
  • 1 Rubber spatula to scrape down the sides while blending.
  • 1 Glass storage containers or freezer-safe bags to portion and store your puree for later use.

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 375*F (190*C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Prepare the pumpkin. Using a sharp chef's knife, carefully cut the pie pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp with a spoon. (Save the seeds for roasting later, if desired.)
  3. Roast the pumpkin. Place the halves cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with oil, if using. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork.
  4. Cool slightly. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the pumpkin cool until easy to handle, about 10-15 minutes.
  5. Scoop and blend. Scoop the soft pumpkin flesh from the skin and transfer it to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water one tablespoon at a time if needed to reach your desired consistency.
  6. Store for later use. Spoon the puree into airtight containers. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze in 1-cup portions for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Storage: Keep fresh pumpkin puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze it in 1-cup portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
  • Pumpkin Type: This recipe is best with pie pumpkins (also called sugar pumpkins). Avoid large carving pumpkins; they’re watery and less flavorful.
  • Texture Tip: For extra-smooth puree, blend roasted pumpkin in a high-speed blender or food processor while still slightly warm.
  • How to Use: Substitute homemade puree cup-for-cup for canned pumpkin in pies, breads, muffins, and soups.
  • Tip: Use a sturdy sheet pan, silicone baking mat, and a good immersion blender for effortless roasting and blending.
  • Make-Ahead Idea: Roast multiple pumpkins at once, cool completely, and freeze the extra puree to save time during the holidays.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and LTK Creator, I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my links.

Roast until the skins wrinkle and the flesh is fork-tender — that’s when the flavor is at its peak.

Cozy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Once your kitchen smells like roasted pumpkin, put that fresh puree to good use in some soft, spiced pumpkin muffins.

It’s not an exaggeration when I say that our kids absolutely adore my pumpkin muffins. They ask for them every fall, and a batch will usually only last us a couple of days. Now that we’re empty-nesters, they still request pumpkin muffins. I recently made a batch and gave them all to my daughter to take back to college.

If you have a big family, hungry teenagers, or you like to meal prep, these pumpkin muffins freeze well. Cool them completely and place them into freezer bags before storing them for future use.

There’s a reason the recipe is called The Best Pumpkin Muffins, because they really are! You can find the recipe linked here.

Serving Suggestions and Variations

Although the pumpkin muffins are perfect just as they are, it’s always fun to play around with fall flavors and different add-ins. We sometimes use chocolate chips, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or a streusel topping.

When you bake these pumpkin muffins with fresh pumpkin puree, the flavor and color will be a little richer than canned pumpkin. This small change makes a huge difference.

If you love pumpkin muffins like we do, try pairing them with a hot cup of cinnamon tea or a cream cheese spread.

In Closing

I hope that you see just how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree by roasting a small sugar pie pumpkin. Before we get into the hectic holiday rush, take an hour this weekend to make some pumpkin puree for your fall pies, bread, and muffins. (Just pop it in your freezer until you need it!)

This holiday season we’re sharing recipes, traditions, and timeless décor in each of the Home for the Holidays articles. Be sure to bookmark Belle Antiquarian, subscribe below, and follow me on Instagram and Pinterest as we journey Home for the Holidays this season.

Home for the Holidays: A Southern Season of Charm

Previous: Natural Fall Décor: Simple Ways to Bring the Outdoors In

Next: A Classic Sweet Potato Pie Recipe from a Vintage Southern Cookbook

For the full Home for the Holidays archive, go here.

Homemade pumpkin purée — smooth, rich, and ready for your favorite fall baking recipes.

Abby Smolarsky6 Comments

Natural Fall Decor: Simple Ways to Bring the Outdoors In

Welcome to the first installment of my newest series, Home for the Holidays: A Southern Season of Charm. Today we begin by sharing ways to bring the outdoors inside to decorate your home with natural décor for fall.

The holiday season in the South is rich in tradition. It’s a graceful time of the year where we extend hospitality and celebrate the season by adding seasonal touches in gathering spaces. Each week of the Home for the Holidays series will be a celebration of meaningful traditions, nostalgic décor, and cozy inspiration for the heart of the home.

Whether you plan to host a large holiday gathering or your goal is to simply add traditional touches around your home, I hope you’ll come back each week for inspiration and a sense of community.

Autumn charm tucked into a secretary desk — goldenrod in a stoneware crock, bowls of acorns, beeswax candles, and heirloom blue-and-white china.

Why Choose Natural Fall Decor?

Albert Camus is credited with saying, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower,” and I can’t hear this quote without thinking of the mighty Southern magnolia.

Truly a Magnolia grandiflora, in the spring she entices us with massive, fragrant flowers in a milky white hue that contrast with her green leaves. Yet, the Magnolia doesn’t stop in spring! In the fall, we are presented with brilliant and strange cones that push out bright red seeds as they ripen. The vivid green leaves of spring have developed their velvety brown undersides, softening as the heat of summer eases into the first chilled autumn evenings of the Deep South.

During the spring and summer, we bring nature’s bounty indoors to eat. When autumn arrives, the growing season has come to an end. But that doesn’t mean we turn our backs on what nature has to offer. For generations Southerners have brought nature inside during autumn to decorate with and enjoy. By taking advantage of what nature has to offer us from the land, garden, and forests, we can decorate our homes in the traditional Southern fashion for little to no cost.

Southern autumn in hand — a magnolia seed pod bursting with brilliant red seeds.

The Three Categories of Natural Fall Decor

To make gathering from nature more approachable, I like to think of natural fall décor in three categories.

The Harvest: Abundance for the table and sideboard

The food we harvest to eat in the fall can also be used to decorate our homes. Apples of all shades from yellow to red to bright green mimic the colors of the leaves. A basket full of apples in the center of a breakfast table becomes edible artwork.

Pumpkins are sometimes overlooked as indoor décor. Most houses will be seen with one next to the front door, waiting for a face to be carved. But pumpkins can be used as indoor décor as well. A large pumpkin can be turned into a centerpiece, and small pumpkins can line a windowsill.

Layered textures of hydrangeas and grapevine wreath frame an heirloom pumpkin for an inviting fall accent.

In the fall we also harvest other growing plants like cotton, wheat, and many types of flowers. Bundles of cotton and wheat can be used in vases or wreaths. Dried hydrangeas and goldenrod are also traditional Southern fall decor.

The Gathered: Treasures from the forest floor

A walk through our natural surroundings will reveal all sorts of treasures if we observe the world around us. These items aren’t necessarily grown to harvest at the end of the season. They’re little gifts that we can find while looking on the forest floor or in the trees. Sometimes a stroll along the shore of an ocean or lake will reveal a prize to bring inside.

A hand-carved wooden dough bowl brimming with acorns adds warmth to a fall mantel styled with grapevine pumpkins.

In my own yard I collected magnolia and pine cones, acorns, and pecans. I filled all kinds of bowls and vessels to use them as natural fall décor. I also cut branches of magnolia to use in floral arrangements.

Other gathered finds are items like feathers, antler sheds, ethically sourced turtle shells, and oyster shells. All of these can be thoughtfully integrated into your fall décor.

Rustic fall touches — pinecones, twine, dried grasses, and terracotta pots flank a vintage dog portrait for cozy seasonal charm.

The Handcrafted: Artisan-made with natural materials

The final category of natural fall décor is the handcrafted. Artisans use natural items to create things that we use on a daily basis. We can thoughtfully incorporate those items in our fall décor to highlight their natural materials and craftsmanship.

Pheasant feathers in ironstone, vintage books tied with velvet ribbon, and a grapevine pumpkin create timeless autumn layers.

Candles made of beeswax perfume the room and add a warm yellow tone to the space even when they’re not burning. Baskets made of local grass and willows are useful all year round, and in the fall they can be used to showcase things like a bunch of gourds.

Other handcrafted items to consider using in your natural fall décor are quilts, pottery, and sculptures made from wood or local rock.

How to Incorporate Natural Decor into Your Home

A common mistake people make when decorating their homes for the holidays is to go overboard with a theme. If every item in your home has a pumpkin motif on it, it will start to look more like a gift shop than a home with decorative touches. The same thing can happen if you go overboard with natural fall décor.

I recommend finding ways to integrate natural fall décor into your existing vignettes. Take one or two natural elements and treat them as “hero pieces” in combination with other groupings of existing décor. Consider things like textures, colors, and size when you’re styling or arranging your spaces.

A cozy fall corner — heirloom pumpkin centerpiece beside a wingback chair and brass lamp, framed by autumn light.

Four Places to Add Natural Fall Decor

A brown transferware bowl filled with moss, seed pods, and a candle rests on a stack of well-loved books for simple fall charm.

Shop the Look

If you like the idea of decorating for fall using natural décor, but you don’t live in an area where you can find it on your own, I’m sharing some links for items that I recommend. I’ve curated a list of items you can use throughout the year, as well as some resources for natural items like shells and dried flowers.

You can find this list by clicking the image below or going directly to my curated LTK shop for fall.

Shop the look: timeless natural finds I recommend for autumn decorating. These pieces can be styled throughout your home and carried into other seasons with ease.

Looking Ahead: A Season of Charm

Throughout this eight-week Home for the Holidays series we’ll explore a few Southern holiday recipes, decorate our tables for special holiday meals, and explore easy ways to show hospitality and care to those around us this season.

I invite you to come back each Saturday for the next installment of Home for the Holidays: A Southern Season of Charm. Be sure to bookmark this website in your browser and follow along on Instagram for updates. Links to the other segments in this series will be added to the bottom of this article as we make our way through the holidays season together.

Closing Thought

When we choose to use natural décor in our homes it honors the environment around us. We’re at a time in history when home décor is being treated as though it is disposable. Walk into any craft store, and you’ll find shelves up to the ceiling that are lined with hundreds of identical decorations that will likely only be used for one season before ending up in the trash.

I want to encourage you to consider buying quality items that can be used in different ways every season, instead of something that can only be used for a couple of weeks. For example: A dough bowl can be filled with eggs in the spring, shells in the summer, acorns in the fall, and ornaments at Christmas.

Investing in quality décor saves money in the long run and decreases mental and physical clutter in our homes. Dante Alighieri said, “Nature is the art of God,” and I hope you have been inspired to bring nature into your décor this fall.  

Autumn elegance in the dining room — antler mounts, brown transferware, cabbage plates, and hydrangeas with velvet ribbon.
Autumn natural decor ideas illustration featuring seasonal elements such as magnolia stems, oak leaves, dried wheat, pumpkins, grapevine, dried hydrangeas, pheasant feathers, cotton stems, acorns, pinecones, dried seed pods, antler sheds, and oyster shells. Styled for fall decorating inspiration with a Southern touch.
Bring the outdoors in this autumn with simple, natural decor. From magnolia stems and acorns to antler sheds and oyster shells, these timeless touches add warmth, charm, and Southern character to any home.

Explore More from This Series

Each article in this series celebrates the beauty of Southern living through the seasons. You can find the full collection on the homepage under Home for the Holidays: A Southern Season of Charm.

Abby Smolarsky5 Comments