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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    How to Cook Pumpkin in Instant Pot

    Published: Oct 27, 2019 · Updated: Nov 9, 2021 by Dawn · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Cooking a pie pumpkin in the Instant Pot is the easiest way I have found to cook a pumpkin. You can cook them whole so you don't have to fight with cutting it open and taking the seeds out. Your knife will cut right through once it is cooked.

    Pumpkin puree in a bowl after cooking and ready to use.

    Have you ever wanted to use homemade pumpkin puree but it just sounded difficult to cook? I totally get it! I remember the first time I tried to cook a pumpkin it was a very lengthy process of trying to cut it open and cutting the stem. I also was trying to remove the seeds and oh it was so frustrating that I had given up on it for years. Seriously, I did. I knew there had to be a better way!

    Well there is a better way, cook it whole in the Instant Pot!

    Wait, did I say easily? Yes I did! Even me, the one who made it like a complicated surgery to cook it the first time I tried now loves making homemade pumpkin puree. In my defense, my pumpkin surgery days were before the Internet days. Yes, those days did really exist haha!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Cooking the Pumpkin in the Instant Pot
    • Recipes that use fresh pumpkin puree
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Items that help with this recipe
    • Recipe

    Ingredients

    Cooking a pumpkin in the Instant Pot only has 2 ingredients:

    Pie pumpkin - This is often called sugar pumpkin or sugar pie pumpkin.

    Water - You do need the water for cooking or you will get a burn notice, know this from personal experience!

    Cooking the Pumpkin in the Instant Pot

    Pumpkin cut in half after cooking before removing seeds.

    Pumpkin and the skin get nice and soft once cooked. It makes it so much easier to slice through! I sliced through that just like if I was slicing through butter. I was so happy the first time I made it this way!

    Prepping the pumpkin for the Instant Pot

    First thing you want to do is pick out a pie pumpkin that will fit in the inner pot. This depends on the size of the Instant Pot you have. Most pie pumpkins should fit if you have a 6 quart, but I prefer to use our 8 quart because every sugar pie pumpkin we have bought fits in it. If you have to, you can place the pumpkin on it's side in the IP.

    I wash the outside of the pumpkin with a little vinegar and rinse it off. I don't know where my pumpkin has been so I want to get the germs off. You don't have to, but I like to use the trivet provided with the Instant Pot if your pumpkin will fit on it. I have done them both ways as some pumpkins are too big to fit on it.

    If you have to, you can break the stem right off usually. This might be a little harder if you grow them and it was just picked - it might require a sharp knife. If you bought it from a supermarket, it should break off easily with your hands.

    Even sometimes from your local farm stand it will break off easily if it wasn't picked that morning.

    Poke a few holes in the top of the pumpkin - if you are putting it in on it's side, poke holes on the side facing up when in the Instant Pot. I use a fork to poke the holes, but you can carefully use a knife instead.

    Cooking the pumpkin

    Pumpkin sitting in the inner pot on the trivet ready to be cooked.

    Set the pumpkin on the trivet and pour in the water. Place the lid on and make sure the vent is set to seal. Hit the pressure cook/manual button and set the time to 12 minutes.

    Allow to do a natural release which also took about 12 minutes for us. Once the pin drops, remove lid and let it sit for just a couple minutes to allow the steam to dissipate. Carefully remove the pumpkin.

    The pumpkin will be soft so lift the trivet out to take the pumpkin out. This is where the trivet comes in handy since the pumpkin will be soft and easy to cut open. Allow it to cool slightly before cutting it open so you do not get burned.

    Making the pumpkin puree

    Peeling the pumpkin after it has cooled slightly.
    The skin will come right off after cooking

    Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, cut it in half and allow it to cool a little further so you can handle it. I scoop the seeds out carefully first and then peel the skin off.

    You don't have, but we like to put our pumpkin into a food processor to make it a smooth puree. I have also used our Ninja chopper, but it doesn't hold as much pumpkin as the big processor. If you choose to skip this step it will be stringy but still good.

    Recipes that use fresh pumpkin puree

    • Pumpkin whipped cream
    • Pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin
    • No bake pumpkin cheesecake
    • Pumpkin pasta sauce
    • Instant Pot pumpkin cheesecake

    Frequently asked questions

    How long will fresh pumpkin puree last in the fridge?

    It will last about 5-7 days in the fridge if placed in the fridge shortly after cooling down.

    Can I can the pumpkin puree?

    I do not recommend canning it and personally do not do it. Pumpkin runs a much higher risk of bacteria if not canned properly.

    Can I freeze the fresh pumpkin?

    After making the puree and allowing it to cool all the way, you can freeze it. It is the best way to store it if you are not using it right away. We freeze ours in 1 cup amounts because most of our recipes are done with 1 or 2 cups. We use freezer bags, but you can use any freezer safe container.

    Items that help with this recipe

    As an Amazon affiliate we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of our links. This is at no extra cost to you and helps to keep the recipes free. Thank you for your support!

    • Food processor - Not required if just cooking the pumpkin, but this will make a smooth puree if you need puree for your recipes.
    • 8 quart Instant Pot - You can use the 6 quart, but I prefer to use the 8 quart. Most pie pumpkins fit in the 6, but all of the pie pumpkins I have purchased fit in the 8.
    • Storage containers - These are a little bigger then you need, but if you store it in 1 cup sizes the 8 ounce containers are little too small. The ideal size would be 10-12 ounce containers, but they are harder to find so the 16 ounce containers work great. We often use quart size freezer bags to freeze pumpkin too.

    Recipe

    Pumpkin puree in a bowl ready to use.

    Cooking a Pumpkin in Instant Pot

    Dawn
    Cooking a pumpkin in the Instant Pot is the easiest way to cook it! You cook it whole and it's easy to cut once it is cooked.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    pressure build and release 25 mins
    Total Time 42 mins
    Course Side Dish, vegetable
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 44.2 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot, see notes
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pie pumpkin
    • 1¼ cups water

    Instructions
     

    • Wash the outside of the pumpkin with a little vinegar then rinse with water to wash away any germs.
      Poke a few holes on the top of the pumpkin with a fork or sharp knife.
    • Place trivet inside the Instant Pot if the pumpkin will fit with trivet in there.
    • Place the pumpkin on the trivet - it's ok if the pumpkin touches the lid. If the lid will not fit on, take the trivet out and place pumpkin directly in the inner pot.
    • Pour the water into the bottom of the inner pot.
    • Hit the pressure cook/manual button and set the time to 12 minutes.
    • Once it is done, allow it to naturally release the pressure.
    • When the pin drops, remove the lid and let the steam dissipate so you don't get burned.
      Carefully remove the trivet with the pumpkin on it and place the pumpkin onto a dish. Be very careful if you didn't use the trivet, the pumpkin is very hot and will be soft.
    • Give it a couple minutes so you do not get burned and cut the pumpkin in half.
    • Scoop seeds out of it and peel the skin off. To make a smooth puree, add the pumpkin to a food processor and blend until it is smooth.

    Notes

    Nutritional values are estimated and serving sizes are estimated as well.
    A pie pumpkin sometimes goes by sugar or sugar pie pumpkin.  They are smaller in size and should fit easily into the Instant Pot.
    The 8 quart is best for cooking down pumpkin, but you can use a 6 quart for most pumpkins.  There have been a couple that would not fit in our 6 quart, but they always fit in the 8.
    The trivet is helpful for removing the hot pumpkin out of the Instant Pot but it isn't required if it won't fit.  If you didn't use trivet, be extra careful removing the hot pumpkin.
    The pumpkin puree will last about 5-7 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 44.2kcalCarbohydrates: 11.05gProtein: 1.7gFat: 0.17gSaturated Fat: 0.09gSodium: 3.65mgPotassium: 578mgFiber: 0.85gSugar: 4.69gVitamin A: 14472.1IUVitamin C: 15.3mgCalcium: 35.7mgIron: 1.36mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    For step by step pictures - Instant Pot pumpkin puree.

    More Instant Pot Recipes

    • Easy Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
    • Quick and Easy Instant Pot Taco Rice
    • How to Cook Squash in the Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marilyn Lesniak

      November 07, 2019 at 1:24 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too!

      Reply

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