How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin

How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin

Baking a pumpkin can be intimidating and awkward. They’re oversized, heavy, cumbersome and can make a huge mess. But fresh pumpkin can make all the difference in a recipe. It’s actually easy to prep and bake. Just follow this step-by-step tutorial below.

Makes 4 cups.

1 sugar pumpkin
2 tsp real salt
1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil 

►Preheat oven to 350 degrees
►Rinse the outside of the pumpkin and cut off the top as you would when making a jack-o-lantern

How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin
►Slice the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife

How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin
►Scoop out all the seeds and guts (Save the seeds to make a crunchy snack! Then compost the guts.)

►Rub coconut oil and salt on the inside of each pumpkin half

►Place in a baking dish with sides high enough to catch the pumpkin in case it collapses in the oven

How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin
►Bake for 45 minutes

►When it’s done, you’ll be able to easily slide a fork through the skin

How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin
►Allow to cool for 10 minutes before handling then scoop out the pumpkin meat and peel away all the skin. (Again, make sure to compost the skin!)

How to Bake a Sugar Pumpkin
►Place all the pumpkin meat into a food processor and give it a good spin for five minutes for a good puree. You may have to do this in batches.

►Voila! Fresh pumpkin!

►If you’re using for a recipe, strain the puree through some cheesecloth to remove the excess water