Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pumpkin

Pressure cooker pumpkin puree is so easy to make in your Instant Pot, Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi! Use it to make pumpkin butter, inside recipes and more. Homemade and perfect every time.

It makes this Fall vegetable so tender and perfect for canning or making delicious pumpkin butter too!

I mean there are SO many options once this is done. I’d have to say our pumpkin zucchini muffins top the list though.

I got this squash from a relative out of her garden. In researching what it was it was found it to be a long pie pumpkin.

Cooked it tastes just like the traditional circular orange versions.

I knew you could pop a whole pumpkin in your Instant Pot but it was a bit long so I cut up into large pieces. It worked great!

Another difference if you cut the pumpkin vs. sticking the whole thing in is you can remove the seeds beforehand. Don’t throw them out though!! Once you scoop out the seeds put them in a strainer and get the gunk off. 

• Then make roasted pumpkin seeds
• Or air fryer pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack. 
• This is one of our favorite Fall snacks, and quite healthy too! 

I guess it depends on what you’re making, I was on a mission to make homemade pumpkin butter so I preferred for the seeds and “gunk” to be gone beforehand.

Homemade pumpkin puree

1. Pumpkin – if left whole make sure it fits into your Instant Pot with enough room for the lid to close. Or cut into larger chunks
2. Trivet – I like this one with handles or vegetable steamer basket
3. Cup of water
4. Blender

Mason jars for storing in fridge, or pint size freezer bags if making it in bulk and freezing it.

The oven version has always worked fine but I am all about easy. Making this Instant Pot pumpkin really is a breeze. With a super short pressure cooking time you may never buy canned again.

• What’s great about this Instant Pot pumpkin recipe is you can leave it plain, or add any spices you like.
• LOVE nutmeg, add a bit more than others might.
• Prefer a sweeter sugar pumpkin puree, then add a bit of brown sugar to your mixture when you put it into the blender or food processor.

Now once you’re done with the cook on high pressure stage don’t do a quick release. Rather, allow for a natural pressure release for 5 minutes first, then scoop the insides out.

Throw this pulp into your blender with just a dash of liquid. Once it’s as smooth as you’d like you’ll have your own pressure cooker pumpkin puree to use as you wish.

Since we were making it a bit sweet we added some goodies like sugar, nutmeg and more. We will share what we made with you below. It was so yummy!!

Can you cook big pumpkins?

Not really. I mean it has to fit inside your pressure cooker. Yes you can cut it in half or even into fourths if you wanted but there’s still a limited capacity.

It might be easier to use a big pot on your stovetop with a trivet in the bottom for a rather large one. I would choose a small / medium one for this method.

How do you make pumpkin powder?

That isn’t what we’re sharing here, but we have made shared how to dehydrate apples and you’d use the same machine. If you’d rather make a powder (for whatever reason) there are instructions here.

• Canning pumpkin is an option if you’re making a large batch and want it to use for multiple recipes.
• Or use it immediately like we did when we made our pumpkin butter. You can use the same process for butternut squash and make soup this way too!

Either way it is a lot easier than you might think to cook a fresh pumpkin!

We hope that helped you understand how to cook pumpkin quickly!

How long does pumpkin puree last in the freezer?

It can last up to a year if stored properly!! That means you can make “all things pumpkin” all year long with this! Make a big batch and then store in airtight containers or in pint size freezer bags. Make sure to remove the air, zip them closed, and lay them flat.

I like to freeze as much as I would typically use in one use. That’s about the size of a can of pumpkin I’d buy at the store.

• Take one out at a time and allow to thaw out on the countertop, then bake away with it!

Instant Pot pumpkin

This is what you can do with it once it is done and ready to use:

1. Pumpkin chocolate bread is amazing
2. Our pumpkin monkey bread is to die for!!
3. Try pumpkin coffee creamer with some pumpkin cookies with cake mix
4. Instant Pot baby food is fun, or this pumpkin crisp or pumpkin pie sheet cake are always a hit.

Ninja Foodi pumpkin

You can make this or air fryer pumpkin if you have a Ninja Foodi too? Follow the same instructions below if you have that pot.

We have even made pumpkin angel food cake which is just amazing, and more October Instant Pot recipes here.