Can You Freeze Pumpkin Puree? Here's How to Do THis Right

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Pumpkin puree is delicious for so many reasons and it can be so useful to have around the house to make pies, Pumpkin Spice lattes, or dinner rolls.

You can also replace butter with pumpkin puree since it’s significantly healthier.

However, what are you going to do when you have too much pumpkin puree leftover? Can you freeze pumpkin puree?

If you’re a big fan of pumpkin puree and you do not want for any of it to go to waste, we’re going to look into how you can freeze so it keeps for longer.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Puree?

Obviously, we’re not the only ones who ended up with too much pumpking puree, especially during the height of pumpkin-season, when we’re trying to integrate it into everything and anything. Here’s the message we received from one of our readers:

I opened several cans of pumpkin puree to make pies with, only to realize that I didn’t have enough pie crusts to make as many pies as I had originally intended. I don’t have the time to continue to make the pies any time soon, but I now have leftover pumpkin puree that I don’t know what to do with.

I’ve heard that pumpkin doesn’t freeze well, and it would be a shame to see all that perfectly good puree go to waste. I would like to try to freeze it if it’s not a horrible idea. Can you freeze pumpkin puree?

Of course you can freeze pumpkin puree! Think about all those frozen pumpkin pies that are sold around Thanksgiving. They’re full of pumpkin puree, and they freeze just fine.

There’s no reason you can’t freeze your pumpkin puree until you’re ready to use it to make some pies of your own. The key to freezing pumpkin puree successfully is making sure that it doesn’t get freezer burn, and that it doesn’t pick up any other flavors from foods in the freezer.

How to Freeze Pumpkin Puree?

To freeze pumpkin puree, make sure that it is still fresh and hasn’t been open for too long. Pumpkin puree starts to change flavor quickly, and may taste sour if it has been out for too long. No more than two days after opening for best results.

Place to desired amount of pumpkin puree in a freezer bag and squeeze out the excess air.
Seal and date the bag and place it in the coldest part of the freezer.
If you are going to make pies with the puree, it might be a good idea to freeze the pumpkin puree in bags that are the exact quantity needed for one pie, that way you know exactly how much to thaw when you decide to bake a pie. Then you don’t have to worry about having any leftover.

How Long Can You Keep Frozen Pumpkin Puree?

Pumpkin puree is best used within about 3 months of freezing, but it can be safely kept for longer although it may lose some of its flavors.

How to Keep Pumpkin Puree For Longer?

If you want to make sure that your pumpkin puree doesn’t go bad before you want to use it, you can use a vacuum sealer. Vacuum sealers take out all the air in the bags and containers, ensuring that there’s no leftover oxigen to spoil the pumpkin puree.

While we reviewed plenty of these appliances, and we have a full list of them, we really like the one that’s at the top of the list – FoodSaver V4840 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine. The FoodSaver works with freezer bags and containers of various sizes.

How to Defrost Pumpkin Puree?

Whenever you’re ready to make your next pumpkin pie, it’s time to defrost your pumpkin puree.

To thaw pumpkin puree, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Once thawed completely, it can be used in your favorite pie recipe.

Pumpkin puree that is not spiced is also a great way to make pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin Puree Recipes

Now that your pumpkin puree has thawed out, it’s time to make good use of it. We have a lot of recipes that we’re sure you’ll love quite a bit, so check them all out:

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Puree? Here’s How to Do This Right