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    Home > American Recipes

    Published: Oct 7, 2014 · Modified: Jun 17, 2020 by Denise Browning · "This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission." · 41 Comments

    Peeling Pumpkin Easily for Cooking

    Gluten FreeVegetarian

    Jump to Recipe ↓

    Pumpkins can be used for cooking and also for carving jack-o-lanterns around Halloween time. Since the shell can be quite tough, we will show you here how to peel a pumpkin easily for cooking, in just 4 quick steps -- 1. Slice in half and Clean, 2. Cook, 3. Let Cool, 4. PEEL.

    Peeling a pumpkin easily for cooking

    To make peeling the shell easier and quicker, it is best to cook it first! Yes, that's right!!!!!! Cooking it -- either in the microwave or oven-- will make the outer skin soft enough to peel with just your fingers.

    Try out our method and simplify your life! After all, who could ever imagine that peeling a member of the squash family could be so simple, no matter what size it is...

    As if that weren't enough, you can also use cooked pumpkin to prepare your favorite dishes and treats. If you would like some additional suggestions, here are a few to add some variety to your table:

    PUMPKIN BRIGADEIROS (Great for Halloween)

    CHICKEN STEW IN A PUMPKIN SHELL (Use Thanksgiving turkey or other leftovers)

    PUMPKIN PIE WITH GOOEY PECAN-CHOCOLATE TOPPING  (Two pies in one)

    CHOCOLATE-PUMPKIN-PECAN BREAD PUDDING (Not your average bread pudding)

    ...and coming soon, our very own CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP!!!

    xx

    Peeling pumpkin easily for cooking

    Peeled pumpkin
    Print SAVE Saved Recipe! Pin
    5 from 9 votes

    How to Peel a Pumpkin Easily

    Peeling pumpkin easily for cooking (microwave and oven methods).
    Course:Side Dish
    Cuisine:American
    Keywords:cooking, cutting, peeling, pumpkin
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 18 minutes
    Total Time 23 minutes
    Servings 12 people
    Calories29 kcal
    Author Denise Browning
    Cost $ 0.50 per person

    Equipment

    • Microwave or oven
    • Plate or baking sheet
    • knife
    • cutting board
    • ice cream scoop or spoon

    Ingredients

    • 1 medium pumpkin

    Instructions

    • SLICE pumpkin in half AND CLEAN it, removing all the seeds and fibrous strings using a large metal spoon or ice cream scoop.
      Two sliced pumpkin halves with their centers scooped clean with an ice cream scoop
    • COOK it! This is the best way to make all the peeling go much easier and quicker. If cooking in a MICROWAVE, place pumpkin half cut-side-down on a microwave-safe dish with a bit of water in it. Microwave one of the halves until the skin can be sliced away easily. Time varies depending on the size of the pumpkin as well as microwave wattage. My medium-size pumpkin took 18 minutes (100 % cooking power) in a 1100 watts microwave. It is fully cooked when fork tender (or it can be easily pricked with a toothpick).
      pumpkin half cooking on a glass plate in the microwave
    • If cooking in the OVEN, place clean pumpkin half or halves cut side up on a baking sheet (if pumpkin is large, you will have to bake halves separately) and bake in a preheated oven at 375º F for about 15-30 minutes (small), 30-45 minutes (medium), 45-60 minutes (large), or until fork tender.
      pumpkin half resting on baking sheet for cooking in the oven
    • LET COOL just enough to handle without burning your fingers.
    • PEEL it using a knife (oven method) or your fingers (microwave method). Either chop (oven) or purée the pumpkin flesh (microwave), depending what you are using it for. If you intend to purée, pumpkin can be cooked longer, making it much, much easier to peel the skin.
      cooked pumpkin half with the shell being peeled away

    Recipe Video

    YouTube video

    Recipe Notes

    Store cooked and cool pumpkin in an airthight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 9648IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

    ** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

    Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.

     

    « Halloween Creepy Jello Cups
    Spicy Tomato Soup Shots with Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches »

    Filed Under: American Recipes, Easy And Delish, Easy Gluten-Free Recipes, Easy Vegetarian Recipes, How-To, Thanksgiving Tagged With: cooking technique, Fall/Autumn, Pumpkin

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Liz says

      October 07, 2014 at 8:07 pm

      Oh, my gosh, what an easy way to remove the peel! Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 07, 2014 at 8:09 pm

        My pleasure, Liz!

        Reply
    2. marcela says

      October 08, 2014 at 9:21 am

      Oh! so good!:) I love this post!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 08, 2014 at 4:09 pm

        Thanks, Marcela! I hope it's useful to you...

        Reply
    3. John@Kitchen Riffs says

      October 08, 2014 at 11:55 am

      I've tried this method and it really works! I usually use the microwave, unless I have the oven on for something else. Such a terrific post -- thanks so much.

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 08, 2014 at 4:10 pm

        We're welcome, John! Cooking a pumpkin before peeling makes the task much easier.

        Reply
    4. Sugar et al. says

      October 08, 2014 at 11:05 pm

      What a timely post, my friend! I am going to try this out very soon. (You already know how much I love pumpkin) This is certainly going to make my life easier as I have quite a few recipes in mind and didn't know too well how to tackle this monster:-)

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 09, 2014 at 9:28 am

        Sonali: I have struggled to peel pumpkin for many years because I tried to peel it before cooking. It used to take all my energy and patience away -- no matter the size of the pumpkin. But this method can really help to make things much easier.

        Reply
    5. Kathleen says

      October 09, 2014 at 7:07 am

      WOW--this is great! Thanks so much for sharing Denise....you've made my life alot easier!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 09, 2014 at 9:29 am

        My struggle trying to peel a pumpkin is over and I hope others' as well.

        Reply
    6. Deb|EastofEdenCooking says

      October 09, 2014 at 7:49 am

      A much better way to clean a pumpkin! It's moving quickly into that extra busy time of year when we can use every tip we can find to help us through the busy holiday season. Thank you Denise!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 09, 2014 at 9:31 am

        Thank you, Deb! Sometimes what seems so simple like peeling a pumpkin can become a hard task... but cooking it first really simplify our lives.

        Reply
    7. Little Cooking Tips says

      October 09, 2014 at 8:04 am

      5 stars
      Fantastic idea Denise! Never thought of cooking it before peeling it:) Does that work with squash as well? Have you tried it?
      Thank you for another wonderful post!
      xo

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 09, 2014 at 12:07 pm

        Hi, Panos and Mirella! This technique works well with any kind of squash. xoxo

        Reply
        • Little Cooking Tips says

          October 10, 2014 at 12:05 am

          5 stars
          Thank you Denise! That's really great to know, 'cause Panos's parents in Evia island have lots of them every year.

          Reply
          • Denise Browning says

            October 10, 2014 at 7:00 am

            I hope they apply this technique and peel squash easily. Since squash will be already cooked, it can be used for many dishes.

            Reply
    8. Miss Kim @ behgopa says

      October 09, 2014 at 3:19 pm

      Cool! One time, my boss gave me a bunch of pumpkin to use. I don't even remember how I dealt with the pumpkin peeling, but it was not fun...there was just so many of them and I only had a tiny little oven at the time...and really HUGE pumpkin. Sometimes I wonder if he did that to punish me lol jk. Of course, we didn't have a microwave there. Gosh...even slicing through all those huge pumpkins was aggravating just cuz there were so many. But anyways...after that part was over, the fun part was cooking with them. I love pumpkin!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 09, 2014 at 4:43 pm

        Hi, Miss Kim! I am so sorry that you had that kind of experience. Pumpkin is tasty yet hard to peel. Like you said, it is not fun having to peel it. But this method it really makes life easy.

        Reply
    9. Juliana says

      October 09, 2014 at 11:01 pm

      Oh Denise...this is such a great post...love the instructive pictures...this make peeling pumpkin so easy...thanks!
      Hope you are enjoying your week 😀

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 10, 2014 at 6:58 am

        Thank you, Juliana! Likewise.

        Reply
    10. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

      October 10, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      That's another reason why I love roasting and peeling pumpkins, all on my own. So freaking easy and therapeutic 🙂

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 10, 2014 at 10:13 pm

        Thanks, Kiran!!!! This is the easiest way to peel a pumpkin.

        Reply
    11. Mi Vida en un Dulce says

      October 11, 2014 at 6:41 am

      5 stars
      You are right, that is the better way to peel a pumpkin: cooked!!!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 11, 2014 at 1:36 pm

        Thanks, Nydia!!!

        Reply
    12. Francesca says

      October 12, 2014 at 4:09 am

      When I moved to Holland, I was missing canned pumpkin so badly. I had a few trial and errors before getting this method down. You just reminded me of first kitchen forays 🙂

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 12, 2014 at 7:54 am

        Hi, Francesca! I also had hard times trying to peel pumpkins for years. Cooking them first is really the best. Storing mashing pumpkins can be quite useful since one can use it to make pumpkin pies and other sweet treats, creamy soups, mashed pumpkin, and others.

        Reply
    13. Chris @ The Café Sucré Farine says

      October 12, 2014 at 3:13 pm

      This is a great post Denise, so many people are intimidated by pumpkins because they're so difficult to peel. Pinning to my "tips and tricks" board!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 12, 2014 at 7:56 pm

        Thanks for sharing it, Chris!

        Reply
    14. Coffee and Crumpets says

      October 12, 2014 at 3:29 pm

      Great post Denise! You know my love for pumpkin 😉 But seriously, they are a headache to peel and this really helps!

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 12, 2014 at 7:56 pm

        Thanks, Nazneen!

        Reply
    15. Raymund says

      October 13, 2014 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      Wow thanks for this tip, I always find it hard to peel pumpkins now theres an easy way. Really happy with this post

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        October 13, 2014 at 5:57 pm

        Thanks, Raymund! I don't know any other way better than this one to peel a pumpkin.

        Reply
    16. Alex says

      November 05, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      after peeling the pumpkin, can you freeze it? And for how long?
      I usually freeze raw pumpkin for 1 yr. Can I do it with that?
      I use it in meals during the year.

      Reply
      • Denise Browning says

        November 05, 2018 at 8:53 pm

        Hi, Alex! Thanks for visiting us. Yes, absolutely! After cooking and peeling the pumpkin, puree cooked pumpkin in a blender or food processor; add just a smidge of water if the pumpkin is dry. Store puree in a freezer bag and use within 9 to 14 months. The reason why pureeing is recommended in this case is because cooked pumpkin chunks retain water and moisture generates spoilage. I hope this helps! Have a great week!

        Reply
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