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Home > American Recipes > Peeling Pumpkin Easily for Cooking

Peeling Pumpkin Easily for Cooking

October 7, 2014 by Denise Browning 39 Comments / THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE SALES LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY _FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY_ FOR DETAILS

Gluten FreeVegetarian

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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

peeling-pumpkin-easily-for-cooking
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5 from 5 votes

How to Peel a Pumpkin Easily

Peeling pumpkin easily for cooking (microwave and oven methods).
Author Denise Browning

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 minutes (small), 30 minutes (medium), 45 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 or your fingers. Either chop or purée the pumpkin flesh, 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
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.

 

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

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz

    October 7, 2014 at 8:07 pm

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

    Reply
    • Denise Browning

      October 7, 2014 at 8:09 pm

      My pleasure, Liz!

      Reply
  2. marcela

    October 8, 2014 at 9:21 am

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

    Reply
    • Denise Browning

      October 8, 2014 at 4:09 pm

      Thanks, Marcela! I hope it’s useful to you…

      Reply
  3. John@Kitchen Riffs

    October 8, 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

      October 8, 2014 at 4:10 pm

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

      Reply
  4. Sugar et al.

    October 8, 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

      October 9, 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

    October 9, 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

      October 9, 2014 at 9:29 am

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

      Reply
  6. Deb|EastofEdenCooking

    October 9, 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

      October 9, 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

    October 9, 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

      October 9, 2014 at 12:07 pm

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

      Reply
      • Little Cooking Tips

        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

          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

    October 9, 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

      October 9, 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

    October 9, 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

      October 10, 2014 at 6:58 am

      Thank you, Juliana! Likewise.

      Reply
  10. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com

    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

      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

    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

      October 11, 2014 at 1:36 pm

      Thanks, Nydia!!!

      Reply
  12. Francesca

    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

      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

    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

      October 12, 2014 at 7:56 pm

      Thanks for sharing it, Chris!

      Reply
  14. Coffee and Crumpets

    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

      October 12, 2014 at 7:56 pm

      Thanks, Nazneen!

      Reply
  15. Raymund

    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

      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

    November 5, 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

      November 5, 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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Hi, I’m Denise Browning!

I'm a professional Chef with an expertise in Brazilian food. I am also a busy mom of two girls, living in Texas. Here you will find budget-friendly, healthy Brazilian and Global Recipes made Easy and Delish! I'd love to help you feed your family healthy dinners (many low carb) with a few splurges because life is all about balance! Join our community and happy cooking!

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