Pumpkin Puree Substitutes
Even though pumpkin is synonymous with fall baking, it’s a good idea to keep a can on hand to make delicious sweet or savory dishes such as brownies or mac and cheese. If you don’t have any canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin isn’t in season, follow use one of these pumpkin substitutes.
Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes
Butternut squash and our favorite orange spuds (sweet potatoes) can save the day when needing a quick alternative to pumpkin. These ingredients, in these amounts, are interchangeable in most recipes to achieve the same texture and most similar flavor.
For 1 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree, substitute 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato or butternut squash.
Replacing Canned Pumpkin with Pumpkin Puree
It’s actually pretty easy to make your own pumpkin puree at home, and the fresh puree can be used as a canned pumpkin substitute for any recipe calling for it. After cooking and draining, this is what to expect from a typical cooking pumpkin:
2½-pound pumpkin = 1¾ cups puree3½-pound pumpkin = 2½ cups puree5-pound pumpkin = 2¾ cups puree6-pound pumpkin = 2¾ cups puree
With all the pumpkin puree substitutes handy, use it to make spiced pumpkin butter, a classic pie, or a new pumpkin dessert recipe.
