Dehydrating Pumpkin and Make Pumpkin Powder

Do you want to keep the goodness of fall pumpkins long after autumn is over? Dehydrate pumpkin and make pumpkin powder for baked goods, pies, smoothies, and dog treats. Enjoy fall all year long with this easy way to preserve pumpkins without canning or storing large jars of canned pumpkins.

Pumpkin is my favorite fall flavor when altered with a little spice and creams in soups or every form of baked good.

This easy process takes a little time, but it’s worth it when you can grab so many orange orbs of autumnal goodness and save them for the whole year.

And you’ll never have to worry about those pesky, fake canned pumpkin shortages, either! This way, you can store pumpkin powder on the shelf and make your own pumpkin puree anytime you feel the need for fall and pumpkin spice!

Learn more: 25+ Ways to Use Pumpkin Powder

Kinds of Pumpkin to Use

You can use any pumpkin for this recipe – including most winter squashes that can be interchangeable. Those larger, heirloom varieties with thick, flavorful flesh are best but are not always available to many.

Most of the ones listed here will be common varieties found in North America. But there are many varieties of pumpkins grown all over the world that will work, as well!

• Sugar Pumpkins
• Long Island Cheese
• Warty pumpkins – yes, all those wart-covered pumpkins are edible!
• Jack-o-lantern – while field pumpkins tend to be more watery and stringy than their smaller counterparts, they are edible!
• Butternut squash – you

Don’t confuse ornamental gourds with pumpkins. Those varieties may not be edible.

How to Dehydrate Pumpkin

There are numerous ways to dehydrate pumpkins. We will focus on drying a puree to make pumpkin powder to store.

Step 1: Roast Pumpkin

Instructions:

1. Wash pumpkins. It’s important. Pumpkins can be dirty, and cutting into the flesh can spread that.
2. Cut the pumpkin into segments of your choice, and clean out the guts.
3. Set aside the seeds to roast later.
4. Place pumpkin segments on oven-safe lined baking sheets and bake at 350°F / 175°C for 45-50 minutes until just fork tender.
5. Remove the skins and allow the puree to cool.

Darcy’s Tips:

You can actually puree the whole pumpkin, skin and flesh, after roasting for no-waste preserving!

Use a used canning jar lid t

Darcy’s Tips:

• Use a used canning jar lid to scrape out the squash. It makes cleaning it out quick and easy!
• Don’t toss the skins and pulp! They can be dehydrated, too, for pumpkin powder!
• Many people will put all the bits (minus seeds) into a blender and puree them, keeping the pulp and skin, include it in the roasting and incorporate into the puree. You can also compost the skin or pulp if you do not use it.

If you don’t want to save this for pumpkin puree, go to a pumpkin pie fruit leather instead.

Step 2: Dehydrate Pumpkin Puree

1. Spread pumpkin puree onto fruit leather sheet line dehydrator trays and dry at 125°F / 52°C for 10-12 hours until brittle. 1/4″ to 1/8″ is good. You’re not making fruit leather, and you’re making pumpkin brittle!
2. Condition pumpkin puree in an airtight jar for a week.
3. Store in an airtight container for up to a year. It might be helpful to break it into small shards.

I use an Excalibur Dehydrator in this project, but any dehydrator will work!

How to Make Dried Pumpkin Powder

Equipment:

Grinder – whether a coffee grinder, a bullet blender, or a large blender. I have some essential dehydrating tools list suggestions if you need one.

Instructions:

1. Place pumpkin puree shards into your choice bullet blender, blender, or coffee grinder.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Place on a cookie sheet in an oven that has been warmed and then turned off, and allow to dry for 15-20 minutes.
4. Store in an airtight container with a desiccant pack for six to twelve months.

Conditioning the powder is recommended to help reduce clumping in storage. Grinding creates heat which attracts moisture and activates sugars, sitting on the counter can attract moisture, so the final prep in the oven helps reduce that moisture buildup for better storage options. You can learn more about it by reading “5 Ways to Deal with Clumping in Dehydrated Foods.”

Yield:

The pumpkin yield from a typical sugar pumpkin is 2 1/4 cups of pumpkin puree to 1 cup of pumpkin fruit leather (shards) to 1/2 cup of pumpkin powder.

This, of course, will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin you make, the water content of the puree, or how large you break down the fruit leather.

Storage

Dried pumpkin powder can be stored in an airtight container (such as a mason jar or mylar bag) for up to a year.

Drying Pumpkin Tips

• An excellent cleaning tip is to use an old canning jar lid to scrape your pumpkin clean – it works wonders!!!
• If using giant watery pumpkins, you may want to place your puree in cheesecloth in a colander and allow it to strain.
• Alternatively, you can place the puree in a saucepan and simmer it on low heat to remove excess moisture.
• Alternatively, you can shred the pumpkin to dry without making a puree. It will be good for adding to bread for flavor but may need quite a while in hot water to ‘cook’ before creating pumpkin pie.
• Don’t use parchment paper if your puree is particularly wet as the parchment will absorb it and may make the leather stick in the end.

Of course, if this is a bit messy for you or if you don’t have pumpkins available to you, you can make pumpkin powder from canned pumpkin!

How to Rehydrate Pumpkin Powder

Pumpkin puree is a mainstay in our home. From bread to smoothies to soups to pie, I keep it stocked all year long. I even did a video recently creating a year’s worth of pumpkin powder!

However, I don’t have space to keep as many jars as I might use in a year, so I dehydrate my pumpkin (I even dehydrate canned pumpkin!) to save space in my pantry.

Whenever I want to make something, I can use the powder to flavor or reconstitute the dehydrated pumpkin powder back into a puree!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of hot water
• 1/2 cup pumpkin powder

Directions:

These directions make enough pumpkin puree that you might typically find in a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree from the grocery store.

1. Mix 2 cups of hot water with 1/2 cup of pumpkin powder.
2. Allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes.

Use in any recipe that typically calls for pumpkin puree.

Rehydrating Tips:

• If you need a loser puree, add some more water.
• If you need a denser puree, add a little less water or a little more powder.

Uses for Pumpkin Powder

Of course, using pumpkin powder to recreate pumpkin puree that you would typically use in any recipe is a given. But there are so many other ways to make pumpkin powder useful in the kitchen!

• Use a bit of powder in your pasta for pumpkin noodles
• Add 1-2 tablespoons in a bechamel to create a pumpkin pasta sauce. Be sure to allow the powder to rehydrate in the sauce to blend properly fully.
• Create a twist on a typical pumpkin spice late by adding pumpkin powder to your coffee grinds or create a mix for adding to any coffee!
• Add powder to a favorite gnocchi recipe!
• Add a tablespoon or more to boost the nutrition of pancakes or waffles – and they’ll taste yummy, too!!
• Sprinkle onto dog food to help with your pup’s digestion!
• Add a little pumpkin powder to your candied nuts.
• Add a tablespoon or two to your morning oatmeal.
• Sneak a little powder into your next round of mac and cheese. It boosts nutrients and color!
• Add into any tomato-based sauce for deeper flavor and added nutrients.
• Add to granola.

Get even more great ideas on how to use pumpkin powder throughout the year.

Dehydrate Pumpkin Cubes

If you want to dehydrate pumpkin for soups or stews, it’s super easy, too! Instead of using a puree, winter squash can be diced and used in soups, stews, and other dishes throughout the year!

Instructions:

1. Cut and remove seeds and strings.
2. Dice into 1/2″ or smaller cubes.
3. Blanch cubes for 4 minutes.
4. Dehydrate at 125°F/35°C for 8-15+ hours.
5. Condition for 5 days by placing in a jar and shaking once a day to check for sticking or moisture buildup.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to two years

Dryness test: When cubes are slightly translucent, plink when dropped, leathery, and hard. Don’t assume a slight color change and hardness on the outside to be fully dry; the insides should be dry, too.

Commonly Asked Questions

More Pumpkin Ideas

• Dehydrate Canned Pumpkin
• Uses for Pumpkin Powder
• Quick and Easy Pumpkin Butter
• Healthier Pumpkin Waffles
• Pumpkin Spice Coffee Mix with Dried Pumpkin Powder