Check out our guide on freezing pumpkins to have them last for a long time and make sure they remain fresh and ready for you to use whenever you need them!
Prepping pumpkins for freezing
Pumpkins can be used to make delicious soups or pumpkin patties for your little one. Truth be told, it’s not just kids who enjoy the delicate, sweet taste and the nice texture of that vegetable.
Before you decide to freeze some pumpkin, be sure to pick out the nicest one available. If your pumpkin looks off before freezing, it will surely look much worse after thawing in a couple of months!
Always pick fresh and healthy pumpkins for freezing.
To prep your pumpkin for freezing, make sure it’s washed well and dried carefully (you can use paper towels to do that). Cut it into cubes and put in a ziplock bag or another container.
If you know that you’ll use your pumpkin to make a soup or another form of paste, you can blend it before freezing and put the pulp in your freezer.
How to freeze pumpkins properly
In an ideal scenario, you should put your pumpkin in a refrigerator for a couple of hours before freezing it. The process will give you the best results and the pumpkin will remain fresh for longer.
Remember to remove as much water from your pumpkin before freezing, as possible. The drier it is, the better the taste after thawing!
Once cooled, you can put your pumpkin in your freezer. Some freezers come with Fast Freeze containers – if you use them, your products will be frozen faster. If you happen to have them available, it’s best to place your pumpkin there.
Oh, and remember…
If your pumpkin happens to thaw (because of an equipment failure or power outage) you can’t freeze it back. If it happens to you, you have to use it immediately or throw it out.
Thawing pumpkins
If prepped and frozen properly, pumpkins can be kept in your freezer for up to 12 months.
It would be best to use them in that time frame for homemade dinners, desserts, and cakes. But before you use your pumpkins for baking or cooking, make sure you thaw them well. The process is very important and if done improperly, it may spoil the end result.
The more time you allow your pumpkins for thawing, the tastier they’re going to be. Pumpkins are usually considered vegetables, but technically they’re fruits. Just like tomatoes.
That’s why some people wonder if it’s better to thaw pumpkins as other fruits or if they can be placed in boiling water immediately, as is the case with veggies.
I personally advocate for slow thawing in room temperature or a refrigerator. It all depends on the dish you intend to prepare with the pumpkin, though – if you plan to make some soup, you can put the frozen product directly into a pot of boiling water.
If you plan to use your pumpkin for patties or other baked/roasted goodies, be sure to thaw and dry it well first.
Last but not least: remember that it’s not recommended to thaw your pumpkins in a microwave! They are going to lose most of the vitamins and the texture will be far from attractive.