Fresh vs. Canned Pumpkin: I put them to the test!
People say fresh pumpkin is so much better than canned, so in today’s post I put them head to head and did a pumpkin pie blind taste test to draw my conclusions!
Is fresh pumpkin worth the effort, or should you just used canned pumpkin?
A few nights ago I laid in bed, eyes wide open, pondering that very question (because thinking about food before bed is way more fun than counting sheep).
For the longest time I had never bothered to use anything other than canned pumpkin. Mostly because so many recipes just say to use canned pumpkin by default. It seems like the common thing to do.
I mean seriously, which do we all WANT to be better? The canned pumpkin, obviously. All you have to do is open a can. It’s so quick and simple. Fresh pumpkin requires extra work.
But hey now, it’s not that much extra work, and I decided that it was time to see if the extra work is worth it. This extra work is basically just to cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, roast, and puree. Not difficult at all. So I set out to compare the two, to figure out whether fresh or canned pumpkin is the way to go.
In order to test, I first had to prep the pumpkin (make sure you buy a designated sugar or pie pumpkin). I scooped the seeds out with a melon baller (much like I did with my Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash). Save the seeds if you want to make roasted pumpkin seeds.
Place the pumpkin halves on a sheet pan to roast until tender.
Scoop the roasted pumpkin from the skin, and puree in a food processor until smooth, like this:
Once I had the pumpkin puree cooked like this, my husband and I both did a blind taste test.
Here were my notes:
- WOW pumpkin is not sweet at all. We think of it as sweet because it’s often used in desserts, but this stuff needs some sugar!
- Both of these pumpkin purees taste far too yucky to tell which one is better, at this point. No more tasting until I add some sugar.
- For now I will observe with my eyes, and I noted that the colors are very different.
So what I did is I made the exact same recipe for pumpkin pie, except I used the fresh pumpkin puree for one, and the canned pumpkin puree for the other.
This was the canned pumpkin mix:
And this was the fresh:
I stirred it all together, and here you can see the canned pumpkin mixture on the left, and the fresh on the right.
They vary quite a bit in color, don’t they?
Here’s where my husband and I did another blind taste test, tasting the raw pumpkin pie filling (sweetened up this time).
Blind Taste Test #2 Notes:
- This stuff tastes so much better with all the ingredients mixed in!
- It is now painfully obvious which one is the canned and which one is the fresh, even though my eyes are closed and I don’t know which is which. There is a weird flavor with the canned pumpkin that now that I notice it, is pretty off-putting.
Here’s what they looked like after being baked. The colors aren’t as different anymore. If someone brought me the pie on the left, even though it’s not as bright of an orange, I would still know it’s pumpkin pie.
Finished product blind taste test #3:
- What’s most funny about this experiment is that going into it, I thought there would be a clear answer based only on taste. What I found is that the biggest difference is the texture.
- The canned pumpkin has a sort of cottage cheese/ricotta texture, whereas the fresh pumpkin has a more sweet potato-like, thicker, more velvety texture.
- I personally think the fresh pumpkin pie texture is better. My husband agrees.
- The canned pumpkin pie taste is seriously driving me crazy now. I’m not sure I can eat canned pumpkin again, because that canned pumpkin flavor is just so strong and unappetizing to me.
So tell me, have you compared canned and fresh pumpkin, side by side? Maybe it’s time to see what you prefer! Have fun and let me know which you like better =)
My Favorite Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 small pie pumpkin to yield 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 pie crust
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds with a melon baller, then bake on a sheet pan for about 1 hour until fork tender. Scoop out all the pumpkin from the skin, and puree in a food processor until smooth. Measure out two cups of pumpkin puree, and set aside for later. (By the way, if you wish to have a thicker, denser pumpkin pie, let the pumpkin puree strain in a colander lined with cheesecloth or a damp, thick paper towel for an hour or so, to remove some of the water from the pumpkin puree).
- Bump the oven heat up to 400, and place your pie crust in a standard 9-inch pie plate. Blind bake the pie crust for 20 minutes, and be sure to either prick the dough all over with a fork, or fill the pie crust with a piece of parchment weighted down with pie weights, to keep the crust from bubbling up as it bakes.
- While the crust parbakes, make the pumpkin pie filling. Place 2 cups of the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, eggs, and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Remove the par baked crust from the oven, and turn the heat back down to 350. Place the pumpkin pie filling into the par baked pie crust and place it in the oven (yes, you are starting the pie out at an elevated oven temperature, that’s intentional), and bake the pie for 45-50 minutes (you know it’s done when you jiggle the pan, the center part of the pie jiggles, but doesn’t look liquidy). Let the pumpkin pie cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before eating (this part is important). This will help set the texture of the pie and let the flavors develop a bit. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
146 Comments on “Fresh vs. Canned Pumpkin: I put them to the test!”
If you look into it, most canned “pumpkin” isn’t actually made with real pumpkin! There are a few other squashes that they call pumpkin for the sake of canning. Could be part of the flavor and texture difference, in addition to all the mechanical processing of course 🙂
I live in Australia. Never used or seen canned pumpkin. Have wondered what it is like and after reading the comments. Canned pumpkin isn’t that good. I would use butternut, Kent or Queensland blue pumpkin as they are a sweet and good baking pumpkins
I have made fresh pumpkin pie for years….I just use pumpkin, spices, eggs and eagle brand milk….yummy! So much better than canned!
I have now made your fresh pumpkin pie recipe for the second year in a row. This recipe is the first pumpkin pie I have ever made. The directions were easy to follow and spot-on! I consider myself a purest when baking so fresh pumpkin seems only natural. The flavor is delicate and so is the texture. One tip that I found to be useful when baking a custard pie, is to not over bake it and leave room for some wiggle in the custard. The egg custard will continue to cook after it’s removed from the oven and when it expands that’s when it causes cracking. This recipe makes a beautiful pumpkin pie-thank you!!
Thank you so much for posting this! I just did the exact same test this week, but instead of fresh pumpkin, I used butternut squash vs. canned pumpkin. Both pies were good, but to me, the butternut squash was the clear winner. It is sweeter, richer, has a better texture, and more complexity. I could also taste that weird canned flavor of the pumpkin after comparing, but everyone I’ve given both pies to try side by side prefers the canned pumpkin. Maybe it’s familiarity, maybe it’s psychological, or maybe they genuinely like the canned pumpkin better. Either way, I think I’m sticking with butternut squash as my pumpkin pie filling.
Hi Michael, I enjoyed reading your comment. I have had a few squash pies (also, sweet potato pie), and I’m not quite sure how pumpkin became the go-to, because I agree that texturally and in terms of flavor, other types of squash can be more fun.
Absolutely without a doubt….Fresh Pumpkin!!
I took the plunge last year and used fresh pumpkin in desserts. I was told by everyone that had them how it was the best tasting pumpkin *fill in the blank* ever. I don’t want to go back to canned at all!
Loved your post. I had never tried canned pumpkin (since I’m not american) in all my life until I marry an american guy and moved to the country. Last Holidays I wanted to make my pumpkin stuffed shells, which I used to make all the time with fresh pumpkin. I asked my mother in law to buy pumpkins and she brought me a canned one. My first thought was… oh gosh, I can’t believe it. I can’t say it was that bad but surely there’s no comparison with the fresh one.
Thanks for sharing your results, I definitely agree with you 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comment, Eveline!
I’ve always used fresh pumpkin, because I’ve always found the canned product to have a really funky taste that comes through no matter what you’re making. A couple of years ago, I switched from the usual round pumpkins to using either Hubbard squash or, even better, butternut squash. I roast it just the same way but I’ve found that the texture is even silkier, especially with the butternut. It still tastes like pumpkin, but the texture is fabulous!
Yes, agreed! Great tip about the hubbard and butternut squash.
Great recipe! Loved the texture.
I’ve been thinking of making fresh pumpkin puree for years! I make it with butternut squash that we grow but having the comfort of buying the pumpkin puree in the store I thought it just wouldn’t be worth it. This is a really timely post and now I will try to make my own pumpkin puree. Thanks for the post Joanne, it cleared up some doubts I had and since everything I make is in pretty big batches I think I can freeze the puree for winter months with not problems. Thanks again.
Hi Hani! I’m totally amazed you grow butternut squash. Sounds like you have a great garden!
Very nice and helpful article. It answered my questions for the most part. I have a freezer full of fresh pumpkin puree and wasn’t sure about using it for pie. Should I strain it in cheese cloth to remove the extra moisture? and is the bake time the same for fresh and canned. Thank you for a very nice article.
Hi Shirley, yes the bake time should be comparable. Cheese cloth is perfect as far as removing the extra moisture, but you’ll have to make sure you don’t remove too much of the moisture. It’s kind of a guessing game, but basically you want the puree to have moisture, it just shouldn’t have so much that it’s seeping clear liquid, if that makes sense.
Thank you foe all the good information that I have been looking for just found your site I am looking forward to all I will learn thank you will be making these pies in the morning 1 big question How do I know what kind of pumpkin I have? an also i use 2eggs an 2egg yolks for each pie? thank YOU 🙂
Hi Kim, when you are at the grocery buying pumpkins they will specify what kind you’re buying (look for sugar or pie pumpkins). And yes, that’s correct about the eggs.
I decided to try fresh pumpkin this year and used your recipe rather than the good ole recipe found on the can. Holy wowsers! What a delicious pie! I think I’ve made about 6 pumpkin pies since November 1st, and have one in my oven right now. The taste, texture, and overall appearance is just beautiful. My kids, who have never liked pumpkin pie, keep asking me to make more using your recipe and fresh pumpkins. Thanks for sharing!
BTW – I did freeze my pumpkin because I had so much. I only freezed the puree no longer than 2 weeks. I couldn’t tell a difference between the frozen and fresh. Neither could my family.
Hi Alaine, that’s so wonderful! Glad you’ve discovered how wonderful fresh pumpkin pies are, and it sounds like you and your family really enjoy them! And thanks for the note on the frozen pumpkin…don’t know why my frozen pumpkin experience came out so horribly.
This is amazing! Thank you! I received a 25 pound Cinderella pumpkin in my CSA share this fall, and although lovely to look at, I’ve been wondering what the heck to do with the thing. I did some reading online and it seems (although it retains a lot of water) the Cinderella pumpkin can be used in pie. I roasted it in the over, cooled it, and pureed it, then tasted it and honestly thought I made a terrible mistake. I just didn’t love the flavor. I’m glad to know that once combined with other pie ingredients it’s quite good. Can’t wait to finish it off tomorrow. Thanks for this post! So helpful!
Hi Corey, interesting, I’ve never heard of Cinderella as a pumpkin variety! As another commenter noted above, the flavor of pumpkins can really vary. Hopefully the pie turned out well.
My girlfriend has to travel overseas this week, so we celebrated Thanksgiving today and it was my first time cooking turkey, stuffing, and all the trappings. I’ve never made pumpkin pie, but I had a lot of success with your tiramisu recipe so I was excited to try this. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any stores still selling pumpkins (even checked pumpkin patches an hour away) so I had to settle for canned, but it was still delicious. I followed your pie crust recipe too and it was 100% flaky perfection. First time making pie crust and can’t imagine the texture coming out any better. Thanks!
Hi Scott, hope you had a nice early Thanksgiving with your girlfriend! That’s awesome you nailed the pie crust (it’s not easy, especially for the first time) and enjoyed the pie too (and the tiramisu). Cheers!