Pumpkin Powder
Fall is here and pumpkins are everywhere. Are you looking for recipes for all the pumpkins you are buying? Have you heard of pumpkin powder? Before this fall, I hadn’t even heard of pumpkin powder. Fall brings in a change of seasons and this may bring out the baking diva in you. I always want to make everything pumpkin. This season I ran across an article about pumpkin powder and figured I would try it.
What Is Pumpkin Powder?
Pumpkin Powder is just dehydrated pumpkin blended up into a powder. It can be a long process to make. First, you need to bake the pumpkin. Next, you must dehydrate the pumpkin. Last, you must blend up the pumpkin. It is easy, but time-consuming. Let us look at each step closely.
Step 1
I always start out washing my pumpkins first. Fill the sink half full of water and add about 1 cup of vinegar. Let the pumpkin sit for a couple of minutes and then flip to the other side. Rinse after washing is complete. Once washed and dried, cut open the pumpkin (I usually cut into 1/4ths) and dig out the guts. It is fastest if you use a spoon to scrape all the guts out. After the pumpkin is scraped clean, cut the pumpkin pieces into smaller pieces. Lay them face up on a cooking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook for about an hour. The pieces are done when you can stick a fork in them easily.
Step 2
Once your pumpkin slices are cooled, scrape the pumpkin off the pumpkin skin. This is simplest using a spoon. You can scrape just about everything off the skin. Throw the skin away. Using a blender, blend all the pumpkin into a pumpkin puree. Put parchment paper down on your dehydrator racks and add your puree onto the paper. Spread around thinly. The thinner it is, the faster it will dehydrate. Set your dehydrator to 125 degrees. Cook for 7-9 hours. If your pumpkin has any moisture in it, cook for an additional 2-4 hours. Once completely dry, we move onto step 3.
Step 3
After all your pumpkin is completely dry, put it back in the blender and blend until it turns into powder. If you see there is still moisture in the powder, put it back in the dehydrator for another 1-2 hours. You will know if there is moisture if the powder clumps anywhere.
Step 4
Time to preserve it. I choose to use my Food Saver to preserve my pumpkin powder. I bought resealable ziplock Food Saver bags to store mine. These have worked well for me because I can open one bag and reseal it and save the other bag for later.
Pros and Cons Of Making Pumpkin Powder
When I first started this venture, I had this grand idea I would have enough pumpkin powder for the year. I envisioned being able to throw pumpkin powder in pancakes, shakes, or cakes anytime I wanted to. Unfortunately, that was not reality. The yield is low. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
- It is fun trying new things with pumpkin
- It is easy to put in a recipe
- Easy to rehydrate
Cons
- 6 small pumpkins only make about 13 oz.
- The amount of time it takes to prep, cook, dehydrate, and blend (and maybe dehydrate again)
Is It Worth It To You?
Fall brings so many happy emotions with the leaves changing, cooler weather, and just the beauty of the season. If pumpkins are your jam (like they are mine), then try to make your own pumpkin powder. Just remember the yield is not great. It is fun to try it and see if it is something you will do every fall. It could be a great new addition to all the pumpkin fun.
I would love to see how your pumpkin powder turns out. Drop me a comment below with your experience. If you have a good pumpkin powder recipe, post below in the comments and we can all try it!
Items I Used In This Post (Do Contain Affiliate Links)
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Hi my name is Laurie. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian homeschooling mom of 3, caregiver to my Veteran husband, mom to a son with Autism, community volunteer, travel loving, and blogger. As you might notice, I do not live the “expected life”. Come join my family and other families as we experience Living The Unexpected Life.
