Using up pumpkin leftovers – from drying to roasting to freezing
For most pumpkin recipes, you don’t need to use the whole vegetable, and when you’re carving a pumpkin for Halloween, there’s always a lot left over. Our step-by-step guide to reusing pumpkin leftovers shows you some of the things you can do with what you’d otherwise throw away.
The key points
- Pumpkin seeds can be dried or roasted and used as a snack or topping.
- Pumpkin flesh can be cut into chunks or wedges or frozen as pumpkin purée.
- Pumpkin chunks should be frozen raw; remove the skin on all varieties except the Hokkaido pumpkin.
- When frozen, both the raw chunks and the pumpkin puréecan be kept for around 12 months.
Using up pumpkin leftovers – list of contents
Drying and roasting pumpkin seeds in just two simple steps
However much pumpkin you need, the seeds must always be removed. But don’t throw them away, because dried and roasted they’re incredibly tasty as a snack or as a topping for soups and salads, or even as the basis for various pestos! You can use the seeds of any edible pumpkin such as Hokkaido, butternut, musquee or the familiar Halloween pumpkin. Only the seeds of ornamental pumpkins shouldn’t be used.
If you want to nibble the seeds as a TV snack, you can leave the shell on. But if you’re going to use them as a topping for various dishes, it’s best to remove the shell first, as it tastes rather plain and woody. To do this, spread the seeds on a flat surface and crack them with a rolling pin. Then boil the seeds for 30 minutes. The kernels will sink to the bottom while the shells float to the top.
Another reason not to throw out the seeds is their many healthy ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc. To give your dishes that extra bit of bite with dried and roasted pumpkin seeds, we’ve put together a guide on how to do it:
1. Removing and cleaning pumpkin seeds
To turn the pumpkin seeds into a delicious snack, they must first be removed from the pumpkin and separated from the pumpkin flesh. This can be done either by hand or by soaking in water to loosen the pulp. Once the seeds have been fished out, they should be washed thoroughly and spread out on some kitchen towel. One simple tip is to place the seeds in salty water overnight. The next day, the pulp residues will be broken down by the salt, and the seeds will be ready for further processing!
2. Roasting or drying pumpkin seeds
There are three different ways to roast the seeds. The most common is to oven-roast them. Mix the seeds with oil and various spices such as oregano, paprika, thyme, chilli, garlic, salt and pepper, and spread them on a baking tray. Then roast them for 15 to 20 minutes at 150 °C top and bottom heat.
Another option is to air-drythe pumpkin seeds. To do this, lay them out on some kitchen towel and let them dry for a few days. A positive side effect: you don’t need any kitchen equipment and thus save space and energy! Easier still is to use a dehydrator, which gently and evenly roasts the seeds for three hours at 70 °C.
- Step 1: To roast pumpkin seeds, you first have to separate them from the pulp. Pick them out by hand or soak the seeds in water.
- Step 2: After the seeds have soaked, rinse them again thoroughly.
- Step 3: If the pulp is stubborn, you can soak the seeds in salt water overnight. The salt will completely break down the pulp.
- Step 4: Now mix the clean pumpkin seeds with spices and oil and roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 150 °C top and bottom heat.
- Step 5: Enjoy your roasted pumpkin seeds!
Freezing pumpkin flesh
Whether it’s a Hokkaido, butternut or Halloween pumpkin, if you have any pumpkin flesh left over, you can simply freeze it in your freezer. You’ve got two options:
1. Freezing pumpkin in chunks or wedges
To freeze raw pumpkin, remove the seeds and then cut it into chunks or wedges. Also, if it’s not a Hokkaido pumpkin, you should remove the peel. Then put the chunks or strips in freezer bags and freeze them. It’s important that they’re raw, because cooked pumpkin becomes very mushy after thawing. However, if the pumpkin has already been made into soup, for example, you can freeze it in portions without any problems. This way, you can still enjoy delicious pumpkin dishes way beyond the autumn!
2. Freezing pumpkin purée
If you want to use your frozen pumpkin to make soup, pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie some time soon, you can also freeze the pumpkin as a purée. Again, peel and chop the pumpkin depending on the variety and then steam it in water for 20 minutes. After that, simply drain the water and purée the pumpkin. Finally, freeze the purée in portions.
- Step 1: To freeze the pumpkin, completely remove the seeds and peel it depending on the variety.
- Step 2: Cut the pumpkin into chunks or wedges.
- Step 3: Freeze the pumpkin in bags in your Liebherr freezer compartment.
- Step 4: Alternatively, you can steam the pumpkin in water for about 20 minutes after step 2.
- Step 5: Then drain the water, purée the soft pumpkin and then freeze it.
Frozen pumpkin chunks and purée will both keep for about 12 months. After thawing, they can be used in just the same way as when fresh.
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