Freeze Dried Pumpkin Powder (Made from Scratch)

1 Rating

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Freeze Dry Time1 12

Total Time1 13 30

Course: Autumn

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin

Servings: cups (rehydrated)

Calories: 111kcal

Slice whole pumpkins in half (hamburger style) and scrape out seeds and strings.
Place pumpkins flesh side down, skin exposed on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350ºF for 60-90 minutes, depending on the size of the pumpkin.
Allow to cool, then scrape out pumpkin and put into a blender. Alternatively, you can skip blending but the rehydrated pumpkin will not be as smooth.
Place on freeze dryer trays lined with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Pre-freeze or place directly into the freeze dryer. Freeze dry. When the cycle is complete, check for dryness. If all trays are dry, remove from the freeze dryer.
Crush pumpkin into a fine powder. There are several options for crushing freeze dried pumpkin. You can use a blender, a food processor, a mortar and pestle, a potato masher, or even use your hands.
Place in jars or storage containers. For maximum freshness, vacuum seal jars or put an oxygen absorber in the container you are using.

15lbs of pumpkin is about the right amount to make four medium size freeze dryer trays. Feel free to adjust the amount of pumpkin as needed to fit the size freeze dryer you have.
To rehydrate pumpkin powder and create pumpkin puree, add 1/4 cup pumpkin and 1 cup warm water in a bowl. Stir and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. It makes about 1 cup of pumpkin puree.
Don’t use a Jack-O- Lantern type pumpkin for this recipe, they are stringy, dense, and not very sweet.
To rehydrate pumpkin powder and create pumpkin puree, add 1/4 cup pumpkin (about 20grams dried) and 1 cup warm water in a bowl. Stir and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. It makes about 1 cup of pumpkin puree. If you have the time, allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight before using. This makes for the perfect, thick consistency.