Dehydrating123: How To Make Pumpkin Powder

Pumpkin powder is the best form of preserving this humble but tasty vegetable for backpacking meals. It weighs nothing, takes very little space and can be added to so many recipes. Creamy soups, spicy curries, pies and hot drinks – we’ve found a plenty of ways to use pumpkin powder for:

Curried Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin, Spinach and Chickpea Curry
Pumpkin Gnocchi
Pumpkin Pie Muffins

How To Make Pumpkin Powder (basic recipe)

Step 1
Cut the pumpkin in half or in quarters . Using a spoon, scoop out pulp and seeds.

dehydrating pumpkin step1

Step 2
Cut into wedges abot 2 inch (5cm) wide. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Roast at 400F/200C for about 30-40 minutes, or until fork-tender.

dehydrating pumpkin step2

Step 3
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.  Remove the skin and transfer pumpkin flesh to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.

Step 4
Spread the puree on dehydrator trays covered with non-stick sheets or parchment paper.

pumpkin powder step 4

Step 5
Dehydrate at 52C/125F for 8-10 hours until brittle.

pumpkin powder stp 5

Step 6
Let cool, then grind the pumpkin bark into a powder.
Store in airtight container in a dark, dry place. Grind the pumpkin bark into a powder. For best result use coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container in a dark, cool place.

Pumpkin Powder Variations:

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Powder

You’ll need:
1 kg/2.20lb peeled, deseeded and cubed pumpkin
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, ground

Method:
Put the pumpkin into a large saucepan.
Pour in 1 cup orange juice and bring to a boil.
Add sugar and cinnamon, stir well.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
Purée pumpkins using hand blender or food processor.
Spread the puree on dehydrator trays covered with non-stick sheets or parchment paper.
Dehydrate at 52C/125F for 8-10 hours until brittle.
Grind the pumpkin bark into a powder.
Store in airtight container in a dark, dry place.

Curried Pumpkin Powder

You’ll need:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 kg/2.20lb peeled, deseeded and cubed pumpkin
1 cup vegetable stock
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add onions, cook until golden-brown.
Stir in garlic and ginger. Cook for  1-2 minutes.
Toss in curry powder and cumin, heat together for another minute to release the aroma.
Pour in 1 cup of vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Add pumpkins, stir well.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
Purée pumpkins using hand blender or food processor.
Spread the puree on dehydrator trays covered with non-stick sheets or parchment paper.
Dehydrate at 52C/125F for 8-10 hours until brittle.
Grind the pumpkin bark into a powder.
Store in airtight container in a dark, dry place.

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21 Comments

  1. Crisse on January 21, 2022 at 4:45 pm

    Any suggestions on how to make the recipes above if I already have the powdered pumpkin? We had excess pumpkin that we dehydrated and powdered but it has no flavoring added. Thanks!

  2. Tinne on September 7, 2021 at 4:37 pm

    Could the spiced pumpkin be dehydrated into some kind of tasty chips?

    • Tanya Krezevska on November 21, 2021 at 3:22 pm

      yes, if you’ll not add the sugar into puree. Otherwise you’ll get a pumpkin spice leather

  3. Rick Scherger on October 26, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    How long will this last? Can it be frozen? We have a lot of pumpkins and would like to see if we can use it throughout the year. Thanks in advance

  4. [email protected] on October 13, 2020 at 3:53 am

    I ended up with a leather that would not turn to powder. I tried a blender and food processor, it just wouldn’t get powdered. So I made a test mini-bowl at home and it was very slow to rehydrate – and I had to mash the pieces against the side of the bowl over and over and over before it would breakdown and blend into the soup. The flavor, however, was amazing! (I did the curried pumpkin soup.) I’m just wondering if I did something wrong. I do still like it, but I’m afraid it won’t be a very easy trail meal. Thanks! Laura

    • Tanya Krezevska on October 13, 2020 at 10:11 am

      Looks like you had a sweet variety of pumpkin or didn’t properly dehydrate it. It should be dry and crisp in order you can grind it.

  5. Suzanne on October 21, 2019 at 11:31 am

    How do I rehydrate to have as soup? Just add water and warm up?

    • Tanya Krezevska on October 21, 2019 at 4:14 pm

      Hi Suzanne! Yes, to get a soup, you just need to add some water, mix well and warm up, or just add boiling water.

  6. Jeanne on April 2, 2019 at 5:11 pm

    any suggestions about how many cans of pureed pumpkin to use in place of 1 kg/2.20lb peeled, deseeded and cubed pumpkin?

    • Tanya Krezevska on April 15, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      Hi Jeanne! The netto weight of canned paupkin puree should be the same (about 1 kg).

  7. val on October 27, 2017 at 4:22 am

    Do you know what this tastes like raw? I like adding spices to honey and wanted to make a pumpkin pie honey, what do you think?

    • Tanya Krezevska on November 1, 2017 at 4:06 pm

      I think if you’ll get a pumpkin pie honey leather. But honey itself and spiced honey could be dehydrated and than ground into powder.

  8. Gillian on June 7, 2017 at 10:07 pm

    any tips on using canned pumpkin instead?

    • Tanya Krezevska on June 8, 2017 at 8:46 am

      Hi Gillian! Using canned pumpkin instead of fresh is even easier. Just spread it on dehydrator tray in even, thin layer and dry as written in instruction.

  9. Feride on December 9, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    Süper recipe.can l use it make for cake or cookie?

    • Tanya Krezevska on December 11, 2016 at 11:54 am

      Sure! You can use it in pancakes, muffins, breads and pies too

  10. katie on November 29, 2016 at 10:52 pm

    How much does the pumpkin curry powder make?

    • Tanya Krezevska on December 5, 2016 at 10:28 am

      Hi Katie! From 1 kg of peeled, cut into cubes pumpkin you can get apx. 200 g of powder

    • Carlos Abellanosa on August 27, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Hi all, I got 120 g exactly. Purée was 1.2 kg right before dehydrated.

  11. Mieka on July 19, 2016 at 6:16 am

    Hi,

    How long will this last if stored in an Air tight sealed jar?

    Mieka

    • Tanya Krezevska on July 19, 2016 at 9:09 am

      Hi Mieka! If the powder was dried properly, you can store it up to 1 year in an airtight container in a dark, cool place.

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