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7 Low Carb Pumpkin Recipes You Need to Try!

When you think pumpkin, do you think the pumpkin patch or pumpkin carving ideas? Not me!

I’m all about the pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin Pie Spice and everything nice! That’s the correct saying right?!

Give me all of the keto pumpkin pie, roasted pumpkin seeds, low carb pumpkin roll, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice latte, and pumpkin cookies.

And let’s not forget about the pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin soups, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cheesecake bread and pumpkin cupcakes!

Using Pumpkin in Recipes

Pumpkin can have many uses in recipes beyond their flavor profile. Some people like to add pumpkin to recipes to increase the fiber content and decrease the fat, but that’s not us — at least in our keto recipes that is. Other’s like to add pumpkin to give their recipes a little more bulk without adding a lot of additional calories or carbohydrates.

HOW DO YOU COOK RAW PUMPKIN

Boiling Raw Pumpkin

First you will need to clean the outside of the pumpkin.
Next, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the pumpkin seeds. You can save these seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds at a later point.
Slice the pumpkin into strips about 1-1.5 inches thick.
Peel the skin away from the slices.
Next cube the slices.
To a large sauce pan, add the raw pumpkin and cover them with water. Cover saucepan.
Cooking over high heat, bring pumpkin to a boil.
Cook raw pumpkin until they become tender.
Cooking time depends on how big your pumpkin is.

Baking Raw Pumpkin

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
First you will need to clean the outside of the pumpkin.
Next, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the pumpkin seeds. You can save these seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds at a later point.
For easy clean up, line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Place the two halves of the pumpkin face down and cover with foil.
Bake for 1.5-2 hours until pumpkin is tender.

Microwaving Raw Pumpkin

First you will need to clean the outside of the pumpkin.
Next, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the pumpkin seeds. You can save these seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds at a later point.
Place the pumpkin halves open side up and microwave on high power for 7-8 minutes per pound. If you have a rather large pumpkin, you can turn it over halfway through to create even cooking.

How do you make pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkin

Once you use one of the above methods to cooking your pumpkin, now it’s time for the easy part!

How to make pumpkin puree

Basically, all you do is take the cubes of cooked pumpkin, place them in a food processor or high powered blender.
Next turn the appliance on blend until smooth.
Store pumpkin puree in an air tight container. I personally prefer to use glass mason jars.
Store fresh pumpkin puree in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, freeze it for 4-6 6 months, or can the pumpkin to make it last even longer!

Pumpkin Nutrition

How many calories are in pumpkin? Per 100g of pumpkin, there are 41 calories.

How many carbs in pumpkin? Per 100g of pumpkin, there are 8.2g of total carbs, 2.5g of fiber and 5.7g net carbs.

How much protein is in pumpkin? Per 100g of pumpkin, there are 0.8g of protein.

Is pumpkin fat free? Almost! Per 100g of pumpkin there is 0.4g of fat.

Pumpkin Seeds vs Pepitas

The term pumpkin seed refers to the seeds that are found inside a pumpkin BEFORE the outer shell has been removed. AFTER the outer shell has been, it is then called a pepita.

Pumpkin Seeds Nutrition (shelled)

How many calories are in pumpkin seeds? Per 100g of pumpkin seeds, there are 574 calories.

How many carbs in pumpkin seeds? Per 100g of pumpkin seeds, there are 14.7g of total carbs, 6.5g of fiber and 8.2g net carbs.

How much protein is in pumpkin seeds? Per 100g of pumpkin seeds, there are 29.8g of protein.

How much fat is in pumpkin seeds? Per 100g of pumpkin there is 49,1g of fat.

Pumpkin Frequently Asked Questions

Is pumpkin keto? Yes! You can easily fit pumpkin into a ketogenic diet.

Is pumpkin a fruit? Yes! A pumpkin is technically a fruit, but sometimes people think of them as vegetables because they are not very sweet. The definition of a fruit is, “the edible plant structure of a mature ovary of a flowering plant.”

Is pumpkin a vegetable? Nope, sadly it’s not. Many people think pumpkin are vegetables though because they are not sweet like typical fruit.

Is pumpkin a gourd? Nope! Pumpkins and gourds are different species but they both belong to the same Cucurbitaceae family.

Can you eat raw pumpkin? You can eat fresh raw pumpkin, but it won’t taste the best! Raw pumpkin is very firm, almost hard and is very stringy and fibrous. I’ll stick with eating my pumpkin cooked, preferably in cookie form LOL.

Can you eat too much pumpkin? Is there really such a thing as too much pumpkin hahaha. I guess technically if you eat enough pumpkin, you can start to have a fe side effects.

The most notable might be the hyper pigmentation of your skin. It might start to turn orangish and this is because of the beta carotene found in the pumpkin. You remember those old wives tales about your baby turning orange if you feed it too many carrots? Well the same thing goes if you eat too much pumpkin.

Is pumpkin skin edible? Technically the skin of pumpkin is edible, but it may be tough. The flesh (or inside portion) of the pumpkin will most likely cook much quicker than the skin, leaving you with tough and under cooked pumpkin skin, or you may opt to cook the skin longer. I’d say just stick to eating the pumpkin flesh personally.