Make Your Own Pumpkin Powder

Most people who decide to make their own pumpkin powder do so to use it in food. I make it for my cat Bela to help with her gastrointestinal issues. Yes, you read that right. I make it for my cat for her health.

I always just thought of pumpkins as things for jack-o-lanterns and pie. When Bela started have tummy troubles due to certain foods I discovered that pumpkin works great for both cats and dogs in helping settle their insides. So I started buying cans of pumpkin purée to mix in with her food. Trouble is the cans are huge! I would freeze it in small portions but she wasn't as fond of pumpkin once it thawed back out. One day while at the local pet store I noticed a 'health supplement' for dogs and cats that was basically just pumpkin powder. I got tired of paying $20 CAD a bag for the stuff but it worked great. I would mix a little bit of powder in with her wet food when she wasn't feeling well.

Then I got a dehydrator, read up on how to dehydrate pumpkins, and now make a years supply of powder for a fraction of the cost of the stuff from the store.

Pumpkin powder can be used for a variety of things besides tummy troubles. When rehydrated it can be used for anything canned pumpkin is used for, like pie. In dry form it can be mixed in with soups to help thicken and give flavour, it can be mixed in muffins, pancakes, waffles etc. It can add extra color and nutrients to mac and cheese. A bit added to icing can make a food-dye free colour. The list goes on and on.

Supplies for Using Fresh and Canned Pumpkin:

• pumpkins or canned pumpkin
• dehydrator
• blender or food processor
• air tight container (ex. mason jar)
• spoon
• rubber spatula
• parchment paper or fruit leather dehydrator sheets for dehydrating
• preferred grinding method; blender, food processor, coffee grinder, mortar and pestle, etc

Also needed if using Fresh Pumpkins:

• oven
• baking sheet
• parchment paper or aluminum foil to line baking sheet
• cutting board
• sharp knife
• spoon or something to scoop out pumpkins (ex. ice cream scoop)

Also needed if using Canned Pumpkin:

• can opener

If your pumpkin contains a lot of moisture you may need a piece of cheesecloth or something else to drain some of the liquid off.

Note about dehydrators:

Obviously different dehydrators work a bit different. Check the manual to see temperature settings, etc. There are numerous different styles and quality.

The dehydrator I have is a replica of ones made in 1976 that are very basic. There are no temperature controls and no inner fan to move the air around. All the heat comes from a single heating element in the bottom. Due to this I need to rotate all of the trays around once an hour or so to make sure it drys evenly and doesn't burn stuff closest to the bottom.

Note about pumpkins:

All pumpkins are edible but there is a variety in flavour. Normally when making powder I get smaller pumpkins that are often referred to as Pie Pumpkins or Sugar Pumpkins. They are sweeter and smaller than the jack-o-lantern pumpkins I used in this tutorial. Since I have no plans to make pie with this the pumpkins I have will be okay for Bela's food since I plan to add dehydrated sweet potatoes in with it.

If you want to read about 20+ different varieties of sweeter pie making pumpkins you may want to check out this article from Home for the Harvest.

If using canned pumpkin skip ahead to Step 4.

First things first,wash your pumpkins. You'll be cutting into them and the outer skin can get rather dirty in the garden and on it's travels to you're home.

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or tinfoil. Get out the cutting board and your pumpkin.

Using a sharp knife cut the pumpkin in half. Since my pumpkins are so large I cut the top out, as if I was carving a jack-o-lantern, and then cut it in half.

Scoop out the 'guts' until all the seeds and stringy bits are removed. Personally I find an ice cream scoop works great for this. Set the guts aside in a container.

Depending on the size of the pumpkin you may want to cut into smaller pieces for putting on the baking sheet.

Place the pumpkin pieces on to baking sheet with either side upwards. I usually put them cut side down because I find there is less chance of dark edges and heat dry out on the flesh.

Bake at 350°F/180°C for 40-45 min or until soft.

Remove from oven and let cool.

While waiting for the pumpkin to bake line the dehydrator trays with parchment paper or fruit leather sheets.

This would also be the time to figure out what you want to do with your container of pumpkin guts. If you want the seeds for either planting or roasting separate them from the stringy bits, rinse them off, and set them aside. Dispose of the rest how ever you see fit. Personally I leave the stringy bits outside for the animals. They need a treat now and then too.

Once the pumpkin pieces have cooled down it's time to remove the skin. You can use a spoon to scrap the flesh off of the skin, or sometimes you can just peel the skin off by hand.

Put the pumpkin into either a blender or food processor and blend it up until it's all mixed together and a smooth, uniform consistency.

You've now made your own pumpkin purée.

If your pumpkin contains a lot of moisture like mine did you can strain off the extra liquid in piece of cheesecloth or something else. I used an tupperware steamer to drain off about over 2 cups of liquid on one of my pumpkins.

This is the where the canned pumpkin users join in and use the can opener to open the canned pumpkin. From here on it's the same for both.

If you haven't already line the dehydrator trays with parchment paper or fruit leather sheets.

Using a spatula spread a thin, even layer of purée on to each tray and place inside the dehydrator.

If the dehydrator has a temperature setting turn it to 125-135°F depending on what type of dehydrator you have. It will take somewhere between 8-15 hours usually.

After 6 or 7 hours the pumpkin should be firm and dry enough to peel from sheets and turn over. Once it is no longer sticky you can get rid of the parchment or sheets and just put the pumpkin straight on to the trays.

Continue to dehydrate for another few hours or so, until the pumpkin is very dry, crisp, and brittle. It should easily crack and crumble between your fingers.

Remove the pumpkin from the trays and cool to room temperature.

Time to grind up all the dried pumpkin and turn it into powder.

Place the dried pumpkin in your grinder of choice and grind until it breaks down to a powder. You may find a few small hard bits that you can sift out and regrind, or depending on the planned use you may decide to leave them in.

Put the ground up powder into an airtight container with a bit of extra space.

For the next 5-7 days you will need to do a moisture check once a day. This is known as 'conditioning'. Shake the container of pumpkin to move it around. Keep an eye out for any signs of moisture or mold. If you see any mold don't try and dehydrate it anymore just throw it out.

After the 5-7 days are up and the pumpkin is dehydrated store in a cool, dry place. It will keep for at least a year.