Mashed Pumpkin

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This Mashed Pumpkin recipe is sweet and creamy and the perfect holiday side dish. Roasted pumpkin is mashed together with milk, cream and warming spices and garnished with crushed hazelnuts and sage. So delicious and comforting!

If you’re looking for an alternative to mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes for your Christmas or Thanksgiving meal, you need to try mashed pumpkin!

Overhead view of mashed pumpkin in a bowl with a spoon inserted into it.

Roasting pumpkin brings out its natural sweetness, and once mashed together with warm fall spices, the flavor combination is amazing! The hint of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg is incredibly cozy!

We normally serve this mashed roasted pumpkin for the holidays with sous vide ham or sous vide turkey thighs, along with some Instant Pot carrots and air fryer frozen Brussels sprouts.

If you want to add more pumpkin to your holiday menu, I highly recommend these awesome recipes:

Why this recipe works

Cutting the pumpkin into cubes helps the pumpkin roast faster and adds more flavor to your mash as the chunks of pumpkin get a little caramelized as they roast.
To make this recipe even easier for Christmas or Thanksgiving, this sweet mashed pumpkin can be made in advance!
While we’re just garnishing with crushed hazelnuts and sage, there are so many mix-in or topping options that allow you to totally change up this recipe. See the suggested variations below!

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card below.

You’ll need 1 pound of fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks. Pumpkins come in different varieties so you’ll want to make sure you’re using a culinary pumpkin like sugar pumpkins (also called baking pumpkins or pie pumpkins). The larger decorative pumpkins are stringy and not as flavorful.

To make the mash creamy, the recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, ¼ cup of whole milk and ¼ cup of heavy cream.

If you only have salted butter, just reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe.

As for the whole milk and heavy cream, the recipe calls for both to create maximum creaminess without making the pumpkin mash too heavy. You can use all whole milk or all heavy cream, if you prefer.

For the warm seasoning, you’ll need cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Nutmeg and cloves have intense flavor, so the recipe just needs ⅛ teaspoon of each.

To add a little extra sweetness, the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of honey. Feel free to use maple syrup instead.

Step by step instructions

STEP 1: Heat an oven to 400F degrees.

STEP 2: Coat the pumpkin in the salt and olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet.

STEP 3: Roast for 1 hour, mixing halfway through, until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork.

STEP 4: Remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.

STEP 5: Combine all the remaining ingredients (except sage and hazelnuts) and use a potato masher to mash until creamy.

Roasted pumpkin cubes in a glass bowl and being mashed with a potato mashed.

Add additional salt if necessary and serve sprinkled with crushed hazelnuts and chopped sage leaves.

Recipe variations

Top your mashed pumpkin with crumbled bacon, chopped pecans or toasted pumpkin seeds.
In place of the nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, use garam masala.
For a savory version, use garlic powder and dried herbs like thyme or rosemary.
Spice it up with cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning.

Expert tips

While I bought a whole pumpkin and cut it into pieces myself, sometimes you can find pre-cubed pumpkins at the grocery store.
If you’re using a whole pumpkin, keep the seeds and make roasted pumpkin seeds.
If you’re not sure how to peel and cut a pumpkin, here's a helpful video on how to quickly peel, seed and cut a pumpkin.
Don’t use large decorative pumpkins for this recipe as their flesh is watery and stringy.
To ensure even cooking, cut the pumpkin into roughly the same size chunks. The larger the chunks, the longer they will take to roast.
You’ll want to make sure your butter is at room temperature and your milk and cream are warmed so the pumpkin doesn’t cool down too much as it’s mashed.
I don’t recommend using low fat milk as this will make the pumpkin mash a little thin.
The pumpkin will mash easily, so I don’t recommend using a blender or a food processor. A potato masher, ricer or even a fork will work fine.
Be careful not to over mash the roasted pumpkin as it can start to take on a gummy texture.

Mashed pumpkin in a bowl with a sprig of sage on top.

Common questions

What is the best type of pumpkin to use for cooking?

The best type of pumpkin to cook with is a culinary pumpkin. These can often be found as sugar pumpkins, sweet pumpkins or pie pumpkins. They’re small and their flesh is tender and sweet when cooked.

Carving pumpkins or decorative pumpkins are larger with a stringy flesh that will be more watery when cooked. I don’t recommend using this type for this recipe.

Do you need to peel and cut the pumpkin into chunks?

If you don’t have time to peel and cube the pumpkin, you can cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and roast it. It will take longer to roast and you’ll need to scoop the cooked flesh out when it’s done.

Can I use another type of squash instead of pumpkin?

Absolutely! I think this recipe would be great with butternut squash or acorn squash.

Can you make mashed pumpkin in advance?

Yes, you can make this mashed pumpkin recipe a day or two in advance and reheat it in the microwave or over medium heat on the stovetop. Just add a little extra cream or butter to make it creamy again.

You can also save time and cube your pumpkin a few days in advance and store it in the fridge. Then, the day of your meal you just need to roast it and mash it up!

How do you serve mashed pumpkin?

We normally serve mashed pumpkin for the holidays and it pairs well with just about anything that mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes would go with.

Some delicious options include sous vide turkey breast or roasted duck, air fryer carrots, sous vide green beans, and Instant Pot Brussels sprouts.