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How to Cut A Pumpkin HERO
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How to cut a pumpkin for cooking – step-by-step

Don’t be daunted by cutting up your pumpkin – it’s much easier than it looks! Follow this easy peasy step-by-step tutorial to learn how to cut a pumpkin into wedges, slices and cubes, as well as how to remove the skin. (1 whole pumpkin serves 8-12 people, depending on size and recipe.)
Course Main Course, Starter
Cuisine American, British
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 44kcal
Author Eb Gargano

Equipment

  • 1 Large chopping board
  • 1 Large sharp knife
  • 1 Dessert or serving spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole pumpkin

Instructions

Step 1: Cut the pumpkin into wedges

  • Place your pumpkin on a large chopping board. Push the tip of a large knife into the centre of the pumpkin, just next to the stem, and cut straight down, right through the pumpkin.
  • Move the knife about 1/8 of the way round (depending on the size of your pumpkin) and repeat, so that you have a large wedge.
  • Repeat until you have 8 large wedges of roughly equal size. (If your pumpkin is very big, you may wish to cut it into 10 or even 12 large wedges).

Step 2: Remove the seeds

  • Use a large metal spoon to remove the seeds and stringy bits from each wedge.
  • If any of the stringy bits are particularly tough, use a sharp knife to cut them off.
  • You now have large wedges which you can roast in the oven to make roasted pumpkin wedges.
  • Or, if you need pumpkin slices or cubes, continue on to the next step.

Step 3: Cut the wedges into slices

  • Take one pumpkin wedge at a time, place it on the chopping board and cut into thick slices.
  • You now have large slices which you can also roast in the oven.
  • Or, if you need pumpkin cubes, continue on to the next step.

Step 4: Cut off the skin

  • Take one pumpkin slice at a time, place it flat-side down on the chopping board and use your knife to cut off the skin.

Step 5: Cut into cubes

  • Finally, take one pumpkin slice at a time and cut it into cubes.
  • You now have pumpkin cubes which you can use in pumpkin soups, stews, curries and pasta dishes.

Notes

  1. Suitable for freezing. (Freezing pumpkin will change the texture – it will become much softer once thawed, so only freeze pumpkin if this won’t be a problem.)
  2. Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 578mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 14472IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg