Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin is a simple dessert featuring fresh pumpkin slices roasted in a cinnamon ginger caramel sauce. The softened pumpkin is candied while roasting leaving a sweet, delicious dessert for any fall meal or Thanksgiving!
Today’s recipe is inspired by Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. For years before I knew what the holiday was about I thought it seemed creepy. Falling the days after Halloween, with a prominence of skulls and with its name, it sounded like it might be a continuation of Halloween. More similar to All Saints Day, Día de los Muertos is a day to remember loved ones who have died.
My teen son was tasked by his high school Spanish class to attend a Día de los Muertos event and write about it, as well as create something relevant to the holiday. He and a friend baked an incredible gluten-free skull shaped loaf of bread that took them hours to do. It made me remember a post I’d done about the holiday featuring our favorite Lemon Roast Chicken, as well as other classic foods for the holiday such as Easy Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Thighs or Pumpkin Mexican Hot Chocolate.
I love cooking with fresh pumpkin at this time of year. Whether making homemade DIY homemade pumpkin puree (used for everything you’d use canned pumpkin), no crust pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, Pumpkin Roasted-Banana Quick Bread, Pumpkin Chipotle Cream Pasta Sauce or broasted pumpkin seeds. You get the drift; there is no end to the options.
Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin is a wonderful simple recipe that can be used in many ways. Inspired by Candied Pumpkin or Calabaza end Tacha, pumpkin roasted in a caramel sauce with authentic Mexican ingredients such as piloncillo, raw Mexican sugar shaped in a cone.
Sliced fresh sugar or pie pumpkins are cooked in a sweet sauce of dark brown sugar and orange juice infused with cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger. As the sliced roast the sauce thickens slightly and coats the pumpkin with wonder sweet flavor. The pumpkin slices don’t need to be peeled before cooking as the pumpkin easily separates from the skin once roasted.
How to use Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin:
Serving the slices of caramelized roasted pumpkin drizzled in the sauce is a wonderful dessert option or addition to a Thanksgiving menu. Easy to prepare, it caramelized roasted pumpkin is a unique and special seasonal recipe. Can be sprinkled with a tiny bit of sea salt to elevate the flavors.
The pumpkin can be cut up into cubes and served over ice cream or with whipped cream. The skin can be removed and the pumpkin pureed and used for a sweet twist in other recipes where you’d normally use pumpkin puree. Adding chunks of the pumpkin in typically savory dishes such as rice medleys or salads offer a great flavor contrast.
How to Make Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin:
Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 2 cups Water
- 1/2 cup Orange Juice (no pulp)
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 inch piece Ginger Root thinly sliced
- 2 pound Sugar or Pie Pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large saucepan combine the water, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmering; simmer 15 minutes.
- While the liquid is simmering, slice pumpkin vertically and remove all the seeds and fiber. Slice each half into 1-inch thick slices and place into a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish, interleaving them so they are in a single layer.
- Strain the liquid to remove the cinnamon and ginger and pour into the baking dish. Bake until the pumpkin is done (test by checking for softness with a fork) 45-60 minutes. Remove from the baking pan and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Spoon some of the caramel sauce onto the pumpkin on the serving plate. See blog post for other use suggestions.
Carolyn Ingram says
This sounds like the perfect fall recipe!
Art from my Table says
I love all things pumpkin, though I’ve never had pumpkin served up quite like this! Can’t wait to try it!
Kiwi says
Another cool way to eat a pumpkin. Great recipe for the pumpkin lovers.
Sarah says
What a fun and creative way to use pumpkin. I’m always seeking out new ways to use up pumpkin and this is one I haven’t tried.
Janis @MommyBlogExpert says
Wow, I never thought of squash like that as a dessert. That looks heavenly and I’m going to the store tomorrow to see if they have any of those sugar pumpkins left so I can try your recipe. Happy Halloween!
Veronica Vilora Solomon says
Oh wow! I only really like pumpkin in a soup, but this I could try
Annemarie LeBlanc says
Oh wow. I did not know you can make something like this with pumpkins. I will have to try it. Brown sugar and cinnamon is a perfect match always!
Tonya says
I’ve never had roasted pumpkin but it sounds like a great seasonal recipe to try. And pumpkin smells so amazing!
Sara Welch says
Wow, what a delicious idea! Why smash the pumpkin up when you can eat it like cantaloupe! Love this!
Pam says
This sounds so good. I have five pie pumpkins so I was wondering what to do with them.
Carol Cassara says
That’s really interesting. I’ve never made or tried caramelized roasted pumpkin before. It would be nice to have it on its own with maybe a dollop of ice cream on the side.
Lisa Bristol says
Oh my this Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin looks amazing. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make some. I am always looking for new recipes to try.
Claudia Krusch says
Caramelized Roasted Pumpkin looks so delicious and easy to make. I am sure it will be a big hit in my house. I will have to add it to my meal plan this weekend.
Tara says
What a delicious fall treat. I will have to make this for my family.
Cyn Gagen says
You always have such yummy sounding recipes. Seriously, you had me at caramelized! But then, roasted pumpkin? Delish!
reesa says
Wow. As much as I love pumpkin, I have never had anything like this!
Kelly Hutchinson says
My husband and daughter love pumpkin, but I never know what to do with it. They would love this recipe! It is so simple!
Jenn says
I have never eaten pumpkin this way. Sounds really good. Maybe I will make it for Thanksgiving.
Theresa says
You know, I have never eaten a pumpkin, just the seeds. I don’t know why that is. I think we will totally try caramelizing our pumpkins this year. This recipe sounds amazing!
Bill Sweeney says
`Pumpkin is one of my favorite veggies – or fruits, I can never remember. I love it, though. Pumpkin is great any time of year in my opinion, but when fall rolls around and you can make pumpkin from scratch it’s the best. I LOVE this!
Colleen Lanin says
This is going on my to make list! This would be the perfect base for pretty much any pumpkin recipe I’ve ever made! Om nom nom.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I’ve never had caramelized pumpkin before. I’ve had all kinds of pumpkin desserts, so I KNOW that it lends itself to anything sweet. I can’t wait to try this.
Mandie Stevens says
This looks amazing! I need to make this and add it with some other veggies and rice.
Jeanette says
Well that looks awesome! We have a bunch of pumpkins at the moment because of Halloween. This would be a fun treat before Halloween.
Catherine Sargent says
This looks so good. I always like to make a new dish for Thanksgivings and this year I am going to make this. Thanks for the recipe.