We created the best smoked pumpkin recipe over a decade ago. It has remained one of our favorite smoked items during the autumn months. You can infuse these pumpkin with as much or as little smoke to suit your needs.

What can you make with smoked pumpkin?

Smoked pumpkin is a fantastic ingredient to use in soups, pasta sauce, smoked pumpkin butter, and of course, smoked pumpkin pie.

What type of cooking equipment is best for pumpkin?

The best part is that these pumpkins can be smoked on any charcoal grill, pellet grill, or traditional smoker. We prefer a good charcoal roasted pumpkin, as it produces fantastic flavor. Either way, play around with it and have fun.

What you’ll need

2-3 small cooking pumpkins
A sharp knife
Wood suggestion: apple, cherry, or pecan

How to make The Best Smoked Pumpkin

Cut pumpkins in half. Leave the seeds intact.
Prepare your smoker for 250 degrees F. Plan on a 1 hour cooking time.
Add a handful of wood chips to the fire.
If using a charcoal grill, prepare a two-zone cooking area for indirect cooking. Adjust the vents to maintain the desired temperature.
Set pumpkin halves on the smoker or grill away from the fire.
Smoke pumpkins for up to 1 hour. No more.
Oven bake: If the flesh is not tender enough, move it to your oven and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
If you’d prefer lightly smoked pumpkin flesh, cook the in your smoker for 30 minutes with and finish them off in your oven.
Remove and cool: Once the flesh is fork tender, remove the smoked pumpkins from heat and place onto a large cutting board. Cool for 30 minutes.
Remove seeds and set them aside.
Scoop out flesh and and place it into a food processor, and blend.
Store pumpkin puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Tip: Save the pumpkin seeds for later. See the recipe below!

Smoky Pumpkin Seeds

Rinse reserved smoked pumpkin seeds, and set them out to dry for 1-2 hours.
Preheat your grill or smoker to 425 degrees F.
Season seeds: Place the pumpkin seeds into a bowl and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Add your desired amount our Pitmaster BBQ Rib Rub or Honey BBQ Rub for this recipe.
In the smoker: Spread the seeds out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet, and smoke them for 4-5 minutes, or until they start to brown around the edges.
Remove and transfer them to a bowl.
Cool for 20 minutes, and dig in!
Store smoked pumpkin seeds in an airtight container in your cupboard for up to one week.

More Fall-Inspired Recipes

The Best Smoked Pumpkin

Try our quick and simple smoked pumpkins and you will be making pies, soups, and much more!

4.72 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: smoked vegetable

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 40

Servings:

Calories: 88kcal

Author: Derrick Riches

Equipment

Smoker or Charcoal Grill Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour
Oven Bake for 30 minutes until tender

Ingredients

2-3 small cooking pumpkins

Instructions

Cut each pumpkin in half. Leave the seeds intact.
Prepare your cooking equipment of a 1-hour smoke at 250 degrees F for indirect cooking. Add a handful of wood chips to the fire.
Set pumpkin halves on the smoker on the indirect side. Smoke pumpkins for 1 hour (or 30 minutes for mild smoke flavor).
If the flesh is not tender enough, cook in your oven for an additional 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Remove from heat and place it on a large cutting board. Cool for 30 minutes before handling.
Remove seeds and reserve (see pumpkin seed recipe in notes section below).
Scoop out flesh and use right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Smoked Pumpkin Seeds

Wash off the reserved smoked pumpkin seeds, and set them out to dry for 1-2 hours.
Preheat your grill or smoker to 425 degrees F.
Place the pumpkin seeds into a bowl and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Add your desired amount of BBQ rub on the seeds.
Depending on the number of seeds you’ve reserved, anywhere from 1-3 tablespoons of rub should do the trick. Use our Pitmaster BBQ Rib Rub or Honey BBQ Rub for this recipe.
Spread the seeds on a large parchment-lined metal baking sheet, and place them in your grill or smoker for 4-5 minutes, or until they start to brown around the edges. Keep a close eye on them.
Remove from the grill and promptly transfer them to a bowl. Cool for 20 minutes, and dig in!
Store pumpkin seeds in an airtight container in your cupboard for up to a week.