Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- 1.5 kg peeled, seeded pumpkin (sugar pumpkin or kabocha), cut into thick slices
- 400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 60 g (1/2 cup) walnut halves, lightly toasted and roughly crushed
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) tahini, well stirred
- 2–3 tbsp pumpkin syrup from the pan (for serving)
- Optional: 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 strip orange zest for aroma
Do This
- 1. Slice pumpkin into 2–3 cm thick wedges and snugly arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.
- 2. Sprinkle evenly with sugar and a pinch of salt. Cover and rest 8 hours or overnight until the pumpkin releases lots of liquid.
- 3. Heat oven to 180°C (350°F). If using, add cinnamon or orange zest to the dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
- 4. Uncover, spoon syrup over the pumpkin, and bake 25–35 minutes more, until slices are tender and glossy, and the syrup is thickened.
- 5. Let cool at least 15–20 minutes so the syrup thickens and the pumpkin firms up slightly.
- 6. To serve, drizzle warm or room-temperature slices generously with tahini and sprinkle with crushed walnuts.
- 7. Spoon over extra syrup from the pan and enjoy as a dessert or sweet snack.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A classic Turkish-style pumpkin dessert made entirely in the oven with very little hands-on work.
- Rich, naturally sweet pumpkin is caramelized in its own syrup and perfectly balanced by nutty tahini.
- Beautiful enough for guests, easy enough for a weeknight treat.
- Dairy-light and egg-free, with simple ingredients you can find in any supermarket.
Grocery List
- Produce: 1.5 kg pumpkin (sugar pumpkin, kabocha, or similar), optional orange for zest
- Dairy: None required (optional: thick cream or kaymak for serving)
- Pantry: Granulated sugar, fine sea salt, tahini, walnuts, optional ground cinnamon
Full Ingredients
For the Baked Pumpkin
- 1.5 kg pumpkin, peeled and seeded, cut into 2–3 cm thick slices
- Use sugar pumpkin, kabocha, or a firm, sweet winter squash.
- 400 g granulated sugar (about 2 cups)
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- Optional aroma:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon or
- 1 strip orange zest (about 6–8 cm), removed with a peeler
For Serving
- 60 ml tahini (1/4 cup), well stirred until smooth
- 60 g walnut halves (about 1/2 cup), lightly toasted and roughly crushed
- 2–3 tbsp of the thickened pumpkin syrup from the baking dish
- Optional extras:
- Additional ground cinnamon for dusting
- Thick cream, clotted cream, or Turkish kaymak, for serving alongside
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the pumpkin
Cut the pumpkin into wedges, remove the seeds and stringy interior, and peel off the skin with a sturdy knife or vegetable peeler. Aim for slices about 2–3 cm thick so they hold their shape but cook through easily. Weigh or estimate until you have about 1.5 kg of clean, peeled pumpkin. If any pieces are very long, cut them in half so all slices are roughly similar in size for even baking.
Step 2: Arrange in the baking dish and sugar it
Choose a heavy baking dish or roasting pan that will hold the pumpkin slices in a snug single layer (about 30 × 20 cm is ideal). Arrange the slices flat, not overlapping too much. Sprinkle the pinch of salt evenly over the pumpkin, then scatter all of the sugar evenly across the surface. The pumpkin should be well coated with sugar; this is what will draw out the juices and create the syrup. If using orange zest, tuck the strip between a couple of slices now.
Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, a lid, or foil and leave in the refrigerator or a cool spot at room temperature for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, until the pumpkin has released a generous amount of liquid and much of the sugar has dissolved into a syrup.
Step 3: Bake the pumpkin until tender
When you are ready to bake, heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Remove any plastic wrap from the dish and, if you like, sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugared pumpkin now. Cover the dish with foil or a lid to keep the steam in. Place in the center of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. At this stage, the pumpkin should be starting to soften and more liquid will have formed in the dish.
Step 4: Uncover and caramelize in the syrup
Carefully remove the foil or lid, taking care to avoid the steam. Using a spoon, baste the pumpkin slices with the syrup from the bottom of the dish. Return the uncovered dish to the oven and bake for another 25–35 minutes, basting once or twice more, until:
- The pumpkin is very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
- The surface looks glossy and slightly translucent at the edges.
- The syrup in the dish has thickened and darkened slightly, with slow, heavy bubbles.
If the syrup is still very thin after 35 minutes, continue baking in 5–10 minute increments, checking to make sure the sugar does not burn. If the edges begin to darken too much, loosely tent with foil.
Step 5: Cool and let the syrup thicken
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the pumpkin cool in its syrup for at least 15–20 minutes. As it cools, the syrup will thicken further and cling to the slices, and the pumpkin will firm up just enough to lift and serve neatly. Before plating, carefully tilt the pan and spoon a few tablespoons of the thickest syrup into a small bowl; you will use this for serving. Discard the orange zest strip if you used one.
Step 6: Plate with tahini and walnuts
For each serving, arrange 2–3 warm or room-temperature pumpkin slices on a small dessert plate. Drizzle about 1–2 teaspoons of the reserved syrup over the top. Stir the tahini until fully smooth and fluid; if it is very thick, you can loosen it with 1–2 teaspoons of warm water. Using a spoon, drizzle generous ribbons of tahini over the pumpkin. Sprinkle each plate with a small handful of crushed walnuts, letting some pieces fall onto the plate around the pumpkin for a rustic look. Add a light dusting of cinnamon if you like, and serve as is or with a spoonful of thick cream or kaymak on the side.
Pro Tips
- Choose the right pumpkin: Look for dense, sweet varieties like sugar pumpkin, kabocha, or butternut. Very watery pumpkins will release too much liquid and make the syrup thin.
- Do not skip the resting time: Letting the sugared pumpkin sit for several hours is crucial; it draws out moisture, helping the pumpkin cook gently in its own syrup without drying out.
- Watch the syrup closely: In the last 10–15 minutes of baking, sugar can go from perfect to burnt quickly. If you see dark spots on the edges, tent with foil and lower the oven temperature by 10–15°C.
- Toast the walnuts: Lightly toast walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant, then cool and crush. This one small step greatly deepens their flavor.
- Adjust sweetness at the table: If you prefer a less sweet dessert, drizzle less syrup on the plates and rely more on tahini and nuts to balance the flavor.
Variations
- Tahini–molasses swirl: Mix 2 parts tahini with 1 part grape molasses (pekmez) until smooth, then drizzle over the pumpkin instead of plain tahini for a deeper, more traditional flavor.
- Spiced version: Add 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp ground cloves along with the cinnamon for a warmly spiced dessert that leans toward autumn and winter flavors.
- Creamy topping: Serve the pumpkin slices with a spoonful of thick yogurt, whipped cream, or kaymak alongside the tahini and walnuts for extra richness and contrast.
Storage & Make-Ahead
This dessert is perfect for making ahead. Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the pumpkin slices and their syrup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The flavors often improve by the next day. Store the tahini and walnuts separately at room temperature. To serve later, you can enjoy the pumpkin cold, at room temperature, or gently warmed: reheat in a low oven (150°C / 300°F) for 10–15 minutes or in the microwave in short bursts. Add the tahini drizzle and walnuts just before serving so they stay fresh and crunchy. For longer storage, you can freeze the cooked pumpkin and syrup for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm gently before serving, then garnish as usual.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate values per serving (1/6 of the recipe, including tahini and walnuts, but not optional cream): about 340–380 kcal; 7–9 g total fat; 1–2 g saturated fat; 70–80 g carbohydrates; 4–5 g fiber; 50–55 g sugars; 5–6 g protein; small amounts of calcium, iron, and vitamin E from the tahini and walnuts, and a good amount of vitamin A from the pumpkin. These are rough estimates and will vary with the exact pumpkin variety and portion size.
