Pumpkin Butter is a quintessential fall food! Its buttery texture, warm spices, and extra sweetness, just scream fall! It’s kind of like indulging in pumpkin pie filling!
What To Do With Pumpkin Butter? Or What Are Pumpkin Butter’s Uses?
Use Pumpkin Butter on anything that could use a taste of fall!
Spread it on pancakes, toast, or French toast. Or dollop a bit in your next bowl of oatmeal or yogurt!
Turn a regular chocolate brownie into something totally different with a smear of pumpkin butter! Use it to top a piece of gingerbread.
We also love using this pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin puree in recipes like pumpkin cookies or pumpkin rolls.
Even though pumpkin butter is readily available at the grocery store, it’s easy and fun to make at home. Your home will smell amazing while the pumpkin, spices, and maple syrup cook down.
Ingredients.
This recipe calls for just four ingredients and a handful of fall baking spices.
Spices.
Cinnamon. Our favorite cinnamon for recipes that call for a bold cinnamon flavor is Vietnamese Cinnamon. Vietnamese Cinnamon has a bold, spicy, punch of flavor!
Ginger. There is just something special and soothing about ginger. It’s warm and spicy with just a little bit of a punch adding a special flavor to this recipe.
Cardamom. Cardamom is not a traditional Autumn spice in most American dishes, but we think that is a mistake! It’s sweet, warming, and citrusy flavors add just a little something extra to this pumpkin recipe.
Nutmeg. Again, just a touch of Nutmeg adds a little something special to this recipe. Whole Nutmeg is fun to use – and adds a whole ‘nother layer of flavor!
Pacific Flake Sea Salt. Pacific Flake Sea Salt is an all-natural kosher flake salt and is our everyday go-to salt. Just a pinch of salt balances the sweetness of the maple syrup and the earthiness of the pumpkin.
Vanilla Extract. Vanilla Extract adds a sweet classic flavor to this pumpkin butter recipe. You could also use the caviar from ¼ of a whole Vanilla Bean instead of Vanilla Extract.
Find these spices and over 100 more at SpiceTopia!
Pumpkin Puree. We won’t say no to fresh pumpkin puree, but there is nothing like the convenience of canned pumpkin puree! If using fresh pumpkin puree, you’ll need 3 ½ cups to replace the two cans of pumpkin puree.
Apple Cider. Apple Cider adds an additional depth of flavor to this fall spread.
Maple Syrup. Maple Syrup elevates this recipe and brings out maximum deliciousness! If you don’t have maple syrup, substitute an equal amount of brown sugar.
How to Make a Pumpkin Butter
Okay, we’re going to give it to you straight. Making pumpkin butter should be an easy process. It’s essentially just a dump-everything-in-the-pot and-cook-it-up-until-everything-melds-together-and-thickens-up recipe.
But here’s the thing, when brought to a boil, pumpkin puree just seems angry! It spits, explodes, splatters everywhere, and easily burns!
We’ve seen lots of recipes that claim it takes 20 or 30 minutes to make pumpkin butter on the stovetop. That has never been our experience. Instead, our experience has involved a long 60 – 90 minutes of babying, stirring, wiping up constant splatter, and trying not to get burned by all that splatter while not allowing the actual pumpkin butter to burn!
All this to say, make this recipe with a slow cooker or crockpot pumpkin butter recipe!
It’s easy to cook in a slow cooker on high for 3 – 4 hours. Put a wooden spoon between the lid and the slow cooker to allow the steam to escape and the pumpkin butter to reduce and thicken up. This does take longer but is so much easier and cleaner, and as a bonus, your home will smell divine the entire time!
Let’s Get Cooking!
Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients
Instructions
Stove-Top Option
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In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until the pumpkin thickens slightly, but is spreadable, about 60 - 90 minutes. Taste, adding more maple syrup if needed to sweeten.
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Remove from the heat and let cool (the pumpkin butter will thicken as it cools). Store in the fridge for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Slow Cooker Option
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To your slow cooker, combine all the ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. While cooking, place a wooden spoon between the lid and the slow cooker allowing steam to escape.
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Taste, adding more maple syrup if needed to sweeten.
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Turn off the heat and let cool (the pumpkin butter will thicken as it cools). Store in the fridge for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.