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Pumpkin butter is everything delicious about pumpkin in concentrated, spreadable form. It’s fall in a jar and it’s all the better when you make it from scratch!
Odds are, you’ve had pumpkin butter before. But have you had homemade pumpkin butter? Well, my friend, you are in luck! Today I’m sharing my go-to recipe and it’s a treat. (No tricks.)
This recipe is made with fresh pumpkin—no cans here! Like apple butter and peach butter, there are countless ways to use this pumpkin butter recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Pie pumpkin – Not the kind you carve! Sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins are smaller and have a superior flavor to the ones you use for jack-o-lanterns.
- Brown sugar – This is optional.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use real-deal maple syrup, not breakfast or pancake syrup.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon and ground cloves—or substitute the same amount of pumpkin pie spice if you’d like.
How to Make Pumpkin Butter
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Wash the pumpkin well, then dry it. Slice it in half (don’t cut through the stem—cut just beside it and save yourself the struggle and potential trip to urgent care), then cut out the stem.
Scoop out the pulp and seeds, then quarter each pumpkin half so you have 8 pieces total.
Microwave the pumpkin for 5 minutes, checking on it every 90 seconds. Let the pumpkin cool a bit.
Use a spoon or paring knife to scoop the pumpkin flesh from the rind.
Add the pumpkin flesh, 1 1/3 cups of water, sugar, maple syrup, and spices to a heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for a minute, stirring constantly.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. If needed, add more water.
Use a pastry cutter or potato masher to mash the pumpkin and break it down.
Add 1 2/3 cups of water and blend the pumpkin mixture with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender or food processor.
Continue to cook the pumpkin butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Storage
Refrigerate: Store homemade pumpkin butter in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Transfer the pumpkin butter to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. It will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw it in a bowl of warm water or in the refrigerator before using.
This recipe is not safe for canning.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar and spices to suit your taste. I recommend making these adjustments towards the end of the cooking time so you’re closer to the finished product—you don’t want to add more sugar and spices before the pumpkin butter has had a chance to cook down.
- Get ready to have your mind blown: you can make pumpkin butter with any winter squash. Butternut, kabocha—just make sure you’re using an equivalent amount and you’re good.
- If you’re using a countertop blender to puree the squash butter, let it cool a bit first and leave a vent in the lid to keep steam from building up. (You can set a kitchen towel over the blender to keep it from splattering through the vent.)
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Wash and dry the pumpkin and then cut it in half, slightly on one side of the stem. Remove the stem from the section that has it.
2 pounds pie pumpkin
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Remove the innards using a spoon or ice cream scoop.
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Slice each half of the pumpkin into four pieces.
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Place the pumpkin slices onto a plate and microwave for 5 minutes, checking on them in 90 second increments.
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Allow the pumpkin slices to cool for a few minutes.
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Remove the softened pumpkin from the rind using a spoon or paring knife.
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Place softened pumpkin pies into a heavy-bottomed saucepan along with 1& 1/3 cups water.
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Add the sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cloves to the saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil for 1 minute.
1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 2 tbsp maple syrup
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Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. If the mixture is getting too dry, add water 2 tbsp at a time to keep it from scorching.
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Mash the pumpkin with a pastry cutter or a potato masher until the pumpkin has been broken down.
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Blend the pumpkin and an additional 1 & 2/3 cup of water with an immersion blender until smooth, or transfer it in batches to a blender or food processor.
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Continue to cook the blended pumpkin on medium-low, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened.
- Makes 3-4 cups depending on how much you cook it down.
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
Stovetop Instructions:
Cook apples, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on low for 3-6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Serving: 1tbspCalories: 28kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.03gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.002gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.004gSodium: 40mgPotassium: 31mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1569IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
