Perfect for Fall: Homemade Pumpkin Butter Recipe

This Easy Pumpkin Butter Recipe is sweet, pumpkin-y and full of fall flavors. Enjoy it on everything from oatmeal to toast!  This pumpkin butter is made using canned pumpkin and a handful of other ingredients, so it is a snap to make!

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Easy Pumpkin Butter Recipe

I don’t know about you guys, but I am so over Halloween candy! I definitely enjoyed my fair share of our candy this year-  Kit Kats, Almond Joys, Cherry Twizzlers, all good in my book.  But now that Halloween is over and the chilly fall weather has finally set in, I’m ready for pumpkin spice everything!

If you’re a pumpkin spice fan, you’ll really enjoy today’s Pumpkin Butter Recipe. It’s become a go-to fall treat for me! With its velvety, butter-like texture, and amazing and not too sweet, pumpkin pie flavor. It makes the perfect topping for so many things. 

My favorite way to eat it as of late, is on a rice cracker thin-cake, with whipped cream cheese and a generous dollop of the pumpkin butter on top.  Makes the perfect afternoon snack.

On a side note- hubby found these awesome rice cake squares at a local store. They’re perfect for snacking (and bout as yummy as a rice cake can get, lol.) I get the variety pack delivered from amazon when I can find it, otherwise, the corn and quinoa are my favorite flavor.

What is Pumpkin Butter?

Pumpkin butter is a sweet butter-like spread made from pumpkin puree and fall spices. It’s like apple butter in that the mixture basically gets cooked down until the pumpkin reduces and becomes smooth and lightly sweet, with a delicious pumpkin-y spice flavor.

I would describe is as a slightly less sweet, intensely flavored pumpkin pie, but in a jar.

And no, in case you’re wondering, pumpkin butter doesn’t contain any actual butter!

What To Do with Pumpkin Butter:

Other than eating it straight out of the jar, a spoonful of pumpkin butter makes a great addition to oatmeal and yogurt. I personally love it with toast or rice cakes and cream cheese. I can also imagine it as a topping on cheesecake or maybe as a layer in a fall-flavored parfait or trifle. Or how about adding a spoonful to your french toast batter? Yum!

Pumpkin Butter Using Canned Pumpkin

This pumpkin butter recipe is made with canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling.) Yes, you can make it with fresh pumpkin puree, but that is a lot more work than I would ever sign up for and the recipe would need a much longer cook time due to the additional water content in fresh pumpkin.  

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Pumpkin Butter

Want to give this easy pumpkin butter recipe a try?  Be sure to add these ingredients to your next shopping list:

• 2 15 oz. cans pumpkin puree 
• pumpkin pie spice
• cinnamon
• brown sugar
• lemon juice 

How To Make Pumpkin Butter

This recipe is so easy to make! (full instructions with a printable recipe at the bottom of the post.)

Start by gathering all of your ingredients: pumpkin puree, water, brown sugar, lemon juice, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Add the ingredients to your saucepan.

Heat everything up slowly and let it simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

As the pumpkin cooks, the liquid will reduce and you will need to stir a bit more often so your pumpkin butter doesn’t burn.

I’ve made this recipe several times and have noticed different brands of pumpkin puree all have varying water content. If at the halfway mark, you think your pumpkin butter has gotten a bit too thick and are having trouble cooking it, you can add a bit of water to help it cook. 

The pumpkin butter needs the full cooking time to achieve the best flavor. There are quite a few recipes out there that recommend cooking your pumpkin butter for 20 minutes, but I found that cooking it for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, made all the difference in the world flavor-wise.

The additional time, helps cook out even more water, and results in a velvety butter-like texture, and intensifies the amazing pumpkin spice flavor.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Butter?

Yes, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. If using a glass container to freeze, don’t forget to allow a bit of room in the jar for expansion.

Can You Can Pumpkin Butter Using Water Bath Canning?

It is not safe to can pumpkin butter at home using a water bath canning.

This is due to the low acidity in pumpkin and not being able to reach a safe enough temperature in water bath canning. the combination of the low acidity and temperatures reached in home water bath canning, you cannot guarantee the growth of bacteria that causes botulism will be sufficiently suppressed when it is canned.

How Long Does Pumpkin Butter Last:

In the fridge, it keeps for at least 2 weeks, In the freezer – about 3 months.

How to Make Pumpkin Butter in a Crockpot:

Want to try this recipe in your slow cooker?

Combine all the ingredients in the crock and cook on low for 3-4 hours, until thick and shiny.

Where Can I Buy Pumpkin Butter?

This recipe sounds delicious, but don’t want to go to the trouble to make it yourself until you’ve tried it? 

I’ve heard the Trader Joes version is quite yummy. (I don’t have a Trader Joes nearby so I can’t verify that, but you can also find it online on both Amazon and Williams Sonoma.

Pin this Pumpkin Butter Recipe here:

A few more fall pumpkin recipes you might enjoy:

• Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
• Easy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Easy Pumpkin Pie Cake Bars Recipe
• Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie Granola Recipe
• Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal 

 

 

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