Pumpkin Butter

If you’ve ever sampled apple butter, you’ll immediately understand why a pumpkin butter recipe is such a wonderful idea. Just like the apple version, pumpkin butter can be served as a topping for sweet breakfast foods such as pancakes or waffles, spread on toast, or even used as an ingredient in desserts. For instance, dropping dollops onto an unbaked vanilla cheesecake and swirling the pumpkin butter through the batter would create a fabulous treat.

Our recipe begins with canned pumpkin and sweetens and seasons it with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. We simmer everything together on the stovetop to keep it simple. Once it’s cooled, you can use it in every fall dessert recipe you dream of—get creative!

Pumpkin Butter Ingredients

• Canned pumpkin: Prized for its uniformity and great texture, canned pumpkin is a baking staple. Look for Libby’s, which we consider to be the best canned pumpkin at the supermarket.
• Sugar: Although the recipe doesn’t specify, granulated sugar is often used in pumpkin butter. For a deeper flavor, try making this with dark or light brown sugar.
• Lemon: Since this recipe calls for lemon zest and lemon juice, don’t forget to zest the lemon prior to squeezing. A typical lemon yields between 2 to 5 tablespoons of juice, so have at least two lemons on hand, just in case.
• Cinnamon: Is there anything more cozy than pairing pumpkin and cinnamon? There are different types of cinnamon—some spicier than others—but any kind you enjoy will work nicely in this recipe.
• Salt: Salt brings out all the other flavors in this spread and helps prevent it from being overly sweet. Don’t skip it!
• Nutmeg: Grating nutmeg is one great way to use a Microplane, so if you have the tool and the spice, go for it. Otherwise, pick up some grated nutmeg from the spice aisle at your grocery store.
• Ginger: Ground ginger is fiery and intense, and it adds an exciting flair to the spread. You could substitute grated fresh ginger.

Directions

Step 1: Combine the pumpkin butter ingredients

In a large saucepan, combine the pumpkin, sugar, water, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Simmer

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Cool before spooning into jars.

Pumpkin Butter Variations

• Use another winter squash: Squash are native to North America, and although Americans are most familiar with pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash (which all travel and store well), there are dozens of types available at farm stands and farmers markets. Try some of the other types of squash, for instance, buttercup, carnival or kabocha. Just make sure to roast and puree the flesh first.
• Modify the spices: Consider making this with a masala chai spice blend, Chinese five spice, or your own combo of sweet or savory seasonings.
• Change the sweetener: Maple syrup or honey would be delicious in a batch of pumpkin butter. Just remember that maple syrup is less sweet than sugar while honey is actually sweeter, so adjust the amount accordingly.
• Make it boozy: After you take the pumpkin butter off the heat, stir in your favorite liquor. Rum and bourbon are particularly good matches.

How to Store Pumpkin Butter

After cooling the pumpkin butter, scoop it into sparkling clean jars with screw-top lids. Because I store my pumpkin butter for a few weeks, I like to sterilize my jars with boiling water prior to filling them.

How long does pumpkin butter last?

You can store this pumpkin butter recipe for up to three weeks in the fridge.

Can you freeze pumpkin butter?

Yes! If you decide to freeze the pumpkin butter in glass jars, make sure you leave room for it to expand (what preservers refer to as “headroom”). You can also freeze it in plastic freezer-safe containers or in zip-top bags.

Pumpkin Butter Tips

Can you use fresh pumpkin for pumpkin butter?

Usually I’m the first one to go running straight to the produce section for fresh ingredients, but there’s a benefit to cooking with canned pumpkin: The amount of water per can should be consistent, so you know exactly how long the pumpkin butter recipe will take to cook, and it will be uniform every time you make it.

However, you can definitely make this with fresh pumpkin or even another more flavorful heirloom winter squash. You’ll just need to keep a closer eye on the butter toward the end of the cooking process, stopping early if your squash was drier than the canned version or cooking it for longer if the squash was more moist.

How can you use pumpkin butter?

Pumpkin butter has so many uses! You can spread it on pancakes or fluffy waffles, use it as a topping for toast, or swirl it into a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt. You can also add a scoop of pumpkin butter to a smoothie. Have you ever tried your hand at homemade Pop-Tarts? This would make a great filling, and you could garnish the icing with autumn sprinkles.