Pumpkin butter has been my go-to the past week … post run breakfast sandwich with almond butter and pears (as seen here), stirred into oatmeal with some pecans, mixed into coconut yogurt with chia seeds, or shmeared along with jelly or sliced apples for the kids school lunches. By Friday, I realized I’ve made this six times since last year and haven’t shared it with you yet.
This is one of those recipes where the prep time is quick, but it needs a good amount of oven love; something for a weekend afternoon while hanging around the house: make pumpkin butter and have heavenly pumpkin spice linger in the air.
When your batch finally cools off you will want to spread it on your favorite bread, sit down and just look out the window as you take in the taste of creamy butter, and its warm spices.
You need this pumpkin goodness in your life.
It’s never enough between the six of us, and since it stores in the fridge for weeks I make plenty, but this can easily be halved and very adaptable.
Hmm, now I’m thinking another good use of pumpkin butter would be to switch out apple butter for pumpkin in this overnight french toast … maybe butternut squash chunks or chunks of pear instead of apple … ok, I need to make another batch (note to self).
I have become sort of a pumpkin keeper(!)–roasting as many as I can and freezing 2-cup portions (for pancakes, pies, cookies, etc) to keep my our pumpkin love in full force through the winter being that it’s so healthy, full of nutrition and good eats, but don’t worry, I won’t bombard you with pumpkin in January. Promise.
So I came across this recipe last year from Food52, a recipe by Paul Virant; they slightly adapted it from his book The Preservation Kitchen. I slightly adapted it using coconut oil and less sugar.
It’s simple homemade pumpkin butter without any fuss that happens to also makes a lovely gift. It stores in the fridge for weeks and is freezer friendly. On canning: Paul Virant says, “because it’s low in acidity, it’s not safe for water-bath canning.” <–Just in case you were curious.
Psst. You know what the best is? It’s foolproof and no one has to know.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
xx
- Makes about 6 cups roasted pumpkin or winter squash:
- 2 medium sugar pie pumpkins or winter squash (about 5 pounds), halved and seeded
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place halved pumpkins, cut side down, on a
parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 55 minutes, or until the pumpkinis tender and easily can be pushed down. (Time will vary depending on squash variety and size.) When cool enough to the touch, scrape out the pulp into a bowl and discard the skin. - Makes 1½ quarts of Pumpkin Butter
- For the Pumpkin Butter:
- I adapted it slightly by using less sugar. It tastes less sweet than jarred
varieties, if you like it sweeter see my notes below. - 6 cups (3 pounds) roasted pumpkin (or winter squash pulp)
- 1½ cups (9 oz) coconut sugar (or lightly packed brown sugar), lightly packed
- 4 ounces coconut oil (or non-dairy buttery spread)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together the roasted pumpkin, coconut sugar, coconut oil, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. I use an immersion blender for a more creamy, spreadable consistency. Transfer to a 9 X 13-inch baking pan and bake, stirring every 30 minutes or so with a spatula, for 90 minutes. Pumpkin butter should be a darker hue, thick and slightly caramelized. Stir again after taking it out of the oven; it should be smooth and spreadable. Cool then transfer into glass jars or
tupperware and refrigerate until ready to use. To freeze: transfer intofreezer friendly containers. - Notes: For a sweeter pumpkin butter: Add ½ cup lightly packed coconut sugar. Before doing
so I suggest tasting it because I would hate for it to be too sweet and not enjoy it. Add more sugar while pumpkin butter is hot to fully incorporate. - The coconut oil does not impart any coconut flavor (I use Dr. Bronners raw) due to the spices, but if you really dislike coconut, use
non-dairy buttery spread (Earth Balance soy free spread). I have made it using both, and either way yields delicious results.
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