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Rachel Perlmutter
Rachel PerlmutterCulinary Producer
Rachel Perlmutter is a recipe developer, food stylist, and culinary producer at The Kitchn. Originally from Houston, Texas, she spends her free time trying to perfect kolaches and breakfast tacos that taste like home. Rachel currently lives in Brooklyn with her partner, dog, cat and rabbit, where they all share a love of seasonal local produce.
published Oct 1, 2023
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This pumpkin-spiced spread comes together in 30 minutes and is perfect for swiping on breakfast, snacks, and so much more.
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Pumpkin butter is one of the most coveted preserves of autumn, and it’s also one of the easiest to make. With just a few pantry ingredients (and a lemon), you can turn any baked good into a pumpkin treat with the swipe of your spoon. Pumpkin butter, like apple butter, contains no actual dairy butter. Instead, the name refers to the smooth, spreadable butter-like consistency of the preserves.
Homemade pumpkin butter is so easy to make — you just dump everything into a saucepan and let it go for 30 minutes — and the result is so much better than anything that’s store-bought. This one has the perfect balance of sweetness and warm pumpkin spice, making it a fall staple for spreading on breakfast, snacks, and so much more. Plus, the recipe can easily be doubled (or tripled!), which is fantastic news because it makes a great gift when spooned into a cute glass jar.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Butter
- Pumpkin purée. You can use store-bought or make your own — just don’t use pumpkin pie mix.
- Sweeteners. Use a combination of brown sugar and either maple syrup or honey for the perfect level of sweetness and a boost of flavor.
- Pumpkin spice. It’s the spice of the season. Make your own blend or just usestore-bought.
- Apple juice. Adding liquid will help concentrate the pumpkin butter’s flavors, giving it time to cook down and meld without getting too thick.
- Lemon. The acidity in fresh lemon juice helps balance the sweetness of preserves.
If You’re Making Pumpkin Butter, a Few Tips
- Adjust the cooking time to your desired consistency. If you want a saucier pumpkin butter, cook for 30 minutes. But if you want a thicker spread with more concentrated flavor, cook pumpkin butter for an additional 10 minutes.
- Don’t use a small saucepan. While the ingredients may fit, using a small saucepan will cause the pumpkin butter to splatter on the stovetop.
- Double the recipe. Spoon half of it into a cute jar for the perfect DIY gift.
- Make it your own. Customize pumpkin butter to your liking with additional ingredients, like vanilla, or adjusting the spices to your preference.
Ways to Use Pumpkin Butter
One of the best things about pumpkin butter is that there are so many great ways to use it.
- Spread on cinnamon swirl toast, scones, or English muffins.
- Dollop onto yogurt with granola.
- Freeze into pumpkin pie Popsicles.
- Spread with icing between layers of spice cake.
- Stir into sage brown butter for a seasonal pasta sauce.
- Spoon over oatmeal.
Pumpkin Butter Recipe
This pumpkin-spiced spread comes together in 30 minutes and is perfect for swiping on breakfast, snacks, and so much more.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes to 35 minutes
Makes about 2 cups
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
medium lemon
- 1 (15-ounce) can
pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1/2 cup
packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup
unsweetened apple juice
- 2 tablespoons
honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons
pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
Instructions
Juice 1 medium lemon until you have 2 tablespoons and place in a medium saucepan. Add 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice, 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbling vigorously. (If the pumpkin butter sputters too much in the beginning, add an additional 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice). Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.
Filed in:
vegetarian
vegan
Vegetables
autumn
Freezer Friendly
quick
