Good morning!
This weekend is our Canadian Thanksgiving, which seems strange to me after the weekend madness, but I am just happy that I am not the one preparing the entire meal this time. ;)
I have been thinking of something that I could bring for my in-laws that would make a fun Thanksgiving hostess gift. I didn’t feel like bringing cookies, pie, or something of that nature, so I put my thinking cap on and surfed the web for ideas.
And then it hit me like a ton of bricks pumpkins.
Happy Thanksgiving Homemade Pumpkin Butter
This was super easy to make and quite delicious. I doubled the batch below so I could have some to enjoy myself. This will be fantastic spread onto pancakes, toast, or even layered with Vegan Overnight Oats! The possibilities are endless, and I plan to find them all. ;) Note that I reduced the sugar by 1/3 of a cup as I didn’t want it super sweet. You can adjust the sugar and seasonings to your own taste of course.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree, approx. 3 1/2 cups or fresh
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2-1.5 teaspoons ground ginger (optional, sometimes I omit)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Directions:
1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, covered with lid ajar (I prop it with a wooden spoon). Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer, covered with lid ajar, for 35-45 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful as the mixture bubbles and pops!
2. Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes before removing lid. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Makes enough to fill one large mason jar or about 3.5 cups.
Note: Canning is not recommended.
Get your super cute Mason jar and set aside…
Dump everything into the pot except the fresh lemon juice. Once the mixture is cooked it will be thick and creamy!
Allow your pumpkin butter to cool before putting it into your Mason jar.
Wheeeeeeeee.
Now decorate your jar with curly ribbon and a tag…
Disgustingly cute, I would say.
Hmm, what is that white circle on top of the jar?
The recipe!
And there you have it.
A simple and quick hostess gift that can be enjoyed all season long. Just don’t forget to make a batch for yourself! ;)
{ 132 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been making homemade pumpkin butter for years, using a very similar recipe. If you want to go all out, you can make it with real pumpkin, either roasted (which is the best, but takes a lot more time) or boiled. i’ve even used the cheap carving pumpkins. It has such great flavor! I make HUGE batches and freeze them.
Perfect timing. I was going to look for a pumpkin butter recipe today! Been drooling over pumpkin and apple butters for a while now. Can’t wait to give this one a try! :)
Such a thoughtful and easy idea. I love DIY projects :)
Love, love, LOVE this idea — I’ve made rhubarb butter and never even thought of pumpkin butter. I will probably just use an apple (put in my vitamix with some pumpkin) and then transfer to a pan to cook with the spices. Great idea for a hostess gift, or even teacher gifts! Thanks (our Thanksgiving in US isn’t until November, so I still have some time).
I absolutely love that idea! You’re so creative!
What an awesome hostess gift! My boyfriend’s parents are always feeding me, so I was hoping to make them some homemade goodies as a thank-you basket @ Thanksgiving…this will definitely be going in there! What did you serve it on? I’m thinking toast or maybe crackers?
When I was growing up we ate it on plain bread or made peanut butter and pumpkin jam sandwiches – yummy!
Love it! Just might have to do this for co workers and friends.
Is it too heavy to ship reasonably??
You always have the best ideas! =)
That looks delicious! One of my favorite fall treats is apple butter, it goes well on everything. So I am eager to try the pumpkin version!
I have been meaning to make pumpkin butter for over a month, great reminder and inspiration! thanks!
This looks great Angela! I tried pumpkin butter for the first time last year and loved it, but haven’t been able to find a vegan one since then (they all seem to contain honey). I guess I’ll just have to make my own!
Spectacular! what a great idea. ;)
Angela, I LOVE your recipes! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for another awesome idea!!
This is an amazing hostess gift! I need to try out this recipe. I would put pumpkin butter on EVERYTHING!
What a fabulous idea!!! I need to make this for my parents when I go home for Thanks Giving Break!!
cloves are a LOVE of mine..I mean, I adore the way they smell! I can only imagine how amazing your house smelled after the pumpkin + sugar + cloves mixture was brewing…WOW. Delish!! And you’re so right this would knock the socks off anyone and would make a STELLAR hostess gift.
The only thing I wonder about is the lemon juice? I love things pretty sweet so I think I would take it easy on the lemon juice I think….but I should probably just trust your recipe and do as you say and use half a lemon’s juice, huh :)
Amazing! What a cute idea. I think this is something I can get everyone around my house to enjoy. :)
Hey Ange – when do you add the lemon juice. I have a bunch of frozen home made pumpkin puree in my freezer, hoping to give it a go to see if it comes out with what is in the freezer!
Looks easy and delicious. My two favorite things!
Please be sure your readers know that home canning of pumpkin butter is NOT considered safe. See http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/pumpkin_butter.html Pumpkin is low acid, and therefore can support the growth of botulism. Instead, homemade pumpkin butter should always be refrigerated or frozen.
Wow I didn’t know that. Thanks for the helpful info. I have removed Smitten Ktchen’s instructions on preserving.
Just FYI: it grows Clostridium botulinum, NOT botulism. Botulism is the disease, Clostridium is the bacteria. If you’re going to inform people do so knowledgeably. And just about anything can grow bacteria if left unrefrigerated.
This looks amazing! Did you process your jars in a hot water bath? I don’t have one, but this recipe makes me want to go buy one! You can never have too many fall flavors! : )
The jars were sanitized in the dishwasher, however I will be putting it in the fridge.
I’m so glad you just posted this because my sister and I are making some this weekend, now we have a recipe to use!
Super cute! For some reason, I had in my mind that making pumpkin butter would be some huge, drawn out process…you make it look simple enough that even I could give it a decent shot! ;)
Ahhh! LOVE LOVE LOVE that idea! Thanks, as ALWAYS, for the disgustingly cute idea, Angela!!
What a wonderful idea!! Do you have some recommended ways to use the butter? I would love to hear them!
A perfect dip for gingersnaps!
What a cute and delicious idea!
I will have to remember that one this year!
That’s a great gift. I love things in a jar.
Yay now I can finally try pumpkin butter! How long do you think this will last in the fridge? Whenever I open a can of pumpkin it tends to go bad within a week or two.
what an awesome idea for a gift. i can’t see myself giving any of this away though ;)
This looks like an excellent gift to make for myself :-)
I make mine with orange juice (recipe on my blog ‘kabocha jam) but I must try apple juice.
Have you tried making it using kabocha squash? Amazing.
Thanks for the recipe – I just made it, and it’s amazing! I’ll be serving it later with biscuits, but I just want to eat it now with a spoon! It’s so good, and a definite must-make for fall.
Thanks for the recipe! I am going to make this for friends/family as a fall treat! :)
super cute! love this idea, i think i’m going to steal it :)
Perfect!!! I have tons of pumpkin puree that I need to use but have run out of baked goods and oatmeal uses for it! I’m definitely going to make this.
This is so exciting and makes me eager for our Thanksgiving festivities next month. I have already been trying to plan out what special gift I can bring to my family this year, now that I am newly married and this looks like the perfect idea. Thanks so much for sharing! All of your recipes look delicious and make me want to run to my kitchen and bake my way through your blog.
So delicious! I just made a batch and stirred it into my oatmeal. I used half maple sugar, half brown sugar but I don’t think I would do it that way again as there isn’t much of a maple flavour.
This looks amazing!! You have totally inspired me. I was wracking my brains trying to think of something to bring to my inlaws as a hostess present when we visit them in Chicago in a couple of weeks.
Question: Do you think this would be shelf stable?? Like would it survive the plain trip in a carryon/checked bag? Thanks in advance!
I don’t think it would be shelf stable for long…
Hi Angela,
My name is Amanda Factor, and I am the online editor of Bunchland.com. I’d love to include this recipe in today’s newsletter and on our website, as we want to give our audience some pumpkin recipes. Please let me know if I can use this recipe and maybe some of your photos (credited, of course, with a link to your site). Thanks so much.
Just emailed you :)
Umm..I just made this and had to practice SERIOUS SELF CONTROL in order to not eat the entire batch out of the pot….wow…better than pie! I was supposed to make pasta for dinner but that’s been kiboshed…oats and pumpkin butter for dinner whee!!!
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