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! ;)
I just want to thank you for adding the amount of fresh pumpkin that you need if you want to use it instead of canned. So many recipes don’t do that. Also for the warning not to can it as written. Great info, can’t wait to try it.
This may be a stupid question but is there actually no butter in this?
Nope, I know the name is deceiving!
Am gonna try this for sure. Always looking for different thing to do with pumpkins. YUMMY
Just made my first pumpkin butter, thanks for the recipe. Mine turned out quite lumpy cause of the type of pumpkin I used to I attacked it with a hand blender! I’ve never had pumpkin butter so don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like but I may be in love. Mixed some into pancake batter (non-vegan, sorry!) and they turned out great!
Oh my this is a fantastic recipe. I use this on oatmeal, over yogurt, make pumpkin spice lattes with it and even in homemade granola bars and smoothies. I keep it in the smaller mason jars and freeze them. They thaw perfectly in the fridge and I always have a supply on hand!
Can you freeze it after you put in jars? I freeze all my other jellies, so I don’t have to worry about them sealing.
I love this recipe. The only thing I changed is that I substituted coconut sugar for the refined sugar so that recipe would be low glycemic. I put it on pumpkin pancakes and it is off the hook!
Thanks for the recipe. i have made it before and absolutely love it.
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe. I tried it the other day and it was delicious. It was my first time trying pumpkin butter and I love it! Thanks again!
Thank you for posting this!!!! i fell in love with pumpkin butter last year…but refuse to pay the 8.00 i paid for a small jar!
this was so easy to put together..i dont have clove so i just omited the nutmeg and used pumpkin pie spice in place of those two. and added a little extra brown sugar..
it made waaaaay more than i had expected it too!! it was nice and thick too!! will for sure be making this again!
what is shelf life of pumpkin butter once in mason jar?
Ive kept mine in the fridge for over 1 month. enjoy!
lovely hostess gift:) what are nutritional values such as carb count etc?
Can’t wait to try but the lemon juice listed in the recipe is never used so why is it listed?
How do you keep the pumpkin butter pumpkin color instead of brown? It taste great. Love this for holidays.
I just made this, and while it is absolutely delicious, mine looks nothing like yours!! It is VERY dark and not thick and creamy like yours! I know it didn’t burn and I even tried to cook it a little longer with the lid off in hopes it would thicken up but it didn’t. Not sure what I did wrong but even if it’s not as pretty as yours it’s still very yummy!!!
This looks yummy ! I live a couple states away from my family and wanted to contribute to their thanksgiving feast in some cute way and this is perfect ! But I have some questions . . Does it need to be refrigerated or is it safe to over night ship ? What do you put pumpkin butter on ? Bread , crackers ?? Thanks much !
Yes I recommend refrigerating it for sure. You can use it on so many things…graham crackers, pancakes, oatmeal, parfaits, on top of quick bread, toast, etc
Hi! I just made this pumpkin butter. It is so amazing! I could barley get it into the jars without eating it!
I have been reading your blog for about a month now. I found it on accident but it was truly a blessing. I have been suffering from disordered eating. I try to stay in control of my eating but I end up going back to old eating habits. You have given me inspiration and motivation to kick this ED in the butt! I read your story and I’m so proud of you! You are a true, real life role model for lots of people. Thank you so much!
Hey Samantha, Thanks for your kind words! So glad to hear you are getting on a healthier path. I’m glad the pumpkin butter was a hit too!
Just finished making the pumpkin butter. Used only half the brown sugar. I find the sweetness of the apple juice and 1/2 cup of brown sugar is perfect for us. Thank you so much for this recipe. As soon as it cools I will place in smaller jars with your beautiful idea of attaching a pumpkin tab and give it to my daughters for thanksgiving.
I’m excited to try this recipe! I’ve tried others, but I this one looks quite good. :-) For those wondering you absolutely can use a crockpot. Five hours on low, stirring several times. My crockpot runs hot so doesn’t take that long. You want the butter thick enough to stick to a spoon upside down. It freezes nicely, use within six months. So happy to find this blog!!!
Stupid question …. What can I use it for? On toast? Muffins?