Spiced Pumpkin Butter

Spiced pumpkin butter is wonderful spread on toasts, bagels or muffins. Canned in a lovely jar, it also makes a festive food gift for the holidays.

Have you ever had pumpkin butter before? I first tried years ago in a Bagel shop in New York and I still have vivid memories about it. If you like everything pumpkin, this sweet spread, deliciously flavored with pumpkin spice, is a definite must try!

I used to be on the lookout for the seasonal pumpkin butter in store, until I decided to make my own. To be honest, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact it’s so hard to find, in such a short time window (September-October), and usually in very little quantities. The pumpkin butter recipe I suggest today is made from scratch, using real pumpkin, and prepared with a very minimal equipment.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Butternut squash. Basically, you could use any squash you want (or almost), but I find that the recipe works great with butternut squash. For a quicker version, you can use pumpkin puree (homemade or from a can), but NOT pumpkin pie filling.
• Coconut oil. We use it to rub the butternut squash when roasting. It also brings some sweet and lightly toasted flavors. Alternatively, you could use melted butter. But please stay away from olive oil that would give a bitter taste.
• Apple juice. Prefer unsweetened apple juice (there is no need for sweetened apple juice, as the recipe is already sweetened).
• Maple syrup + dark brown sugar. Technically, you could go for dark brown sugar only, but I like the combination with maple syrup that brings stronger flavors.
• Pumpkin spice mix. Depending on where you live in the world, it can be hard to find pumpkin spice mix. Check my note at the bottom of my recipe card to make your own mix consisting of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

How to make spiced pumpkin butter?

Now comes the easy part! The recipe comes in 3 steps:

• Roast your pumpkin/butternut squash in the oven with a little bit of coconut oil, until fork tender.
• Blend in a food processor until perfectly smooth.
• Then, transfer to a saucepan with the remaining ingredients and simmer on low-medium heat for half an hour or so, stirring often. The long cooking time allows the bold flavors to develop, so don’t rush out the process.

Quick recipe variation

If you do not like pumpkin spice or cinnamon, you can replace them with vanilla instead. Go for vanilla extract or vanilla bean / vanilla bean paste, whichever is more convenient for you. If using vanilla bean, allow to simmer for a long time, to let the vanilla infuse and release its flavors.

Storing instructions

Once ready, simply pour into a glass jar, seal, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 or 3 weeks. Spiced pumpkin butter also makes a lovely food gift for the holidays. Tie a lovely ribbon around, stick a pretty label on the jar, and offer to your loved ones for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

How to use spiced pumpkin butter

• Add to toasts, bagels, muffins, scones and biscuits
• Spread onto crepes, or also on pancakes and waffles
• Add a spoonful of pumpkin puree to sweeten your yogurt

You can also use pumpkin butter to replace pumpkin puree in this pumpkin maple oatmeal or in these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. If doing so, simply skip the sweetener mentioned in the recipe (maple syrup for the oatmeal, sugar in the cinnamon rolls).

Other food gifts you’ll love:

Every year around Christmas time, I’m looking for homemade food gifts to my loved ones. Spiced pumpkin butter is definitely one of them, along with:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix In A Jar
• Christmas Cookie Box
• Multiseed Crackers

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