Pumpkin Butter
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Slather it on toast, swirl it into oatmeal, or spoon it over pancakes—this pumpkin butter instantly makes everything taste like fall.
Pumpkin butter is an autumn fruit spread (yes, pumpkin is a fruit!) made from canned pumpkin and other sweet and spicy ingredients, like apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The mixture is simmered over low heat until the flavor is concentrated—just 25 minutes—and tastes like the richest, most delicious pumpkin pie filling you can imagine.
Similar to apple butter, there’s no actual dairy butter in this pumpkin butter recipe. The term butter refers only to its butter-like consistency and use as a spread. The recipe makes about 2 cups, or one 16-oz jar full, but it can easily be doubled or tripled if you’d like to make extra to give away as presents over the holidays.
“I had friends over for coffee so I cooked up a few biscuits and served them with the pumpkin butter. It was a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. I will be making more to give as gifts for Christmas!”
Ways To Use Pumpkin Butter
- Spread it on salty crackers or toast
- Dollop it on waffles or pancakes with maple syrup
- Spread it on biscuits, English muffins, or scones with cream cheese
- Mix it into Greek yogurt and top with granola
- Use it as a filling for crepes
- Whisk a few spoonfuls into egg/milk custard for French toast
- Spoon some into oatmeal or overnight oats
- Add it to vanilla milkshakes or smoothies
- Stir it into a latte
- Whip a few spoonfuls with softened butter to make whipped compound pumpkin butter and spread it on dinner rolls, buttermilk biscuits, or cornbread
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Butter
- Pumpkin purée: The base of the recipe—smooth, rich, and full of natural sweetness and earthy flavor.
- Apple cider or apple juice: Adds a touch of fruity sweetness and helps loosen the pumpkin as it cooks down.
- Light brown sugar: Sweetens the pumpkin butter and gives it a warm, caramel-like depth.
- Cinnamon, cloves & ginger: Classic pumpkin pie spices that bring cozy, aromatic warmth to every spoonful.
- Salt: A pinch of salt balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine the ingredients. In a medium heavy saucepan, mix together the pumpkin, apple cider (or juice), brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.
Step 2: Cook until thickened. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat (since it’s so thick, it’ll look more like a lively sputter than a rolling boil). Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, stirring now and then so it doesn’t stick. Cook until it’s thickened and glossy, about 20 minutes.
Step 3: Cool and store. Let the pumpkin butter cool completely, then transfer it to a jar. Refrigerate until ready to serve—and enjoy it on toast, pancakes, or straight off the spoon!
More Pumpkin Recipes You May Like
Pumpkin Butter
Sweet, spiced, and perfectly spreadable—this easy pumpkin butter tastes just like fall in a jar.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can 100% pure pumpkin
- ½ cup apple cider or apple juice
- ⅔ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- Heaping ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the pumpkin, apple cider (or juice), brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat (because the mixture is so thick, it will be more like an active sputter). Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid just slightly ajar, stirring occasionally so the pumpkin butter doesn't stick to the bottom, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: Pumpkin butter will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Note: If doubling or tripling the recipe, the cook time will be a bit longer, about 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (32 servings)
- Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 18
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Sodium: 11 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This sounds amazing. I’m watching my sugar intake. Do you think reducing the brown sugar a bit will adversely affect the taste or texture? I’ve gotten used to less sweet foods.
Hi Diana, I think you could get away with reducing the sugar too 1/2 cup. Hope you enjoy!
I made this pumpkin butter last night. Super Easy. I did add a little nutmeg to the mix. I was wondering if you have tried Orange Juice instead of apple juice or a mix of orange juice and apple juice?
Hi Penny, I haven’t but I think it would be a nice tweak. LMK what you think if you try it!
So delicious! So easy! And so versatile!! Another winner!! Thanks Jen!
Great, foolproof recipe. Delicious even after leaving it on a low flame for an additional hour (thought I had turned it off, but no).
This is delicious pumpkin butter!!! I tripled the recipe, except for the brown sugar-only added 1 cup-because I use Trader Joe’s Spiced Cider which is on the sweet side. I also put it in my pressure cooker, High-8 minutes- then 10 minutes natural release. No burning just perfectly delicious pumpkin butter. Thank you for a superb condiment for my cheese boards, biscuits, oatmeal, and eating with spoon!
We don’t have whats on the picture. Can I just use biologic Apple cider or regular bottled Apple Juice or does the autumn harvest have a special taste?
And what would be nicer, cider or juice?
Hi Chantal, I’m not familiar with biologic apple cider. When I google it, it appears that it’s apple cider vinegar. Is that correct? If so, that wouldn’t work here. You definitely don’t need to use the brand of cider that I’m using, but I owuld recommend apple cider. Please LMK if you have any other questions. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Is it possible to water bath can this recipe? If yes, what needs to be added & how long would it need to process? Estimated shelf life?
Thanks, Cherie
Hi Cherie, I didn’t develop this recipe for canning, so I can’t say for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
Hi, there are no safe recipes to home can pumpkin puree (water bath or pressure can). There are some recipes for home canned pumpkin butter floating around on the internet but they are dangerous as pumpkin puree has consistently shown to be too dense to eliminate the presence of botulism in home canning. I comment this information every time I see people inquiring about home canning pumpkin puree/butter because I have seen MANY instances of people selling and gifting the unsafe product unknowingly. This recipe looks amazing and would be great in the freezer for longer storage!
This recipe is incredible!! I could sit here and eat it with a spoon. I made it with home made pumpkin puree instead of canned. The spices are spot on. Thanks
Since this needs to be refrigerated and I wanted to give as teacher gifts, would it be okay if it being refrigerated after I made it and then it was out of the fridge for the day it was being given, then re-refrigerated, would it still be okay to enjoy or would it have gone bad? Hope my question makes sense. As always, thank you for your amazing recipes.
Yes that’s perfectly fine — hope everyone enjoys!
I had never heard of Pumpkin Butter so I just had to try it. I am so glad I did! It is absolutely delicious! I had friends over for coffee so I cooked up a few biscuits and served them with the pumpkin butter. It was a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. I will be making more to give as gifts for Christmas! Thank you Jenn!