Homemade Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin butter is thick, creamy, and delicious! It’s super sweet with the perfect amount of pumpkin flavoring and can be put on basically anything! It’s so delicious, your family will go crazy over it!

Pumpkin butter is a favorite around here, especially with my kids! If you like deliciously flavored butter spreads as much as they do, go ahead and try this Honey Butter, Apple Butter, to this yummy Cinnamon Honey Butter. They go on so many things, you will love them all!

What is Pumpkin Butter and What Do I Use it With??

Pumpkin butter is one of my favorite things to have on hand during the fall! You can use it so many ways and it is absolutely delicious. Some of us could even eat it by a spoonful… it’s THAT good. Pumpkin butter is made with all of the yummiest fall spices and of course, pumpkin puree. So it’s a great thing to make at the beginning of fall and use it throughout the month in different recipes. And when you run out, it’s super easy to make again!

There are so many things that you can use this on! One of my very favorite things is french toast! French toast is already so delicious but adds on a topping that is creamy, thick, and melts in your mouth? This will take it to the next level! You can also use this when you make pumpkin bread. Your pumpkin bread will already have pumpkin flavoring but substitute this butter for regular butter and you have double that yummy fall taste! The last thing that I love to put this in is yogurt. Add this on top of some vanilla yogurt and add in some granola. It’s the perfect snack or breakfast!

The Ingredients You Need to Make Pumpkin Butter

All of your standard fall spices and some pumpkin puree are your basic ingredients to this pumpkin butter! Stock up on these at the beginning of the season, you will use them over and over! See the recipe card below for a list of exact ingredient measurements.

Pumpkin puree: Make sure that it’s not pumpkin pie filling! This is already flavored and not what you will want to use in this!
Apple juice or cider: I like to make sure that this is unsweetened.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is my very favorite sweetener! It has such a deep and delicious way of sweetening things up!
Ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves: These are the “standard” Fall ingredients that you will see in a lot of pumpkin based recipes! Stock up now before they get sold out in the stores and become hard to find!
Salt: This will enhance all of the other delicious flavors in the butter.
Lemon juice: This counteracts the sweetness a bit and give it a perfect flavor.
Vanilla extract: The extract adds in a calming flavor to the sweetness.

Let’s Make Some Butter!

Stir up this pumpkin butter with just a few ingredients and a little bit of time and it couldn’t be easier! Put in on some toast or french bread and you will absolutely love it!!

Combine and simmer: In a medium sauce pan combine the pumpkin puree, apple juice or cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then turn down to low.
Stir: Stirring frequently, simmer for 30-45 minutes. The time will depend on how much water is in the pumpkin puree you’re using. You will want to cover the pot with a lid to minimize splatter.
Add lemon juice and vanilla extract, cool: When the mixture has just about reached your desired consistency, remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Allow to cool completely.
Chill in refrigerator: Store in an airtight container and chill in the fridge.

4 steps to mixing ingredients for pumpkin butter.

Tips for Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin butter is so versatile! From spreading on toast to mixing with yogurt, the uses for pumpkin butter are virtually endless! Here are a few tips to making it the absolute best!

Homemade pumpkin puree: If you’re using homemade pumpkin puree, you will likely have to up the amount of time the pumpkin butter cooks. Homemade puree has a higher water content and thus will take longer for the excess water to evaporate and the butter to thicken.
Lemon juice: Adding the lemon juice at the end of this recipe helps brighten the flavor, since it can feel heavy with all the sugar. If you would like to leave it out, you can!
Pumpkin spice: If you want to add more spices or leave some spices out, go ahead and adjust the spices to taste.

Pumpkin butter being spread on toast with a butter knife.

How to Store It

Pumpkin butter keeps very well in the fridge and even better in the freezer! Make one big batch and have enough to last all fall season long.

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Freezer: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 6 months to a year. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before using.
Can I can pumpkin butter? The FDA has said it is not safe to can pumpkin butter. Stick with keeping it in the fridge or freezer.