Pumpkin Butter
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Homemade pumpkin butter is an autumn tradition! It’s basically like having all the best parts of pumpkin pie concentrated into a single jar, ready to top biscuits, pumpkin French toast, oatmeal, waffles, and more. Best of all, this rich and silky pumpkin butter is super easy to whip up!

We absolutely love pumpkin butter. It’s a super versatile spread that perfectly captures the essence of fall.
Every year, we impatiently wait for pumpkin butter to arrive on the shelf at our local Trader Joe’s. But a while back, we became a little too impatient and decided to try our hand at making homemade pumpkin butter.
And wow! Total game changer! Not only is pumpkin butter super easy to make, but it really does taste better than store-bought. Plus, now we can have pumpkin butter whenever we want!
We decided to create a small-batch pumpkin butter recipe that uses a single can of pumpkin puree. This makes the perfect amount of pumpkin butter to cure our yearly craving … though if we’re really feeling the pumpkin, we know we can make an extra batch in just a few minutes. We love how easy this recipe for pumpkin butter is!
So are you ready to unleash the awesome power of pumpkin for yourself?! Here’s how to make pumpkin butter!

Ingredients
Pumpkin puree: You’ll need one 15-ounce can of pumpkin, which is about two cups of pumpkin puree. Note that you want to buy pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains sweeteners and other ingredients that would throw off the recipe.
Sugar: We found that granulated white sugar works best; it caramelizes and adds rich, sweet flavor to this recipe for pumpkin butter.
Maple syrup: A bit of pure maple syrup adds light maple flavor that’s very “on brand” for fall. Note that grade A maple syrup has a subtle maple flavor, while grade B is more deeply flavored; either will work, that’s just something to keep in mind.
Apple cider: Cider (or apple juice) acts as the liquid that allows the pumpkin puree to reduce, while also adding another seasonal dimension of flavor.
Lemon juice: A little bit of acidity brightens up your pumpkin butter recipe, really helping all of the fall flavors to “pop.”
Pumpkin spice: Also known as pumpkin pie spice, you can find this in the spice section of most stores, or you can make it yourself. You’ll want to use 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons each of ground nutmeg and ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves. A pinch of ground allspice or ground cardamom can be a nice addition, too.
Salt: An important ingredient. Just a little bit of salt really helps enhance the flavors and balances the sweetness.
Equipment
Tall-sided pot or Dutch oven: As the pumpkin butter reduces, it will bubble and sputter. A tall sided pot will help keep it from getting all over your kitchen.
Splatter guard: In addition to a tall sided pot, a splatter guard can be helpful, too. We suggest using a splatter guard that lifts up just enough to get a whisk underneath to stir it periodically.
Mason jar with lid: This is a great way to store your pumpkin butter, either in the refrigerator or freezer.
How to Make Pumpkin Butter Step-by-Step
Set a tall-sided pot over medium-low heat and add all of your ingredients. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
As the mixture cooks and reduces, it will splatter and sputter–this is where a mesh splatter guard set over the top of the pot is helpful. Continue simmering and stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces to about half of what it was and becomes very thick, holding firm lines.

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool, then transfer the pumpkin butter to a Mason jar or another airtight container to store.

Tips for Making
- Cooking time can vary, depending on the moisture content of your pumpkin. What you’ll really want to do is watch for the volume to be reduced by about half, and note when the pumpkin butter begins to hold sharp lines after stirring. When that happens, it’s ready!
- For best taste, refrigerate cooked pumpkin butter for a few hours before eating. This really allows the flavors to develop for the best, most flavorful pumpkin butter.
Make-Ahead / Storage Tips
We like to store our homemade pumpkin butter in sealable mason jars in the refrigerator. Pumpkin butter that has been properly stored in a clean, sealed mason jar in a refrigerator should last for up to one month.
You can freeze pumpkin butter, too. Just place it in an airtight container, label and date it, and store it in the freezer for up to six months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and enjoy!

Serve it with…
One of the best ways to appreciate your homemade pumpkin butter is to spread it onto a lightly buttered slice of toast. This might be our favorite way to enjoy it, because it allows all the fall flavors to really shine through.
But the uses for pumpkin butter are near limitless! Here are few more places to use it:
- Stir it into some coffee and steamed milk for a pumpkin spice latte.
- Enjoy it for breakfast on pumpkin spice pancakes without pumpkin puree, waffles, or pumpkin French toast.
- Swirl it into oatmeal and top with toasted pumpkin seeds.
- Mix it into cookie dough.
- Use in homemade cinnamon roll filling.
- Mix it into Dutch Baby batter.
Basically, anything that would taste good with butter will taste fall-tastic with pumpkin butter!!

Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients
- 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree, *
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup apple juice, or apple cider
- 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoon pumpkin spice
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients together into a tall-sided pot or large Dutch oven. Set the pot over medium low heat and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally.
- Continue simmering and occasionally stirring, until the mixture reduces by about half and seems to be able to hold firm lines, about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow time to cool before transfering to a mason jar or other airtight container.
Notes
This post was originally published 8/2022 and updated 9/2024 for clarity. The written recipe has remained the same!