Quick Summary: Rich, velvety pumpkin butter spiced with cinnamon, coriander, and a splash of Grand Marnier, slow-cooked with apple cider until it stays on the spoon. Keeps 3 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. Prep: 20 min | Cook: 2 hours | Makes: 15 half-pint jars
Jump to: RECIPE | How to Make in Oven Roaster or Slow Cooker | Ingredients & Substitutions | Canning vs Refrigerated | FAQ
There is no better Fall breakfast (in my humble opinion!) than rich, velvety pumpkin butter slathered on toast with a cup of coffee. This homemade pumpkin butter is made with apple cider, aromatic spices, sliced ginger and a bit of orange liqueur.
It is simple to make a big batch in an oven roaster or slow cooker, and it freezes beautifully for holiday gifts (video included).
For years I made about 100 jars of pumpkin butter each fall, some for the farmers market and some for gifts. I’ve made it with canned pumpkin and with fresh pumpkin.
One thing has changed since I first wrote this recipe: I no longer water bath pumpkin butter for the shelf. There is no tested, safe way to can it at home, so I keep it in the refrigerator or freezer. I explain why below.
Here are the methods and ingredients that I think make the absolute best pumpkin butter based on my experience.
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How to Make Pumpkin Butter in an Oven Roaster or Slow Cooker
If you are making a large batch at one time, an oven roaster or a large slow cooker is best. You want a lot of surface area or it will take forever for the pumpkin butter to get thick enough to be a spread.
The recipe below was made in my old GE oven roaster, which I use for all fruit butters and chutneys. It is a workhorse that never dies.
The only thing to watch is that it doesn’t get too hot on the sides. Unlike a slow cooker, you should stir and scrape sides occasionally with a rubber spatula. Here is a newer version of a large oven roaster with a few more bells and whistles.
The key is to get the butter to become thick enough to spread but still retain its silky smooth texture (see photo below for what texture should look like).
For small batches you can make pumpkin butter in a large pot or a Dutch oven, but you will need to check on it more often and stir more consistently. You also can’t control the temperature as accurately as in an oven roaster or slow cooker.
Pumpkin Butter Ingredients: Canned or Fresh Pumpkin
Fresh Pumpkin:
I have a small farm so I initially made the pumpkin butter with one of our heirloom Winter squashes. Sugar pie pumpkins also work well, but butternut squash is what is typically used in many pumpkin recipes.
After taste testing many of these I decided that after you add spices, sugar and apple cider it is almost impossible to tell the difference between canned 100% pumpkin and fresh cooked pumpkin.
To use fresh pumpkin, halve and seed sugar pie pumpkins, roast them cut side down at 400°F until soft (45 to 60 minutes), then scoop and puree. Plan on roughly 1 cup of puree per pound of whole pumpkin, so about 9 to 10 pounds for this recipe. If the puree is watery, drain it in a strainer first.
Canned pumpkin
It is quite a bit easier to use canned pumpkin, which is usually a tan-skinned squash such as Dickinson, a close cousin of butternut. Just make sure it is 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
With canned pumpkin, 9 cups is about five 15-ounce cans.
Spices:
The recipe below uses a blend of aromatic spices, including cinnamon, coriander, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. If you want to keep it simple just use a pumpkin pie spice blend from the store.
The individual fresh spices of course allow more flexibility and flavor, which is especially important if you are making these as holiday gifts.
Special Flavors:
Two ingredients that take this pumpkin butter over the top is the addition of fresh apple cider and orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, etc.). The white pepper adds a bit of zing without being too spicy and the orange liqueur is a real taste treat.
You can use expensive Grand Marnier or inexpensive Triple Sec, but the orange background really adds a great flavor enhancement. If you don’t want any alcohol just add some fresh orange juice instead.
Don’t forget the salt! Salt is not just for a salty flavor, but it works to enhance the sweet flavors also.
Can You Can Pumpkin Butter?
No. I get this question every fall, and the answer from the National Center for Home Food Preservation is clear: there is no tested, safe process for canning pumpkin butter at home, in a water bath or in a pressure canner.
There are two reasons. Pumpkin is a low-acid food, and pumpkin butter is so thick that heat can’t reliably reach the center of the jar. Adding lemon juice doesn’t fix it, because the acidity and thickness vary too much from batch to batch.
A jar that seals is not the same as a jar that is safe on the shelf. Here is what to do instead:
- Refrigerate it for up to 3 weeks.
- Freeze it for up to 6 months. Use freezer-safe jars or containers, leave 1/2 inch of headspace, and thaw in the refrigerator.
- For gifts, give it cold or frozen with a “keep refrigerated” tag.
If you have a pumpkin patch and want pumpkin on the shelf, pressure can it in 1-inch cubes, which is the one tested method (55 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts). Follow the NCHFP directions for cubed pumpkin. Then mash the cubes and make fresh pumpkin butter whenever you want it.
FAQ
No. There is no tested home canning process for pumpkin butter, in a water bath or a pressure canner. It is low in acid and too dense for heat to reach the center of the jar. Refrigerate it for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for up to 6 months.
Sugar pie pumpkins and butternut squash both work well. After taste testing many varieties, the difference between fresh-cooked pumpkin and canned 100% pumpkin is nearly undetectable once you add the spices, sugar, and apple cider. Canned pumpkin (not pie filling) is a perfectly good shortcut.
No. This recipe uses both white and brown sugar plus apple cider, so it’s not compliant with the Slow Carb Diet or most low carb plans. For a lower sugar version, you could reduce the sugar and substitute some of the apple cider with water, but the texture and flavor will change.
Yes, use a large pot or Dutch oven. You’ll need to stir more frequently and watch for scorching on the bottom, but the recipe works the same way. Just reduce the ingredient quantities proportionally.
Up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. Don’t store it at room temperature, even in a sealed jar.
Toast is my favorite, but it also goes on biscuits, pancakes, and oatmeal, into yogurt, and onto a cheese board. A spoonful stirred into coffee with warm milk makes a quick pumpkin spice latte
Pumpkin butter is one of the most giftable ways to preserve the fall harvest. For more preservation ideas from freezing to fermenting to drying, take a look at these 10 ways to preserve fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Spiced Pumpkin Butter with Apple Cider
Equipment
- oven roaster (Or slow cooker)
- 15 8-oz freezer-safe jars or containers.
Ingredients
- 9 cups pumpkin puree canned or fresh
- 5 ½ cups apple cider
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup orange liqueur
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger
Instructions
- In a large oven roaster or large slow cooker, combine all ingredients and stir together. Turn heat to about 350 and bring pumpkin mixture up to 180° F, uncovered stirring every so often.9 cups pumpkin puree, 5 1/2 cups apple cider, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, 1/2 cup orange liqueur, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground allspice, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger
- Reduce heat if the edges of the roaster are getting too dark and cook until spread is thick enough for a spread. If you take a spoonful of the mixture and turn it sideways, it should stay on the spoon rather than drip off (see video below)Using a funnel, spoon mixture into jars and either let cool and then refrigerate.
To Store:
- Ladle the hot pumpkin butter into clean jars or freezer-safe containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Cool, then refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months. Do not store at room temperature. There is no tested safe method for canning pumpkin butter.
- Because of the density of pumpkin and the pH level, canning does not ensure a long shelf life. Keep it refrigerated, even after canning. It should last refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
I am excited about this recipe. never made pumpkin butter, but I can alot every summer from my garden.
Q: would subst orange juice for triple sec + lemon juice be enough acid in the recipe to to can it safely w/ a longer shelf life?.
I have a pumpkin patch w/ various sizes.
if there is a shelf life issue- I better not make a lg volume recipe.
I’m so glad you’re excited to try it! Unfortunately, pumpkin butter can’t be safely canned for the shelf, even with more acid. Pumpkin is a low-acid food, and pumpkin butter is so dense that heat can’t reliably reach the center of the jar during processing. The National Center for Home Food Preservation doesn’t have any tested method for canning pumpkin butter, with or without added lemon juice.
The good news is that pumpkin butter freezes beautifully. I’d make a big batch, keep one jar in the fridge (it lasts about 3 weeks), and freeze the rest in small containers for up to 6 months.
With a whole pumpkin patch, you can also pressure can the pumpkin in cubes, which is the one tested method for canning pumpkin at home. Then just mash the cubes and make fresh pumpkin butter whenever you want it. Enjoy your harvest!
hey there –
i understand the need to store this in the fridge because of the density and lack of acid, to keep it from going bad – but i was wondering if keeping the jars to 8 oz was part of that also. i have been roasting up fresh pumpkin for the past two days to get ready to make this. i have also been measuring diameters of jars, ha! i have experience canning, but you seem to have much more than i do.
thanks
Hi there, the only reason I had it in 8-oz jars is because that is the way I sold them at the farmers market. Updated answer: pumpkin butter should not be stored on the shelf, even after a water bath. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for up to 6 months, but larger jars than 8 oz canning jars should be fine.
hey there –
very excited to make this. i have been roasting my pumpkin for the past few nights and i am going to start cooking it down tomorrow. i understand the whole canning and keeping it in the fridge, because of the density….but with that, would you keep the jars at 8oz and not larger? i was thinking of the 12 oz, but am asking your opinion. i have sat around measuring the diameters of the jars, so see what the size difference is….maybe taking it too far…ha! thanks.
Another recipe I saw says I cant can pumpkin butter due to botulinum. What’s the truth??
Hi Jamie. Pumpkin butter is a low-acid food, and its density makes it difficult for the necessary heat to penetrate the jars, even in a pressure canner. These two things make it potentially harmful for canning. I add a lot of acid to my pumpkin butter and pasteurize it for a long time. Even then, I keep it in the fridge for only a couple of weeks and then freeze it. Freezing is the safest way to store it. I haven’t made it for a while so I’ll go back and see if I gave the proper precautions in the post. Thank you for commenting and bringing this up.
I would like to can pumpkin butter. The stuff I buy locally or can find at Trader Joes or Amazon has a pantry shelf life of 1.5 years. Why do you say it is illegal according to the USDA then ?
Hi Lee, great question, and you’re not the first to ask it! You’re right that USDA doesn’t make it illegal. It’s guidance, not law.
The reason store-bought pumpkin butter can sit on a shelf is that commercial producers use processes a home kitchen can’t match. They test and control the acidity of every batch and use lab-validated heat processing, and those processes are filed with the FDA.
At home, the problem is that pumpkin is low acid and pumpkin butter is so dense that heat doesn’t reach the center of the jar reliably. That’s the setup for botulism, which you can’t see, smell, or taste. That’s why USDA doesn’t have a tested method for canning pumpkin butter at all, even with a pressure canner.
The good news: pumpkin butter freezes beautifully. If you want shelf-stable pumpkin, you can pressure can pumpkin cubes (that one is tested) and turn them into butter when you open the jar. Thanks for asking!
What is the shelf life for this please and how L0ng is it good for fridge please
Updated answer: pumpkin butter should not be stored on the shelf, even after a water bath. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for up to 6 months.
This sounds great and I look forward to trying it, I’ve got a ton of big pie pumpkins and this would make great gifts. Just one question: Everything I’ve read says its not safe/recommended to can mashed pumpkin or pumpkin butter. Does the addition of the lemon juice in this recipe bring the pH down so it’s safe for water bath canning? Thanks for any insight on this.
You are right that pumpkin butter has issues with pH. The lemon juice helps a lot, but it is still not completely safe. Updated answer: pumpkin butter should not be stored on the shelf, even after a water bath. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for up to 6 months.
@dorothy stainbrook, thanks!
@dorothy stainbrook, how long is it good for in the fridge
Updated answer: pumpkin butter should not be stored on the shelf, even after a water bath. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for up to 6 months.