Unlike plain pumpkin purée, pumpkin butter is deliberately concentrated. Cooking away the excess moisture intensifies the flavor and gives it a thick consistency that works especially well in desserts like my vegan pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin coffee cake.
It's also delicious spread on toast, pancakes, scones, or pumpkin bread. And if you're planning more fall baking, you can find all of my pumpkin desserts in one place, from cakes and cookies to pies, cheesecakes, and custards.
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Why this recipe works
- Concentrated pumpkin flavor: Simmering the mixture removes excess water and intensifies both the pumpkin and spices.
- Sweet but balanced: Maple syrup and brown sugar add caramel notes, while apple cider vinegar gives enough acidity to keep the spread from tasting flat.
- Thick enough for baking: The finished pumpkin butter is much more concentrated than pumpkin purée, so it can add flavor to cheesecake, cakes, and fillings without introducing as much moisture.
- One-pan recipe: Everything cooks together in a saucepan in around 30 minutes.
Key ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this recipe. Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pumpkin purée: I prefer canned 100% pure pumpkin here because the moisture level is consistent. Make sure you don't accidentally use pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sweeteners and spices. Homemade purée also works, but it generally contains more water and can take considerably longer to cook down.
Apple juice: This adds a little natural sweetness and fruitiness that works really well with pumpkin. Apple cider is a good alternative and gives the pumpkin butter a slightly deeper flavor.
Maple syrup and brown sugar: I use both rather than relying on one sweetener. Maple works naturally with the pumpkin spices, while brown sugar adds more caramel depth and helps give the finished spread its rich flavor.
Vanilla: A vanilla pod adds wonderful depth and leaves those little vanilla specks throughout the pumpkin butter. Vanilla bean paste or extract works too if that's what you have.
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How to make pumpkin butter
Here's a visual overview of this recipe. Please refer to the detailed card at the end of this page for full written instructions.
Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan if you have one. As the pumpkin mixture reduces, it becomes increasingly thick and much more likely to catch on the bottom of a thin pan.
Bring everything except the vegan butter to a boil, then immediately lower the heat. From this point, you want a steady gentle simmer rather than aggressive bubbling.
Stir every few minutes, scraping right across the bottom and into the corners of the pan. Pumpkin butter has a habit of spitting as it thickens; lowering the heat and stirring regularly makes it much easier to manage.
The biggest cue is consistency rather than the clock. After around 30 minutes, the color should be noticeably darker and the mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spatula. You shouldn't see watery liquid separating around the edges.
Homemade pumpkin purée often needs another 10-20 minutes because it usually contains more water than canned.
Once it's properly reduced, take the pan off the heat, remove the vanilla pod, and whisk in the cold vegan butter. This gives the finished spread a little extra richness and a smoother, glossier finish.
Let it cool completely before transferring it to a clean airtight container.
Christina's recipe tips
Cook it until genuinely thick. This matters especially if you plan to use the pumpkin butter in cheesecake or cake fillings. If there's still visible liquid around the edges, keep cooking.
Turn down the heat if it starts spitting aggressively. As the mixture loses water it gets thicker and bubbles differently. A lower heat and frequent stirring make it much easier to control.
Expect homemade pumpkin to take longer. Fresh homemade purée varies enormously in moisture, so use the finished texture as your guide rather than assuming it will be done after exactly 30 minutes.
Don't worry too much about the color. Different pumpkins can produce anything from bright orange to a much more muted pumpkin butter. Canned pumpkin usually gives the most predictable color.
Frequently asked questions
Pumpkin purée is simply cooked and blended pumpkin with no added sugar or spices.
Pumpkin butter starts with pumpkin purée but adds sweeteners, apple, spices, and other flavorings before being cooked down until much thicker and more concentrated. That makes it both a spread and a useful way to add strong pumpkin flavor to desserts without adding as much water.
No. Pumpkin butter is not suitable for home canning. Store it in the refrigerator instead, or freeze it for longer storage.
More pumpkin desserts
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Note: This was adapted from The Spruce Eat's original recipe.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients
- 425 g (15 oz) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) *see note 1
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 50 g (¼ cup) light brown sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) apple juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ vanilla pod, sliced in half *see note 2
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon salted vegan butter (block-style) cold
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients (except the vegan butter) to a heavy-based saucepan and bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium-low heat.
- Let the mixture cook for 30 minutes, stirring with a spatula every few minutes to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pan *see note 3. It will become thick and dark in color.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully remove the vanilla pod with your spatula. Whisk in the cold vegan butter.
- Storage: Let the mixture cool before transferring to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Canned Pumpkin Puree: Not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla Pod: Swap for 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
- Tip: If the mixture is spitting, use your spatula to move the mixture to the side and expose part of the base of the pan, which will stop heat from trapping underneath.
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Hi there- do you have a sub for pumpkin puree as not available in my area of France. Thx so much!
Hi Tama,
Yes, you can simply roast and blend your own pumpkin or butternut squash instead. Enjoy!