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Do you have lots of leftover pumpkin left over from your Halloween carving session? It seems such a waste to throw it out, doesn’t it? You don’t need to throw it out, though. There are so many different things you can create with your pumpkin ‘bits’, and just one of those things is homemade pumpkin butter.
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Butter UK
This homemade pumpkin butter recipe is vegan-friendly and vegetarian-friendly. Despite the name, there are no dairy or animal products hiding away in the ingredients.
You can also tweak the ingredients, and substitute ingredients to better suit your dietary preferences, needs, or restrictions. You’ll find those suggestions below the recipe.
Homemade Pumpkin Butter: Ingredients
- 820g pumpkin (pureed)
- 220g brown sugar
- 200ml apple juice
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- A pinch of allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Juice of half a lemon
You can tweak and change the amounts of the spices and other flavours you use in this homemade pumpkin butter recipe. If you prefer more nutmeg and less ginger, add more nutmeg and less ginger.
Taste as you go — it’s the best part of a chef’s job!
Don’t be afraid to experiment a little, too. If it all goes wrong, you’ll just have more knowledge and experience for the next attempt! (We all have cooking disasters, I promise you!)
If everything goes well, you might just create the next recipe trend that goes viral on social media!
Homemade Pumpkin Butter: Tools & Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Glass jars or airtight containers
- Ice cube trays + airtight containers/bags (optional)
Homemade Pumpkin Butter: Cooking
Get yourself a large saucepan and throw in all of the ingredients listed above, but make sure you leave out the lemon juice for just now.
Throw in the pumpkin puree, the brown sugar, the spices, the vanilla extract, the apple juice – all of it, but NOT the lemon juice. You will need to add this in a little later on.
You’ll want to turn the heat to medium-high, and then stir it regularly until it comes to a boil.
Once the mixture has started boiling and the bubbles are bubbling away, turn the heat to low and allow it all to simmer for around half an hour. It might be tempting to just walk away and forget about it, but make sure you give it a stir every now and then; otherwise, everything will stick to the bottom of the pan and you’ll end up with a burnt mess instead of the delicious homemade pumpkin butter you were hoping for.
Take the saucepan away from the heat, and turn the heat off. You will now need to let the mixture cool. Before you do, add in the lemon juice and give it another good stir.
Once the mixture is cooled, you’ll have a saucepan full of freshly-made, super-tasty homemade pumpkin butter.
That’s literally how easy it is to make! And, let’s be honest, most of us have those spices in jars tucked away somewhere in the back of the cupboard. Maybe it’s about time you dragged them out and used them?
Can I Use Canned Pumpkin to Make Homemade Pumpkin Butter?
Yes, you absolutely can use canned pumpkin to make homemade pumpkin butter!
You will need the same amount of canned puree – 820g.
If you’re ordering an American pumpkin product (for example, from Amazon), you will need one 820g can of pureed pumpkin (29 ounces). You can also use 2 x 425g cans.
Here’s Why You Should Try This Homemade Pumpkin Butter Recipe
You can use this homemade pumpkin butter in so many ways, which is one of the main reasons you should try it!
As the name suggests, you can use it in all the ways you can use regular butter – like a jam on toast, for example, or mixed in with your morning porridge oats. You could even add it to waffles or pancakes, or create a lovely and new take on regular French toast recipes.
You should also give this pumpkin butter recipe a try because it helps to reduce food waste. What are you going to do with all the insides of your pumpkin when you’ve carved it? Throw it in the bin? You can make food with it! Real food. More food. Not just pumpkin butter, but cakes, muffins, cookies, and even savoury dishes.
Pumpkin is so much more versatile than you first may have thought!
Of course, I can’t talk about making this spice-infused and flavoursome pumpkin butter without talking about the scent that will waft around your home when you make it. It will smell like all of the best parts of autumn!
Can You Freeze this Homemade Pumpkin Butter?
Yes, you 100% can freeze this homemade pumpkin butter.
And that’s just one more reason why you should give it a try. (You’re running out of reasons not to, aren’t you?)
A great way to freeze your homemade pumpkin butter is to first transfer it to ice cube trays. The cubes are perfectly sized for individual portions, and you can simply pop one out, chuck it on your toast, and spread it around once it starts to melt from the heat.
If freezer space is an issue, pop the pumpkin ‘cubes’ out once they’re fully frozen and transfer them to an airtight tub or bag for longer-term freezing. You can also freeze them in batches this way, adding another, newly-filled ice cube tray to the freezer once you’ve transferred the last one to the tub/bag.
Photo by Kerde Severin on Unsplash
How Long Will Homemade Pumpkin Butter Last in the Freezer?
If stored in an airtight container, your homemade pumpkin butter will last in the freezer for up to 12 months.
Should I Thaw Homemade Pumpkin Butter Before I Use It?
No, you don’t need to thaw out your homemade pumpkin butter before you use it.
It does depend on what you’re planning to do with it once it defrosts, though.
If you’re going to add the pumpkin to a hot or heated dish, you can add in the frozen pumpkin cubes and they will defrost and then reheat.
The same applies if you’re going to get a pumpkin cube out of the freezer and then spread it on your warm toast: you will not need to thaw it out first. (Although spreading will probably be a bit easier if you do!)
If you do want or need to thaw out your homemade pumpkin butter before you use it (such as a jar on the table at a buffet-style breakfast), you should place it in the counter and let it thaw overnight.
You should not leave homemade pumpkin butter on the counter to thaw out.
What Can I Use Instead of Sugar to Make Homemade Pumpkin Butter?
If you want to eliminate the sugar from this homemade pumpkin recipe, I recommend replacing the brown sugar with a similar amount of sugar substitute or sweetener. Products like Canderel are often a bit sweeter than actual sugar, so I recommend adding a little less than the recommended amount, then adding more if necessary.
Remember: You can’t take sugar out of the mix if you accidentally add too much, but you can add more if you haven’t added enough!
Other substitute ideas for the sugar in this homemade pumpkin butter recipe include maple syrup and coconut sugar (if your dietary needs allow).
*All products, prices & information correct at time of writing.