Homemade Pumpkin Butter with Classic, Pumpkin Spice, and Maple Options

Why You’ll Love this Dairy-Free Pumpkin Butter

• Fast & Easy: You can cook it relatively quickly on the stove top or low and slow in a crockpot.
• Rich Texture: Cooking the ingredients down creates a very smooth, buttery texture.
• Flavor to Taste: It has amazing depth in flavor and can be made with your choice of sweeteners, spices as desired, etc.
• Versatile: Dairy-free pumpkin butter compliments so many foods. I’ve included suggestions below.
• Great for Gifts: You can make a large quantity to jar and share. See the gifting tips below.

How to Enjoy Dairy-Free Pumpkin Butter

• Dip apples or pears
• Blend into smoothies

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Butter Gifting Tips

• Once your dairy-free pumpkin butter is completely cool, transfer it to cute jars or other airtight containers.
• Tie a note on each jar or label them. On a part of the label, write “keep refrigerated or freeze by” and put a date. If you gift quickly after you make the dairy-free pumpkin butter, your recipients should be able to enjoy it for 2 to 3 weeks from the refrigerator.
• It makes makes a great gift, but beware that pumpkin butter should not be canned. It freezes well, so there really is no need to can it!

Pumpkin butter isn’t dairy?

The term “butter” is used as a descriptor for many foods, but it doesn’t always mean dairy. Fruit butters, like apple butter and pumpkin butter, are fruits that have been cooked down to a smooth, somewhat buttery texture. They aren’t typically made with butter or margarine. That said, I have seen some jars of fruit butter with dairy butter or cream in the ingredients, so always read the label if purchasing pumpkin butter.

Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices?

You definitely can substitute 4 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix for all of the spices. Feel free to use less or more, to taste.

I use fresh pumpkin puree. How much will I need?

One 29-ounce can equals about 3 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin puree.

Can I substitute a sugar-free sweetener?

We’ve included a maple-sweetened option for refined sugar-free, and a lower sugar option. But I can’t recommend a sugar-free sweetener as they each cook differently. I have read that allulose or xylitol work well in dairy-free pumpkin butter, but I can’t make any guarantees.

Special Diet Notes: Pumpkin Butter

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, oil-free, and top food allergy-friendly.

Method

• Put the pumpkin, sugar, apple juice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or allspice, cloves, and salt in a large saucepan and stir until smooth.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in more water, as needed, if it becomes too thick or isn't smooth and buttery enough.
• Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two to three weeks. You can freeze it for longer storage.

Notes

Maple Option: For a purely maple sweetened version, omit the sugar and apple juice, and add 1/2 cup maple syrup. Add water, as needed, as the mixture thickens. This creates a warm, light sweetness. Use up to 1 cup maple syrup for a sweeter pumpkin butter.

Spice Note: Use the greater amount of cloves if you want more warm spice, less if you find cloves overpowering. If very clove averse, you can reduce it to a generous pinch.

Lower Sugar Version: If you're looking for a less sweet pumpkin pie butter, you can cut the sugar by up to half (3/4 cup). For a deeper flavor, use part or all brown sugar instead of white sugar.

Slow Cooker Option: Place all ingredients in your slow cooker, and stir to combine. Heat on low for 4 to 6 hours, or on high for 2 to 3 hours, checking in periodically to stir.