All-Natural Pumpkin Butter
The best tip I can give you when making pumpkin butter on the stove-top is to cover the pot with a lid and prop it open with a wooden spoon. The mixture splatters everywhere while simmering and you definitely need a lid to cover it while still allowing steam to escape. You can also make it in a slow cooker if that floats your boat.
The best tip I can give you when making pumpkin butter on the stove-top is to cover the pot with a lid and prop it open with a wooden spoon. The mixture splatters everywhere while simmering and you definitely need a lid to cover it while still allowing steam to escape. You can also make it in a slow cooker if that floats your boat.
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 – 4.5 cups fresh pumpkin puree (made from ~3.8 pound
- 1/4 cup sweet apple cider or apple juice more if needed
- 1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar unpacked)
- 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup to taste
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (enhances flavour and helps pres
- pinch of fine grain sea salt
- Carbohydrate 7.33865655121488 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.483288077119306 g
- Fiber 4.36179988131495 g
- Protein 0.375509231400647 g
- Saturated Fat 0.301695384669981 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (13g)
- Sodium 1.32723077081327 mg
- Sugar 2.97685666989993 g
- Trans Fat 0.11875307701502 g
- Calories 37 calories
Step-by-step
- Roast your sugar pumpkins (see this tutorial). Cool for 10 minutes on pan before handling.
- Add pumpkin flesh (without the skin) in a blender. Add juice and blend until smooth, stopping to push down the pumpkin when necessary. It may take a bit to get it going.
- Add the Sucanat (or brown sugar), maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Process again until super smooth and no clumps remain.
- Spoon mixture into a medium-sized pot. Cover with lid and prop lid ajar with a wooden spoon. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook for about 10 minutes, or until it’s as thick as you want it. Keep the lid ajar throughout the cooking process – you will find it splatters everywhere so be careful! I like to keep the lid propped up on an angle while I stir the mixture so I don’t get splattered. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Cool completely, stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and then store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Should keep for 2-4 weeks.
An ingredient list rarely reveals the thermal violence of a reduction. When pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices merge over heat, thick starches trap escaping moisture until pockets of air burst aggressively. Propping the pot lid ajar with a wooden spoon creates a controlled vent that allows steam to escape while trapping volatile splatters on the glass. Blending the roasted pumpkin flesh with apple juice before heating breaks down fibrous strands, ensuring the unrefined sugars distribute evenly without scorching against the bottom of a medium pot. Maintaining a low-medium heat prevents the unrefined sucanat from caramelizing too quickly, which would otherwise turn the bright orange purée into a dark, bitter paste. Stirring continuously while keeping the angled lid in place protects skin from boiling sugar droplets. Incorporating fresh lemon juice at the very end of cooking introduces a dose of acid that brightens the heavy spices and stabilizes the vibrant color during refrigeration. Sealed jars stored in the refrigerator remain safe for two to four weeks, during which the spices mellow and integrate fully into the squash base. Chilled leftovers spread cleanly over morning toast or melt into oatmeal without separating into water and solids.
