Winter squash is one of my favorite things to grow, preserve, and cook. I just love the warmth and comfort of a pumpkin dessert or butternut squash soup.

This pumpkin butter recipe is a perfect way to enjoy the fall harvest while nourishing the body too.

How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin butter often has lots of added sugar (or corn syrup) so I wanted to create a pumpkin butter recipe that was healthier and lower in sugar.

This recipe uses real food ingredients and has only a little sugar (from maple syrup and apple sauce) to sweeten it.

If you prefer sweeter pumpkin butter you can add additional maple syrup.

This spread is so easy to make. You simply add the ingredients to a saucepan and let it simmer for about 20 minutes until it starts to thicken.

Then you let it cool and put it into the refrigerator to continue thickening. 

I will often use frozen pumpkin for this recipe. When I do I wait until it’s completely melted and the mixture reaches a boil before starting the timer.

You can also use canned pumpkin or freshly made pumpkin puree.

Can I Preserve Pumpkin Butter?

Many people want to know if they can preserve pumpkin butter by canning it.

In order for food to be canned in a water bath safely, it needs to be acidic with a pH of 4.6 or lower (4.2 to be safe and account for variations).

Squash typically does not meet the pH requirements for water bath canning.

Alternately, non-acidic foods can generally be canned in a pressure canner safely. Pumpkin and squash can be pressure canned safely if they are diced and in water.

However, pureed squash is not considered a safe food for pressure canning as the puree is thick and it’s difficult to know if the puree will heat through enough to kill any botulism spores. 

Pumpkin butter is even thicker than squash purees, so the general advice is to avoid trying to can pumpkin butter.

However, you can freeze pumpkin butter easily in glass jars or plastic bags. Just leave some extra room at the top for expansion.

How to Serve Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin butter is so delicious I could just eat it off a spoon (and I do!). But if you’re looking for a more elegant way to serve it, try some of these ideas:

• Use as a condiment for biscuits, toast, or crackers
• Add to your french toast or waffles for a pumpkin spice breakfast
• Serve it with yogurt and granola or nuts for a pumpkin parfait
• Use it in place of jam in sandwiches, or in desserts
• Pair it with chocolate for a fun dessert
• Use it as a spread or dip for fruit

There are lots of ways to enjoy this delicious spread. My favorite way to eat it is on an AIP plantain pancake, or as I mentioned, right off the spoon!