Skip to Content

Maple Pumpkin Butter

Maple pumpkin butter is going to be your go-to pumpkin treat this fall. Easy to make with just 6 ingredients, this naturally sweetened pumpkin butter is ready in about 30 minutes and make your kitchen smell warm and cozy as it’s cooking.

Maple pumpkin butter in jar with pumpkins in background.
This post contains affiliate links. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links.

Why you will love this recipe

  • Pumpkin butter is like apple butter but is made from pumpkins and can be used anywhere you would typically use jam or jelly. It’s packed with warm spices and is the perfect fall treat. Great for on breakfast foods like oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, toast, yogurt or as a fun way to add a fall twist to desserts like ice cream or as a dip for cookies or graham crackers.
  • So easy to make. All you need is a few ingredients and a large pot to make this pumpkin butter on the stove in about 30 minutes. You will need to stay by the stove to ensure it doesn’t burn but it’s pretty easy, just mix all the ingredients and stir regularly.
  • Naturally sweetened – most of the pumpkin butters I have found sold in grocery stores or at farm stands are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup or have excessive amounts of sugar. This paleo maple pumpkin butter is sweetened with maple syrup and the ground cloves help to make it taste even sweeter than it is. Ground cloves are also my secret ingredient in healthy baked apple slices (no added sugar).

Ingredients

  • Canned pumpkin – canned pumpkin is great to use in this recipe because I find it’s much less watery than fresh pumpkin puree, which means it doesn’t have to simmer as long on the stove to start to reduce down into thick, creamy pumpkin butter. Be sure to buy pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix, as the pumpkin pie mix is already sweetened and has spices added.
  • Maple syrup – maple syrup naturally sweetens this pumpkin butter without overpowering the pumpkin flavors. Be sure to use real maple syrup, not imitation pancake syrup (as that is mostly corn syrup with artificial flavoring added).
  • Lemon juice – lemon juice helps to add a bit of brightness and acidity to the maple pumpkin butter, helping to balance out all the flavors. It can also help to cut through any “canned” flavor that you may taste in the canned pumpkin.
  • Spices: Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ground cloves – These spices are the ultimate combination of fall spices and make this pumpkin butter so irresistible. The ground cloves are my secret weapon to making dishes taste sweeter than they are, so be sure to add them if you have them on hand.

How to make maple pumpkin butter

Start by combining the canned pumpkin, maple syrup, lemon juice and spices in a large pot. You want a pot that has tall sides, as the pumpkin can start to spit up pumpkin puree as it simmers. This can get really messy if you use a pot with short sides.

Place the pot over medium low heat and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes when needed. You want the excess water to simmer out of the pumpkin puree to help it become really thick and creamy.

After 15-20 minutes, when it seems like the pumpkin mixture has reduced a bit and most of the excess liquid is gone, remove from the heat and allow to cool at least 10 minutes. The maple pumpkin butter will thicken more as it cools.

Transfer to a airtight container and store in the fridge up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Steps to make maple pumpkin butter.

Top tips

  • Use a pot with tall sides. Although you don’t need a large pot for the ingredients, you do want to ensure you have pot with tall sides to help reduce the amount of pumpkin puree that sputters as it cooks. The pumpkin puree gets pockets of heat and as it bubbles, it can sometimes spit up hot pumpkin everywhere. Having a tall enough pot (and not too high of heat) can help reduce the mess from this on your stove.
  • Depending on the brand of pumpkin puree, you may need to cook 5-10 extra minutes to ensure the pumpkin butter is thick. I have noticed that some brands are much more watery than others. If you notice that the pumpkin puree seems watery, increase the cooking time.
  • Don’t rush the process. Because of the maple syrup in the pumpkin butter, it can burn if you turn the heat up to high or aren’t diligent about stirring the pot regularly. Medium low to low heat is best for making pumpkin butter.
  • Allow the pumpkin butter to cool at least 10 minutes before transferring to glass container. The pumpkin butter will continue to thicken as it cools.
  • Use maple syrup not pancake syrup (which is typically corn syrup with flavor added) and the flavor will not be the same and you won’t get the same nutritional value from the pancake syrup alternative.

How to use pumpkin butter

Pumpkin butter is just like a jam or jelly but made from pumpkin, spices and in this case maple syrup. You can use pumpkin butter in many sweet applications including:

Pumpkin butter in glass jar over wooden plate, pumpkins in background.

Common questions

Is pumpkin butter good for you?

Unlike the name sounds, pumpkin butter does not have any butter in it. Store bought jars of pumpkin butter are often full of excess amounts of sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

This maple pumpkin butter is perfectly sweetened with maple syrup and is not too sweet. It’s also mostly pumpkin puree which has so many health benefits, including being low in calories and high in many vitamins and minerals.

Can you preserve pumpkin butter by canning it?

No, pumpkin puree is not recommended for home canning. Please see all the details in this article. You can make pumpkin butter anytime of the year using canned pumpkin though. To store pumpkin butter for longer periods of time, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. To make defrosting easy if you only plan on using a tablespoon or two at a time, freeze the pumpkin butter in 1-2 tablespoon ice cubes using a silicone ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag for 3 months. Be sure to label the bag with the name of the recipe, the date and the freeze by date.

Spoonful of maple pumpkin butter over jar.

Substitutions

Pumpkin puree – You could also try this with butternut squash puree or sweet potato puree. The texture and flavor will be slightly different but still really delicious.

Maple syrup – maple syrup has a distinct flavor that is hard to replace. You could use honey, date syrup, coconut sugar or even dates that have been soaked in hot water then blended with some of the pumpkin puree to a smooth paste.

Lemon juice – lemon juice really helps to balance out the flavors. It works well because lemon is also slightly sweet. You could try 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon juice or leave the lemon juice

Pumpkin pie spice – pumpkin pie spice is sold most places year round but can almost always be found in stores during the fall. Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make you own or simply add 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves.

Cinnamon – if you don’t have cinnamon on hand, you can use 1 more teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Ground cloves – ground cloves are very intense, so you only need a small amount to make a big impact on any dish you are making. If you don’t have ground cloves, you can add 1 additional teaspoon of cinnamon.

If you love this recipe, you should try

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Maple pumpkin butter in a glass jar with silver hinges.

Maple Pumpkin Butter

$6.56 Recipe/$0.55 Serving
Maple Pumpkin Butter is the perfect fall treat! Naturally sweetened, this healthy pumpkin butter is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly and is so simple. Ready in about 30 minutes with just 6 ingredients.
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: Snack, spread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: maple pumpkin butter, pumpkin butter
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
10 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 12

Guided Recipe Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium pot (with high sides), combine ingredients and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Allow pumpkin butter to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
  • Store in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

Top tips
  • Use a pot with tall sides: Although you don’t need a large pot for the ingredients, you do want to ensure you have pot with tall sides to help reduce the amount of pumpkin puree that sputters as it cooks. The pumpkin puree gets pockets of heat and as it bubbles, it can sometimes spit up hot pumpkin everywhere. Having a tall enough pot (and not too high of heat) can help reduce the mess from this on your stove.
  • Depending on the brand of pumpkin puree, you may need to cook 5-10 extra minutes to ensure the pumpkin butter is thick.
  • Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix as pumpkin pie mix is sweetened and already has spices added. 
  • Don’t rush the process: Because of the maple syrup in the pumpkin butter, it can burn if you turn the heat up to high or aren’t diligent about stirring the pot regularly. Medium low to low heat is best for making pumpkin butter.
  • Be sure to allow the pumpkin butter to cool at least 10 minutes before transferring to glass container. The pumpkin butter will continue to thicken as it cools.
  • Use maple syrup not pancake syrup (which is typically corn syrup with flavor added) and the flavor will not be the same and you won’t get the same nutritional value from the pancake syrup alternative.
  • You can try to reduce the maple syrup by adding in monk fruit or stevia in it’s place, however 2 tbsp. of maple syrup really helps with the flavor.
Storage
  • Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
  • Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. To make defrosting easy if you only plan on using a tablespoon or two at a time, freeze the pumpkin butter in 1-2 tablespoon ice cubes. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag for 3 months. Be sure to label the bag with the name of the recipe, the date and the freeze by date.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
53
Fat
 
1
g
Carbohydrates
 
13
g
Fiber
 
3
g
Sugar
 
8
g
Protein
 
1
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!

Recipe Rating




Gina Beeles

Tuesday 24th of September 2019

What brand of pumpkin puree was used in this recipe please ? :)

Samantha Rowland

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

Gina I've made this with multiple brands!

Laura

Sunday 23rd of December 2018

This looks amazing. I have a question though. How much nutmeg? It’s listed on the health benefits but not in the recipe. Thanks

Sam

Friday 18th of January 2019

Hey there, there is nutmeg in the pumpkin spice blend! So you don't need to add any extra

Pat

Wednesday 7th of November 2018

Hi! Can I use homemade pumpkin puree?

Sam

Wednesday 7th of November 2018

You sure can!!

Meegan

Friday 13th of November 2015

This sounds fantastic...anything I can do to make it last longer than a week? Can I can it?

Sam

Sunday 22nd of November 2015

Meegan, I think if you put it in an airtight container and didn't leave it out of the fridge for long, it might last longer than a week, but I'm not sure.

Amy

Friday 30th of October 2015

I love pumpkin butter but have never made it myself. This looks amazing. Pinning! Thanks for linking up with Best Of The Weekend!