So many crock-pot recipes are just so easy to make, and slow cooker pumpkin butter is no exception! Just toss in the ingredients, cook it for awhile, spice it up, cook it for an hour more and enjoy! It’s really so, so easy!
Slow Cooker Days
Unlike all of the recipes I’ve seen so far on crock-pot pumpkin butter, I add my spices toward the end of cooking, and other recipes add the spices before cooking. I learned this a few years ago when I would put cinnamon in my steel cut oats at night, and let it the oats cook overnight. I made tens upon tens of batches of steel cut oats cooking the cinnamon, and I could never taste the cinnamon the next morning. For whatever reason, the flavor of dry spices gets lost and forgotten in the slow cooking process, so I believe for optimal flavor, place the spices in the slow cooker in the last hour of cooking. One time I made the pumpkin butter and accidentally spiced it up before cooking, the flavors got lost, and I re-spiced it at the very end of cooking without cooking for the additional hour, and the pumpkin butter still turned out great.
I was thinking the pumpkin butter would be such a fun homemade, special gift to give this holiday season, and not to mention, frugal! So I am thinking about making some pumpkin butter and giving it as gifts this year. The flavors and scents scream, “HOLIDAYS!”
I went to my canning expert friend Erica about canning pumpkin butter. She consulted her canning books, and in a nutshell she suggested to put the pumpkin butter in the back of the fridge on the bottom where it will keep colder. She suggests not to can it as it is not recommended in contemporary sources. She says it may keep for up to 3 months refrigerated!
I have sweetened batches of the pumpkin butter (all at separate times) with maple syrup, honey, and organic sugar (evaporated cane juice). All worked well, but my favorite is maple syrup. It is the most of expensive of the options, though, but it does make it vegan and free of refined sugar that way.
We’ve enjoyed the pumpkin butter in yogurt, on sourdough bread, and in cinnamon rolls as a replacement for butter! Next I am trying it as a dip for apples!
This recipe was inspired by Recipe Diaries.
Crock-pot Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients
- 4 cups of pumpkin approximately 2 15 ounce cans, or use your own pumpkin purée
- 1 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey sugar works, too, but we are reducing our sugar intake
- 2 t cinnamon
- 1 t ground ginger
- 1/2 t nutmeg
- 1 t vanilla extract optional
Instructions
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Mix together pumpkin purée, maple syrup (or other sweetener), and vanilla (if you are using it) in the crock-pot.
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Cover, and cook on high for 4 hours or overnight on low for 8 hours.
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In the last hour of cooking, add the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and crack the lid to let moisture out if you want a thicker consistency.
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Cool and store in jars at the bottom of your fridge.
Have you ever made your own pumpkin purée? It’s so easy in the crock-pot, too!
How about roasting your own pumpkin seeds?
If u double or triple the recipe, is the same amount of time on the crock pot sufficient? If not how much longer should I cook a doubled recipe? Or a triple?
Hi Christy. You will probably have to add more time to the cooking time. I don’t know exactly how much, honestly. Usually I just cook whatever amount of pumpkin I have until it gets to the consistency that I desire. I know that is very loose and might not feel like much help, but that is exactly what I’d do. The nice thing about the crock-pot is that it’s very forgiving. I’ve cooked pumpkin butter an afternoon and then overnight before on low and a little part might be burnt, but the rest is great, and depending how bad it is, I’ll just mix in the burnt part or spoon out the burnt part before mixing the rest. What you can do is cook it on a day you think you’ll be home all day and start in the morning. Check it as the day goes until you like your consistency. I hope this helps!
Yum! This looks delicious and amazing! And totally easy! I am soooo making this tonight!
Thanks so much. It is so easy! Hope you enjoy!
Ooh this looks so good, I would never have thought to try it. But I am going to now!
Hi Michelle. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the Pumpkin Butter!
I eliminated all sugars including honey and maple syrup from my diet. Can I use stevia or erythritol to sweeten this?
Hi Brenda. I have never done it. If I were to experiment with those, I would cook the pumpkin without it, and then add it in during the last five minutes. I hope that helps, and I am sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but it’s worth a shot!
I was wondering if I needed any liquid in the crockpot with the pumpkin puree or the 4 cups of pumpkin? Don’t we need a tiny bit of water?
Hi Theresa. You don’t need any water. Since you are making a butter, you will be cooking out the moisture to make the butter nice and thick. Hope this helps!
Love it!!
Hi Chelsea. Thanks so much!
Just wondering how much this yields, is it around 4 cups or does some evaporate out? Ever double or triple to give to others? thanks, it sounds delish, of course that’s why I’m asking!
Hi Leisel. It greatly reduces to about 10 ounces. Thanks for asking.
Well, since this is the second crock pot recipe you’ve linked up this week I think it’s official – we are crock pot sisters. Thanks for linking at Centsibly Sugar and Grain-Free!
Totally! I am in love with the crock-pot! Thanks for visiting, Stacy!