Chandra Ram leads the digital food strategy for Food & Wine. She has 15 years experience writing and editing food content and developing recipes. A former restaurant cook and server, she also writes cookbooks.
We love pumpkin butter on toast, but there’s so much more you can do with fall’s ultimate condiment. Spread pumpkin butter on toast, scones, quickbreads, and scones, or dollop atop French toast. It can also be used as an ingredient in pancakes and even as a savory pasta sauce.
What is pumpkin butter?
Pumpkin butter is actually a fruit spread, similar to apple butter. It has a smooth, creamy texture but does not contain butter.
How to make pumpkin butter
You can make pumpkin butter with fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree. If you start with a fresh pumpkin, puree the flesh and then cook it with spices slowly over low heat until the mixture has thickened and is a slightly darker color. Here are some of our favorite ways to use it.
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Pumpkin butter
In the fall, when squash and pumpkins are in their prime, make this pumpkin butter your go-to add-in. This silky preserve toes the line between sweet and savory: Try it on toast with cream cheese, in whipped cream or melted into a mixture of sage and brown butter for an autumnal pasta sauce.
A classic browned butter and sage sauce gets a boost of fall flavor from pumpkin butter. Be generous with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, its salty, savory bite adds the perfect hit of umami flavor to this decadent pasta dish.
Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, this classic pumpkin bread smells and tastes like fall. A dollop of pumpkin butter with cream cheese on each slice takes it over the top.
Pumpkin butter adds a sweet and spicy flavor to these classic buttermilk pancakes, and a boost of moisture. Cooking them over moderately low heat ensures each pancake cooks through and gets a perfect golden color with a lightly crispy bite. Serve these with extra pumpkin butter, or melted butter and drizzles of maple syrup.
This rich Pumpkin-Banana Bread French Toast is autumn on a plate. The pumpkin and banana in the bread are balanced by warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, which highlight the sweetness of the bread. After being dipped in the custard and cooked in butter, the bread slices get a crispy, toasty, and almost caramelized exterior that yields to a deliciously soft interior. Maple syrup, butter, and pepitas are the perfect finishing touch — the pepitas add some crunch and salt to balance the sweetness. We love these with a smear of pumpkin butter, to double-up on the fall flavors.
These soft, lightly spiced cake-like cookies are studded with minced candied ginger and topped with a buttery sugar glaze. Add a dollop of pumpkin butter on top to make these extra pumpkin-y.
We love pumpkin butter on toast, but there's so much more you can do with fall's ultimate condiment. Spread pumpkin butter on toast, scones, quickbreads, and scones, or dollop atop French toast. It can also be used as an ingredient in pancakes and even as a savory pasta sauce.
To substitute pumpkin puree for butter, multiply the amount of butter by 3/4. If a recipe calls for one cup, use 3/4 cup puree in its place. If you're not ready to give up all the butter, consider splitting the bill. For one cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree.
This pumpkin butter makes an excellent hostess gift. Spread it on toast and muffins, add it to baked goods, or drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
Sure, it might not be as rich in iron as pumpkin seed butter, but it's got protein, healthy fats, and a good dose of essential vitamins and minerals. Note that reduced-fat peanut butter is often higher in carbs and added sugar, so it's not necessarily a healthier option.
To complement pumpkin with sweet flavor pairings, consider using spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla, or sweet ingredients like chocolate, maple, honey, cranberries or brown sugar. Create savory dishes by pairing pumpkin with spices like chilies, cajun, cayenne or pepper.
Serve with warm bread, toasted bread, seeded crackers, or anything that goes amazingly with butter. Place small spoons or butter knives out with the board and encourage everyone to scoop, spread, and enjoy!
Keep butter as a staple when you are cooking (or baking) these five items and here's why:
Scrambled eggs. ...
When grilling a steak, whip up a log of compound butter full of herbs and garlic and put a pat on top once the steak is cooked so all that flavor melts all over it.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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