Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter

Nothing (and I mean nothing!) screams fall more than the smell of pumpkin butter slow-cooking all afternoon. This has lots of sweetness and spice that you’ll love.

What You’ll Need

• 1 small pie pumpkin – small to medium-sized will work best to yield about 3 cups of cooked pumpkin
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup – if you don’t have any maple syrup, you can substitute more brown sugar
• ½ cup apple juice or cider (not spiced)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon dry ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment You’ll Need

You’ll need a slow cooker for this recipe. Keep in mind that different slow cooker sizes may cook at different rates. For example, a very large slow cooker gives the pumpkin butter more surface area, so it will cook up faster and have less moisture. I used a 6-quart slow cooker here.

Instructions

Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 400°F and line your baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper.

Prepare the pumpkin

Cut the pie pumpkin in half, then use a large spoon to scoop out the insides—seeds and all the stringy mess!

Put both halves, cut side down, onto the parchment paper.

Roast until tender

Roast the pumpkins for about 35 to 40 minutes.

You want the pumpkin to be really soft so that you can poke a fork or a knife through it pretty easily.

Cool and scoop

When the pumpkins are done roasting, have them cool for about 10 minutes so that they’re easier to handle. Hold the pumpkin in your hand and scoop out the cooked flesh, getting about 3 cups.

Combine in the slow cooker

Add everything but the vanilla extract into the slow cooker.

Feel free to give it a little stir so that everything’s combined.

Cook on low

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for about 3 to 4 hours.

Check on it about every 30 minutes and stir; you’ll see the pumpkin start to break down and get a little smoother with each stir.

Check the moisture

We don’t want the pumpkin butter to be soupy. Remember, we want it to be spreadable (like actual butter). If you notice after a few hours that it’s still kind of loose and liquidy, you can slightly lift the lid so the steam can escape and the extra liquid will evaporate.

Cook until thick

You’ll know the pumpkin butter is done when it’s thick and holds its shape when you scoop it up with a spoon.

I like to stir it all the way to the bottom, and if the line where I stirred it stays there and the butter doesn’t fall back into that spot, that’s usually when I know it’s done.

Finish with vanilla

The last thing you’ll do is add the vanilla. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla, and then give it one last stir.

If you want it smoother, you can use an immersion blender to make it really creamy. This is completely optional, though.

Cool and store

You can enjoy the warm pumpkin butter right away, or let it cool before transferring it to your containers.

You can enjoy it any way you like. Spread it on toast, English muffins, or crackers. We love it on a saltine cracker with a small piece of cheddar cheese…the best fall after-school snack!

Storage Instructions

I like to store my pumpkin butter in mason jars, but you can use whatever container you’d like, as long as it can be sealed really tight. (The mason jars also make cute containers for gifting!)

It can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to freeze it instead, make sure to store it in an airtight container; it can last in the freezer for up to a few months.

Questions and Troubleshooting