Homemade Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Butter 

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Homemade maple bourbon pumpkin butter is a soft, spreadable mixture made of pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pure maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice to enhance the sweet pumpkin flavor for a delightful fall food. It’s so good and so easy to make. Enjoy this fall treat with your morning toast, coffee, or tea. 

Whether you’re team apple or team pumpkin, there’s no doubt that the fall season is paired with many delicious foods.

Traditionally, the fall season is a time to celebrate the harvest, the pinnacle of a summer’s worth of labor. Sweet corn, earthy root vegetables like beets and potatoes, juicy tomatoes, and all the zucchini you could ever want (and more) have graced our dinner table over the past weeks.

But the one that waits until the very end of the season, is also one of my favorites. Pumpkins! They’re more than just a fall decoration, these are a powerhouse in this homesteader’s kitchen.

Considered a winter squash, all pumpkins are edible and a fantastic food source. It can be made into all sorts of delicious pumpkin recipes like pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, and pumpkin bars. But even more exciting are the many savory recipes like pumpkin gnocchi with Italian sausage and spinach, pumpkin potato chowder, and pumpkin chicken noodle soup. Can you see why it’s one of my favorites?

What Is Pumpkin Butter?

Like apple butter or other familiar fruit butter, homemade pumpkin butter is a soft, spreadable mixture made of pumpkin puree. Typical additives like brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon enhance the pumpkin flavor for a delightful fall food. A long cooking process reduces the excess water content, leaving behind a thickened, highly concentrated pumpkin-flavored spread, known as pumpkin butter.

What Type of Pumpkin Is Best For Pumpkin Puree? 

When making pumpkin puree, you want to use small baking pumpkins, generally labeled as” sugar pumpkins” or “pie pumpkins.” This winter squash is famous for its sweet, dense flesh, similar to butternut squash, which is perfect for puree. A sugar pumpkin variety will be smaller than the traditional jack-o-lantern pumpkin and the ideal choice sue to its flavor.

​How Do I Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree?

Making homemade pumpkin puree couldn’t be easier. Just be aware that homemade pumpkin puree will often contain more water than canned pumpkin, making it take longer for your pumpkin butter to cook down. 

To begin, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a fresh pumpkin in half through the middle with a large, sharp knife. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy membrane.

Place the pumpkins on a large rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Fill the bottom of the pan with an inch of water and place into the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the pumpkin is fork tender. The exact baking time will depend on the size of your pumpkins, so begin checking at the 35-minute mark if your pumpkins are small. 

When the pumpkin is soft and tender, remove from the oven and allow to cool until they’re easy to handle. Working in batches, scoop the pumpkin flesh out of the skins and into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process on high until smooth and transfer to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Continue with the rest of the pumpkin. 

(The 2 small pumpkins I roasted yielded roughly 10 cups of pumpkin puree.)

Canned Pumpkin vs. Homemade Pumpkin Puree

A few differences exist between canned pumpkin and homemade pumpkin puree when making pumpkin butter. If you desire a uniform pumpkin mixture, canned pumpkin is the best bet. Not only does a consistent water content exist in each can, but also the flavor. This is helpful to make a recipe duplicatable. 

However, using canned pumpkin also limits the type of flavor that your pumpkin butter will ultimately have. There are so many varieties of pumpkin, each cultivated to have its specific flavor and characteristics, that the possibilities are endless when you make homemade pumpkin puree.

Being able to choose based on the pros and cons will allow you the freedom to make it exactly how you want.

Homemade Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Butter Ingredients

• Pumpkins –  Roast whole, fresh pumpkins to make this pumpkin butter from scratch with just a bit of additional effort. Otherwise you can use canned pumpkin, just be sure that it’s not pumpkin pie filling as they’re not the same product. 
• Maple syrup – Use real maple syrup for the best flavor. 
• Brown sugar – The caramel notes in brown sugar complement pumpkin butter. 
• Apple Cider – Adds a hint of sweetness.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – A combination of warm spices traditionally paired with pumpkin dishes. 
• Bourbon – Use what you enjoy. You can often buy mini bottles of bourbon for a budget-friendly option. 
• Lemon juice – Helps balance the sweetness and reduce oxidation, preserving the beautiful pumpkin color. 

Directions For Homemade Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Butter 

Combine

Add pureed pumpkin 1/2 cup apple cider, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 tbsp bourbon, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend to a large, heavy-bottomed pot with tall sides over medium low heat and stir to combine.

Cook

Once it begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and simmer.

Tip: There’s a sweet spot in the temperature when cooking down pumpkin butter. You’re looking for a light bubble, so if you don’t see much at the surface, increase heat to medium-low heat. If it’s bubbling too vigorously, reduce the heat to low.

Cook, uncovered on low, stirring occasionally to help let more steam escape and to prevent the butter from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

The pumpkin butter is ready depending on personal preference and how thick you want it to be. I like my pumpkin butter to be on the thicker side, with a majority of the water cooked out, and cooked until reduced by half.

The best way to test how much water is still in the pumpkin butter is to drag your spoon across the bottom of the pot, creating a divide in the pumpkin butter. The space will fill with any water left in the butter. This gives you a good visual gauge to know if it’s ready, or if it needs to continue cooking.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more brown sugar or maple syrup for sweetness, lemon juice for acidity, pumpkin pie spice for warmth, or salt to balance the flavors.

Store

Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze up to 1 month (be sure the leave enough headspace in the container for expansion)

The exact cooking time will vary, depending on the cooking temperature, the size, and water content of the pumpkins you use.

Can I Leave the Bourbon Out of Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Butter? 

Yep, you sure can! I know some people avoid alcohol and will want to leave the bourbon out of the pumpkin butter. It will still taste delicious!

However, the bourbon adds a delicious flavor to the pumpkin butter. Similar to how vanilla extract flavors a chocolate chip cookie in a subtle, but delightful way.

For those concerned about the alcohol, because this cooks for such an extended amount of time, the chances are high that the alcohol cooks out. Of course, without testing, I can’t say that 100 percent of it cooks out, so be sure to let those you serve it to know about the bourbon.

However, if you feel uncomfortable adding bourbon to the pumpkin butter, you can either replace it with vanilla extract or simply leave it out. 

Is Pumpkin Butter Safe For Canning?

It’s not recommended to home-can pureed pumpkin butter. When pumpkin butter is cooked down, it becomes quite dense, making it challenging for the heat of a pressure canner to fully penetrate through to the center of the jar. This means that the interior of the jar may not reach 240 degrees, the temperature needed to confidently kill botulism spores. To me, it’s not worth the risk!

The good news is that pumpkin butter freezes quite well, making it the ideal way to preserve.

I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe!