As the seasons change, so too does the food that we eat. Fall ushers in flavors that we all know and love, including pumpkin spice, cinnamon and spiced apple.
Let’s not forget the humble pumpkin butter either. This remarkable condiment is incredibly versatile.
There are many different pumpkin butter uses, including some that are familiar and others that are entirely unexpected.
Start the Day Off Right
1. Spread it on anything
Spread pumpkin butter on bagels, toast, English muffins, waffles or even pancakes. Whatever you choose, pumpkin butter will make it taste better. You could also spread the butter between layers on a pancake stack. How’s that for breakfast?
You’re not limited to savory food either. Pumpkin butter pairs well with sweet options too, like Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins.
You can also blend the pumpkin butter with softened cream cheese and then use it as a spread. This changes the flavor and texture profile, while still being just as versatile.
2. Use with French toast
Add a couple of tablespoons into French toast batter. This lifts your breakfast to a whole new level.
3. And pancakes
You can do a similar thing with pancake batter. The site Skinny Taste has a recipe for doing so, or you can simply make it up as you go along. The same is true for waffles.
4. Mix it in
For that matter, pumpkin butter can be mixed in with many different meals. Try doing so with your cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese or yogurt. The more combinations you try, the more inspiration you’ll find.
Bake With It
5. Find pumpkin butter recipes
Plenty of recipes use pumpkin butter as an ingredient. These are fast and easy ways to use pumpkin butter. Recipes are also inspiring. Each new recipe you try will give you more ideas about using pumpkin butter in the future.
The examples below are fun options to try, especially if you don’t use pumpkin butter often.
- Mini Pumpkin Pie Cookies – from A Mindfull Mom
- Pumpkin Butter Loaf – from Sweet Phi
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins – from Give Recipe
- Pumpkin Mug Cake – from Jessica in the Kitchen
- Pumpkin Butter Sugar Cookies – from Around My Family Table
6. Add it to the batter
Even if the instructions don’t call for it, you can add pumpkin butter into the batter for many different recipes. This includes things like muffins, cheesecakes, blondies or cake.
Just make sure you’re using a recipe that you’ve made at least once before. That way you’ll have a sense of whether you’ll need to change any other ingredients.
7. Include in frosting
You can simply add pumpkin butter to most frosting recipes. This adds an interesting pumpkin flavor – making everything taste better.
8. Use it as a filling
Pumpkin butter makes an excellent filling in many recipes, such as in tarts and thumbprint cookies.
9. In cinnamon rolls
Including pumpkin butter in cinnamon rolls is another fun idea. You can do this instead of regular butter or in addition to it. Either way, you end up with seasonal cinnamon rolls.
Use it in Appetizers, Meals and More
10. As a dip
Pumpkin butter makes a slightly sweet dip all on its own. You can dip almost anything into it, but wedges of apple and pear work especially well.
11. Use as a chutney base
Pumpkin butter is perfect as a base for compotes and chutneys. It’s particularly good if you’re using other Fall flavors, like apples and cinnamon.
12. Serve on baked brie
Baked brie is an easy savory appetizer that you should try at least once (Serious Eats has a great recipe). Pumpkin butter makes a simple topping and the flavors combine perfectly.
If the recipe you’re using already calls for a topping, you can use pumpkin butter instead of that topping or in addition to it.
13. As a sandwich spread
You can also spread pumpkin butter directly on bread to make simple sandwiches. Adding some nut butter to the sandwich too works extremely well.
What about getting creative with pumpkin butter in your sandwiches? Think about ingredients that the butter would combine well with. I’ve even seen pumpkin butter included in grilled cheese sandwiches.
One fantastic option is this Pumpkin, Chocolate & Brie Grilled Cheese recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod. Another is this vegan Jack-o-Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwich.
14. As a condiment
Pumpkin butter makes an easy condiment on top of savory meals. Think about pumpkin butter on top of pork chops or baked ham. It combines well with baked sweet potatoes too.
15. Stir it in
Mixing pumpkin butter in with savory dishes works surprisingly well. It’s perfect for recipes that are creamy, like pasta or potato bake. You’re only limited by your creativity.
16. Add to salads
Pumpkin butter makes a good addition to salads too – especially ones that include ingredients like goat cheese and apples.
17. Use as a marinade
Pumpkin butter also works perfectly as a marinade. The flavor pairs perfectly with meat. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Make Dessert Out of It
18. Sandwich cookie filling
Use pumpkin butter as the filling between two cookies. The flavor combines particularly well with shortbread cookies – but don’t be afraid to try new combinations.
19. Ice cream topping
Pumpkin butter makes a simple topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt. It pairs well with vanilla custard too.
If you don’t want to use the pumpkin butter on its own – heat it up and combine with a caramel topping.
20. Use in trifles or parfaits
You can try parfaits for a simpler idea. Teenie Cakes has one example, in their Pumpkin Vanilla Yogurt Parfaits with Pumpkin Pecan Granola.
Pumpkin Butter in Drinks
21. Use it in smoothies
Pumpkin butter makes a great smoothie addition. You don’t need much (around 2 tablespoons or so) to make your smoothie taste like pumpkin. You could just add the pumpkin butter into a smoothie that you already make or look for a recipe that already includes pumpkin butter. This recipe from Kitchen Confidante is one example.
22. Or milkshakes
For that matter, you can simply combine pumpkin butter, milk and vanilla ice cream to create a simple but tasty milkshake. What about adding some cinnamon in there too?
23. Make your own pumpkin spice latte
Pumpkin spice lattes are popular. They’re also expensive and filled with sugar. Why not make your own? You can do this without pumpkin butter too, but the butter does make everything simpler.
- Stir a tablespoon of pumpkin butter into steamed milk. Then top with coffee
- Simply stir two tablespoons into your coffee, no need for anything fancy
- Try this 5 Ingredient Pumpkin Frappuccino
- This Skinny Pumpkin Spiced Latte is another option
24. Try it with hot chocolate
Alternatively, you can add the pumpkin butter to your hot cocoa. This would be very comforting on a cold evening.
25. Use it in cocktails
This is a surprising use, but pumpkin butter can be an ingredient in cocktails too. The recipes below are some examples to consider:
- The Pilgrimage Cocktail – from The Bitten Word
- Pumpkin Butter + Wheat Whiskey – from Dessert for Two
- Pumpkin Buttered Rum – from Kitchn
- Pumpkin Butter Flip – from Arsenic Lace
- Spiced Pumpkin Martini – from My Life as a Mrs
- Spiked Pumpkin Chai – from Fresh Off the Grid
26. Pumpkin eggnog
Blend pumpkin butter into eggnog to make pumpkin-flavored eggnog that is hard to beat.
Other Pumpkin Butter Uses
27. Just eat it
You can simply eat pumpkin butter straight from the jar. The butter is mostly pumpkin puree and some spices anyway, so it’s good for you. For that matter, pumpkin butter is one of the easiest ways to consume more pumpkin.
28. Make a gift out of it
If you’re looking for an unusual gift, pumpkin butter is perfect. It looks gorgeous in a glass jar and is easy to make. The recipient will love it.
Making Your Own Pumpkin Butter
A jar of pumpkin butter is easy enough to pick up at Trader Joes or on Amazon, but you can also make it yourself. And why not?
After all, each pumpkin butter product tastes different. Some are excessively sweet. Others use too much spice and you can barely taste the pumpkin.
Making it yourself gives you full control over the final flavors and ingredients. While there are many recipes to choose from, here are some of my favorites:
A Mindfull Mom
Kristen offers a simple Homemade Pumpkin Butter recipe that is naturally sweetened. It only takes around 30 minutes to make. The recipe is also suitable for vegans and paleo dieters.
Del’s Cooking Twist
This recipe is for Spiced Pumpkin Butter and looks fantastic. As Del mentions, the butter makes a perfect gift. The recipe notes provide various shortcuts as well, like using pumpkin spice mix from the store or a can of pumpkin puree. Of course, the finished product will taste better if you go through all the steps.
Mom on Timeout
This Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter takes full advantage of the slow cooker, so the pumpkin butter is a breeze to make. It’s a perfect recipe if you want something easy. The style would also be useful if you’re planning to make multiple batches of pumpkin butter, perhaps for gifts.
Minimalist Baker
The final option is this 20-Minute Pumpkin Butter. The recipes from Minimalist Baker are always designed to be easy to prepare and come with stunning images. This one is no exception. The recipe only requires eight ingredients and takes 20 minutes to prepare. The butter will keep for at least two weeks in the fridge or a month in the freezer.
Final Thoughts
The versatility of pumpkin butter makes it a powerful choice for Fall. It’s an easy way to add in pumpkin flavor. I’m sure you can think of plenty more ways to use it too. In many ways, this list has only scratched the surface.
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