It takes just 10 minutes and a handful of ingredients to make this Whipped Pumpkin Butter and drastically improve any fall recipe. Slather some on your rolls, pancakes, or toast for a heavenly autumn experience.
THE BEST WAY TO USE LEFTOVER PUMPKIN
If you don’t know what to do with the last bits of canned pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree, if that’s how you roll)-- allow me to introduce you to the best spread you’ll have all season: Whipped Pumpkin Butter.
As your meal cooks, you can use that time to whip this butter together (quite literally). And while the recipe takes just minutes, it’ll dramatically kick up the flavor of your favorite carb.
Now, just to be sure we’re on the same page here, this Whipped Pumpkin Butter isn’t like the kind of “pumpkin butter” you’d expect after simmering pumpkin puree with sugar and cinnamon until reduced and ultra-thick and jam-like. Instead, this Whipped Pumpkin Butter is technically a sweet, cinnamony, and beautifully silky pumpkin compound butter.
WHAT IS COMPOUND BUTTER?
Compound butter is a mixture of softened, unsalted butter and additive flavor ingredients such as herbs, spices, and/or sweeteners. The final result can be used to top breads, meats, vegetables, and more.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS WHIPPED PUMPKIN BUTTER
- It comes together in minutes.
- You can serve it on all sorts of breads, breakfasts, and baked goods.
- It can be made ahead of time and is freezer-friendly.
- It lends rich, creamy, nutty, and sweet flavors to your recipes.
- Piping the butter makes for an impressive display.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
- Pumpkin Puree. This recipe is great for using leftover canned pumpkin puree or fresh pumpkin puree. The pumpkin adds a squashy, nutty flavor to the butter.
- Butter. This is where the recipe gets its richness and whippable texture. Use quality unsalted butter for the most pure flavor.
- Maple Syrup or Honey. Add sweetness and depth to the recipe with maple syrup or honey.
- Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon adds warmth and is the most commonly paired spice with pumpkin. In fact, the majority of “pumpkin spice” flavor is just cinnamon, so it makes total sense to add it here.
- Salt. If using unsalted butter, add salt to taste. If you only have salted butter to work with, you’ll not have to add more salt on top of it.
CAN I USE OTHER SQUASHES? CAN I USE OTHER SPICES?
Yes, you can swap out the pumpkin puree for butternut squash, sweet potato, or acorn squash if desired. You can also add additional spices-- I would recommend staying with typical pumpkin spices such as nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
HOW TO MAKE WHIPPED PUMPKIN BUTTER
It could not be easier to make this Whipped Pumpkin Butter. In fact, it only takes 4 steps.
- Put it all in a bowl. Add all of your ingredients to a large bowl with plenty of room for splatter and for the mixture to grow as it aerates.
- Whip it. Whip it good. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip until well-combined and lightly airy. It will look grainy and wet at first, but keep at it!
- Taste and adjust. Give it a taste. Add more sweetener, salt, or cinnamon if desired.
- Serve. Pipe, spoon, or swirl the pumpkin butter into small bowls or short jars to serve. Alternatively, refrigerate or freeze for later.
MAKE INDIVIDUAL PUMPKIN BUTTER PATS
If walking around to every guest at your Thanksgiving table to personally pipe a swirl of pumpkin butter atop their rolls isn’t an option, don’t worry, you can still make sure every person at the table has a beautiful butter pat.
To do so, use a piping bag with a large decorating tip to pipe the pumpkin butter onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. You’ll want to use roughly 1 tablespoon worth of butter for each pat. Transfer the baking sheet filled with pumpkin butter swirls to the refrigerator until they become firm.
20-30 minutes before serving, gently release the butter pats from the wax paper using a spatula. Allow to soften and warm at room temperature.
WHAT RECIPES PAIR WITH WHIPPED PUMPKIN BUTTER?
Practically any sweet carb, breakfast food, or baked good could benefit from pumpkin butter. Some of my personal favorites include:
- Dinner Rolls or Biscuits. Any sort of dinner roll, crescent roll, or biscuit would be the #1 choice in my book for this pumpkin butter. If you’ve enjoyed the Cinnamon Honey Butter from Texas Roadhouse, you’ll know exactly how tasty a sweet butter can be on bread!
- Toast. It’s simple, but even a classic like buttered toast can be elevated with a little pumpkin butter and perhaps an extra drizzle of honey if you’re feeling particularly sweet!
- Pancakes. Any stack of flapjacks would be great with pumpkin compound butter on top, but I especially like to double down on pumpkin flavor and use this butter on my fluffy pumpkin pancakes. This combo’s the perfect way to use a whole can of pumpkin in one sitting.
- Pumpkin Bread or Cornbread. It goes almost without saying that warm pumpkin bread with a pat of pumpkin butter is like a fall flavor explosion. And cornbread? It might seem less obvious, but you’ll fall in love with the combination.
- Breakfast Foods. Sure, we touched on toast and pancakes, but muffins, cinnamon raisin bagels, waffles, and even oatmeal would all be fantastic with a slather of whipped pumpkin butter.
HOW TO STORE WHIPPED PUMPKIN BUTTER
The butter can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
If you want more time, the butter can be frozen for up to 12 months.
You’ll have to defrost the butter in the refrigerator overnight before serving if using from frozen.
Keep in mind that the whipped pumpkin butter’s texture will change slightly as time goes on. It can harden and deflate over time, so you may have to briefly re-whip the butter if it sat for an extended time, especially if it spent several months in the freezer. But not to worry, it will take just a minute or so of effort to get to its previous airy, silky texture!
WATCH THE VIDEO
Whipped Pumpkin Butter
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamonm
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the mixture until well-combined and lightly airy. It will take several minutes, so don't worry if it looks a bit wet and grainy at first. Adjust seasonings and add salt, to taste.
- Pipe, spoon, or swirl the pumpkin butter into small bowls or short jars to serve. Alternatively, refrigerate or freeze for later.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
Sabrina says
wow, love this and even better whipped compared with a typical compound butter, so very creative, thank you!
★★★★★