Nothing says fall like pumpkin. And apples. And copious amounts of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Soul soothing flavors. This Pumpkin Apple Butter is sure to be a seasonal tradition for me.
I have never made pumpkin butter before. I figured without the cup + of sugar it calls for, it probably wouldn’t really work. Although it’s a sweet vegetable, it’s not sweet like fruit. This year, I decided a few apples would probably add a good tang, and allow me to severely cut back the amount of sugar required. Turned out BETTER. THAN. IMAGINED.
And I only needed to add 1/4 cup of sugar, and that’s for a pretty large amount –> the total yield was 6 cups! I really thought it would cook down more than it did.
Let me tell you how sad I was to end up with such a giant quantity. Not at all.
I actually thought I would have to freeze some of it, but here we are, a week after I made it, and at the rate it’s disappearing, I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.
I’ve been enjoying it lots of different ways– swirled into oats (with pecans), with apple slices (and pecans), and my favorite so far- topping my morning yogurt (with a nice crunchy spattering of — pecans!). See a pattern here? Pumpkin butter goes REALLY well with pecans.
I made this in my slow cooker, but really, it can easily be adapted to be made in a pot on the stove. But having this slowly simmering, spreading the heavenly spicy aroma through your house, is almost as wonderful of an experience as eating it.
This would make a wonderful gift. Lately, I have been trying to remember these “great gift ideas” I come across, so when the it gets just a little bit closer, Christmas shopping should be a snap. I’ve started a Pinterest Board titled “Gifts for the People I Love.” Feel free to scour it for ideas! It doesn’t have many, because I want it to be easy to navigate, and have the things on it I am serious about buying for people this year. Send me Pins if you have ideas for me to add!
And if you just want inspiration for healthy cooking tips, beautiful clean recipes, and fitness motivation, follow me on Pinterest.
This batch certainly isn’t going to be gifted. It simply won’t last long enough! But I see more batches in my near, near future.
Contents
Velvety Pumpkin Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 6 pounds pumpkin (I used 1 1/2 pumpkins)
- 2 1/2 pounds apples (I used 10 small pink lady apples)
- 1/2 cup water
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 cup natural molasses sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- fresh ground nutmeg to taste
- 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 f.
- Slice and core the apples. If you don't have a quality blender, consider peeling the apples. I don't have a Vitamix or Blendtec, but was able to blend the peels so they were imperceptible.
- Add the apples, water, and cinnamon sticks to a crock pot, and cook on high for 1½ hours.
- In the mean time, cut the pumpkins in half. Scoop the insides out. Place the pumpkins flesh side down in a baking dish, and add ¼ cup of water. Cover tightly with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.
- Allow the pumpkin to cool for a while. Once the apples are well cooked, add to a blender, and blend until very smooth.
- With a spoon, scoop out the roasted pumpkin, and add to blender with some of the apple. The pumpkin will be very thick, so mixing it with some of the apple mixture is necessary. Add water as needed to keep the blender running.
- Add the apple-pumpkin mixture back to the crock pot. Add the sugar, spices, and salt. Continue to cook on low for another 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until it is very thick.
- Turn off heat, and stir in vanilla.
Nutrition
Enjoy!
I was thinking the exact same thing! What a wonderful gift, especially a hostess gift for Thanksgiving (I mean, that person always draws the short straw, ya know, all the work). I love this even as a fall shower gift, who wouldn’t love it? Will have to make sure I’m following your Pinterest board! Double checking now =)
This will be such a perfect gift!! Love that first pic!
My mouth is watering! I want some of this. I want some of this now. I kinda have an obsession to apple butter, so the addition of the apples to the pumpkin sounds heavenly. Pinning!
Thanks Rachel! I haven’t had apple butter since I was a kid- and I’ve never had pumpkin butter, but I knew it would be something I fell in love with — and it is! I am already thinking of variations. 6 cups is almost gone!
Thank you Arpita! I plan on giving this away to several friends at work for different things this fall– it’s so delicious I want to share it!
This looks wonderful! My son has been wanting to cook something with real pumpkins (not canned) ever since his school had a lesson on growing and harvesting pumpkins-this will be perfect! Will pin it too 🙂
So glad I stopped by from SITS sharefest!
Yes! Kids love seeing a whole pumpkin turned in to something delicious! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for pinning!
Can’t waitvto try it. SITS love, C
Too good not to share! I can’t believe how quickly ours disappeared. I have a variation I might post in a few weeks, because I am already wanting to make it again!
Since everything is coming up pumpkin, I had to comment on this post. Very nice to see and read a pumpkin recipe that is apart from most of the others. Love it & thank you. I’m going to give this a whirl.
It’s delicious– I love how versatile pumpkin is. Thanks for letting me know!
Making it as I type this. But I need some clarification. Your last instruction is “Turn off heat, and stir in vanilla”. But there is no vanilla in the ingredients LIST. So, should I add vanilla.? And if so, how much? I want to get this right because, like others above, I have never had Pumpkin/Apple Butter. THANKS!