Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter Recipe - The Magical Slow Cooker (2024)

FAQs

Why can you can apple butter but not pumpkin butter? ›

When cooked down into a butter, pumpkin flesh becomes quite dense, making it difficult for the heat produced in a canner to penetrate fully through the contents of the jar. This means that even in a pressure canner, the interior of the jar may not reach the 240 degrees needed to kill those pesky botulism spores.

Yet year after year, people are disappointed to learn that they cannot can it at home, neither by water bath canning nor by pressure canning. The same holds true for unsweetened purées of pumpkin and winter squash. Pumpkin butter and purée can, however, be safely frozen.

Cut the pumpkin in half to make it easier to scoop out the seeds and scrape away the stringy mass. Cut the pumpkin into chunks. Cook until soft in boiling water, in steam, in a pressure cooker, in a microwave or in an oven. Check for doneness by poking with a fork.

I created this pumpkin seed butter to satisfy my craving for variety. And also to get sufficient magnesium in my diet (here's why). Another reason that I love this alternative to my regular nut-butter is the anti-inflammatory benefits of pumpkin seeds.

There are no research-tested pressure canning recipes for puréed pumpkin that prove the amount of heat penetration into the center of the product is adequate to eliminate the risk of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism toxin and be deadly.

We love pumpkin butter on toast, but there's so much more you can do with fall's ultimate condiment. Spread pumpkin butter on toast, scones, quickbreads, and scones, or dollop atop French toast. It can also be used as an ingredient in pancakes and even as a savory pasta sauce.

This pumpkin butter makes an excellent hostess gift. Spread it on toast and muffins, add it to baked goods, or drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

All vegetables, except tomatoes, should be canned in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240°F). You may can tomatoes in either a water bath canner or a pressure canner, but you should always hot pack them.

Why does this work? The vinegar kills fungus, making it hard for the pumpkin to rot. That's why vinegar-soaked pumpkins look so new; they're unblemished by the grossness that inevitably befalls their untreated peers.

It's true that carving pumpkins—more formally known as Howden pumpkins—aren't so ideal for cooking. They are stringier and more watery than other smaller, meatier pumpkins that are more traditionally used in recipes.

Can you use large pumpkins for puree? ›

For instance, an 8-pound (2-foot-diameter) pumpkin can produce enough puree for three pies, plus seeds, which can be caramelized for a decadent snack. But cooking it can present challenges. It can be difficult to cut up such a large fibrous fruit, and it's tricky to fit it in a small oven.

The natural sugars in the apples make this recipe safe to process in a boiling water bath canner. You can also make this quickly in the Instant Pot if you'd like. Check out Katie's Instant Pot Apple Butter for the recipe.

However, apple jam is thinner in consistency, lighter in color, and often includes bits of fruit, whereas apple butter is thicker, darker in color (thanks to caramelization) and blended until smooth. Apple jam sometimes includes seasonings, but apple butter always includes warming spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.

To thicken your apple butter after puréeing, continue to cook it uncovered, stirring occasionally, in the slow cooker until it's reached your desired consistency. This apple butter will continue to thicken as it cools.

The only thing apple butter has in common with regular butter is its spreadability. But it's actually more comparable to preserves or jam than it is butter; it's really just concentrated fruit, maybe a bit of sugar, with no dairy in sight.