Homemade Apple Cider Pumpkin Butter: Your Ultimate Fall Flavor Essential

Capture the essence of autumn in a jar with this decadent Apple Cider Pumpkin Butter. Even when winter’s chill sets in, a spoonful of this rich, golden spread will bring warmth and flavor to your kitchen. Perfect for slathering on warm toast, fluffy biscuits, or pancakes, or stirring into creamy yogurt and comforting oatmeal for a truly indulgent morning treat. This simple recipe requires just four ingredients and is incredibly easy to make at home, inviting the spirit of the season right to your table. (Skip to recipe)

Step into my kitchen, dear friend. The kettle is whistling, a fresh batch of biscuits has just emerged from the oven, and the windows are delightfully steamed up, perfumed with the sweet, spicy aroma of simmering pumpkin butter. Let’s share a cup of tea, savor a warm biscuit, and embrace the cozy comfort while the frosty world swirls outside our haven.

It feels like ages since we last had a proper chat, and there’s so much to share. I’m eager to hear all your news – how is your uncle doing? Did your husband get that promotion? And tell me, how were the kids’ Halloween adventures?

My own world has been a whirlwind of late. I’ve been away for a couple of weeks, traveling across the country, expanding my horizons, and living out a long-held dream. The picturesque landscapes of Ontario and Quebec formed the breathtaking backdrop for my recent adventures. With another biscuit in hand, allow me to recount a tale or two.

From Solitude to Sisterhood: Finding My Tribe at the Food Bloggers Conference

My journey began with a flight to Ottawa, where I attended my very first Food Bloggers of Canada conference. What an extraordinary weekend it was! As a food writer, much of my work is solitary – often conducted in pajamas and an apron (sometimes accessorized with rubber boots for quick dashes to the garden), amidst a mountain of dirty dishes. My world often revolves around the grocery store, garden, kitchen, and computer screen. To suddenly find myself surrounded by a vibrant ‘tribe’ of like-minded, wonderfully kooky individuals who truly understand the unique life of a food blogger felt like discovering a long-lost family. New connections were forged, and now I can envision these newfound friends in their own kitchens and at their computer screens, scattered across the country.

During the conference, we were treated to an incredible culinary experience (my jeans can attest to that!). One morning, we savored a truly exceptional apple butter. Elizabeth Baird, the kind and gracious doyenne of Canadian cuisine, highlighted it in her keynote address, praising its pure, unadulterated apple flavor – a true testament to how apple butter should be. (Don’t tell her about my own sweet and spicy apple butter recipe!). That exquisite taste and concept lingered in my mind, inspiring me to return home and create a pumpkin variation. After four delightful iterations, I perfected a recipe that strikes the ideal balance between clear, tangy apple notes and earthy, buttery pumpkin. Just five simple ingredients transform into this thick, luscious spread – a jar of radiant summer remnants, offering blissful pleasure especially when your world looks like this:

Here, have another biscuit and slather on some of that glorious pumpkin butter as I tell you about the second chapter of my adventure.

Following the conference, Raymond joined me in Ottawa, and together we rented a car to explore the vibrant sights, sounds, and tastes of Montreal and Quebec City for a week. These were truly fantastic adventures, but I’ll save those tales for another post.

A Cinderella Story: Shortlisted for the Taste Canada Awards!

Let me rewind a few months. Back in July, on a perfectly ordinary morning, while sipping tea in my pajamas (yes, I do occasionally dress in real clothes, I promise!) and checking messages, an email arrived. It announced that my blog had been shortlisted for a prestigious Taste Canada Award. My hands immediately began to tremble, forcing me to set my teacup down. What? I simply couldn’t comprehend it.

But it was true. This humble little blog had somehow made it onto the finalists’ list for a highly regarded Taste Canada Award – Canada’s most celebrated honor for food writing. I was nominated in the Health and Special Diets category, alongside incredibly accomplished names such as Angela Liddon of Oh She Glows (a two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author), Nicole Axworthy of A Dash of Compassion (another cookbook author), Heidi Richter of A Simple Green, and Sonia Wong of Saltnpepperhere. Right then and there, I felt like an absolute winner. All the self-doubt that had plagued me about my blog – Was it any good? Why couldn’t I master all the tech and social media? Was it too simple? Did anyone even read it? – vanished like the last sip of tea from my cup. Someone, somewhere, had read it – and genuinely liked it!

For three glorious months, I cherished that thought like the coziest fall sweater, a private, blog-affirming award that truly made me feel victorious.

And though I didn’t bring home an award at the gala (Oh She Glows won gold, and A Dash of Compassion won silver), it didn’t diminish my joy one bit. I had made it into the winner’s circle, one of only five in my category, and that feeling of accomplishment resonated deeply. The beautiful, classy, and utterly fantastic awards ceremony and gala, held at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto on October 30th, cemented my feeling of being a true winner simply by being included. (You can see the 2017 shortlist here.)

What an unforgettable evening! It was truly the Academy Awards of Canadian food writing. The event featured amazing eats prepared by some of the country’s finest chefs and a “ritzy” ceremony (how cool that such a fitting adjective stems from the actual hotel name?) hosted by TV personality Noah Cappe and food expert Claire Tansey. I truly felt like Cinderella at the ball, albeit with a few more years, pounds, and chin hairs than a traditional princess image might allow!

I still feel like I haven’t quite returned to reality. I’m living and reliving the glow of that magical night (and yes, I am currently writing this in my pajamas – I know you were dying to ask, but even Cinderella can’t stay in her ball gown all day!).

So, while my footmen have scattered and my gown has transformed back into teddy-bear-printed flannel, there’s still the delightful matter of a pumpkin to address. . .

With a little tender loving care and a magical transformation, poof! there emerges a jar of luscious, tangy pumpkin butter, ready to be spread generously on our homemade biscuits, morning toast, or a towering stack of warm pancakes. Why not try swirling it into a bowl of creamy yogurt or dolloping it onto a steaming bowl of hot oatmeal? And imagine, small jars of this delightful spread would make truly wonderful hostess gifts during the holiday season!

Crafting Your Perfect Pumpkin Butter: Three Easy Paths

Making this delicious apple cider pumpkin butter offers three flexible approaches, catering to your time, skill, and desire for homemade goodness. Choose the path that best suits your kitchen mood!

1. The Artisanal, From-Scratch Masterpiece: For the Dedicated Home Cook

For those who love to immerse themselves fully in the culinary process, this method yields the most intensely flavored and truly homemade pumpkin butter. Begin by making your own apple cider – perhaps with a traditional cider press or by juicing fresh apples with an electric juicer. For the pumpkin purée, roast a fresh pumpkin, purée its tender flesh, and drain it thoroughly to achieve that perfect thick consistency. This approach is a labor of love, resulting in a rich, unparalleled flavor.

2. The Busy Cook’s Savvy Shortcut: Homemade with Quality Convenience

If you’re short on time but still crave homemade quality, this method is your sweet spot. Use a good quality, purchased sweet apple cider or 100% pure unsweetened apple juice. For the pumpkin, opt for canned pure pumpkin purée. This saves significant prep time without compromising much on flavor, allowing you to enjoy the homemade taste without the extensive effort.

3. The 10-Minute Wonder: For When Time is of the Essence

When you’re truly pressed for time and dreaming of a glass of wine on the couch, this “harried home cook” method is a lifesaver! Instead of reducing apple cider, use ¾ cup (180ml) of thawed, frozen apple juice concentrate (the unsweetened kind you typically mix with water). This skips the reducing stage entirely. While the apple flavor won’t be quite as intense as the other methods, it will still be incredibly delicious and satisfying. Simply mix the apple juice concentrate directly with the canned pumpkin purée, sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil and cook for just 10 minutes, or until it reaches your desired pudding-like thickness. Boom. Done! Delicious Apple Pumpkin Butter in about 10 minutes flat.

*A ‘pinch of salt’ is the small amount you can pick up between your thumb and index finger.

*Perfect pairing: Here’s a recipe for light and fluffy gluten-free biscuits that would be an absolutely wonderful complement to your fresh apple pumpkin butter.

Apple Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (960ml) apple cider (non-alcoholic) or unsweetened pure apple juice
• 1 can (398ml/14oz) pure pumpkin purée (or 1¾ cups + 2 tablespoons homemade, drained pumpkin purée)
• ¼ cup (45gms) packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Pour the apple cider or juice into a large (2 quart/litre) saucepan. Bring it to a vigorous boil and continue to boil until the liquid has reduced to approximately ½ cup (120ml). Keep a measuring cup handy by the stove; when it looks close, carefully pour the cider into the measuring cup to check the volume. If it’s more than ½ cup, return it to the stove and boil a bit longer. If you accidentally reduce it too much, simply add a touch of water to bring the level back up to ½ cup. This reduction step is crucial for intense apple flavor.
2. Once the cider is reduced, whisk in the pumpkin purée, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), cinnamon, and that essential pinch of salt until thoroughly combined and smooth.
3. Return the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, for about 10 minutes, or until the pumpkin butter reaches a thick, pudding-like consistency. The exact cooking time may vary depending on the diameter of your pot and the heat output of your burner. A splatter screen can be very helpful here, as the thickening mixture tends to “plop” and splutter. Remember, the pumpkin butter will thicken a bit more as it cools.
4. Carefully scrape the finished pumpkin butter into a clean jar. Store it refrigerated for up to two weeks. For longer storage, you can freeze portions of your pumpkin butter in a freezer-safe container or even in ice cube trays (once frozen, transfer the cubes to a zip-top bag for convenience).

Makes about 1½ cups (360ml) of this absolutely delicious apple cider pumpkin butter.

Guten Appetit!

Connect with Kitchen Frau & Discover More Fall Delights

Thank you for stopping by for tea and for joining me in this culinary journey! From the deepest part of my heart, I extend immense gratitude to all my wonderful readers and friends for visiting my blog, subscribing, and supporting me with your thoughtful comments, social media likes, and shares. Each and every one of you inspires me to keep showing up here, sharing my life, and opening up my kitchen. Thank you for sticking by me, even in my pajamas. Your presence is what keeps me returning to this space, and I am truly honored that you care to visit.

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You might also enjoy these related recipes:

Classic Apple Butter

Homemade Hot Mulled Apple Cider

Easy Pumpkin Freezer Fudge

Comforting Pumpkin Slab Pie