Vegetarian Recipes

Pumpkin Butter

If you don’t know already, I’m a bit of a rookie homesteader; my husband and I grow our own vegetables, spoil our chickens and ducks, and give homemade gifts to people we love around the holidays. My creamy, festive Pumpkin Butter is one of my go-to recipes for homemade gifts! Whether you make this Pumpkin Butter recipe to share or keep it all to yourself (no shame!), just know it’s ridiculously easy, delicious, and, of course, budget-friendly. Try it on a toasted slice of cinnamon raisin bread just once, and you’ll be hooked!

What is Pumpkin Butter?

Pumpkin pie isn’t the only thing you can make with pumpkin purée during fall. Pumpkin butter is a creamy, spreadable mixture made from cooked pumpkin purée, sugar, maple syrup, apple juice, and spices. I like to add everything to a pot and cook it down for about 25 minutes until the flavors concentrate and it thickens into a smooth spread. And despite its name, pumpkin butter doesn’t actually contain any dairy products, making it dairy-free and vegan-friendly! It’s a festive alternative to apple butter or jam and is full of fall flavor.

Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade pumpkin butter:

Pumpkin Purée: Use canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. The texture and flavor just wouldn’t be the same as using pure pumpkin purée.
Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a delicious caramel-like flavor.
Maple Syrup: Nothing beats the flavor of pure maple syrup in pumpkin butter. It makes everything taste 10x better!
Apple Juice: Adds enough liquid to cook down the pumpkin purée and spices into a spreadable consistency. It also works as a natural sweetener! Apple cider would be a delicious alternative.
Lemon Juice: Brightens up the other flavors and helps balance out the sweetness.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: A must-have for any fall recipe! This spice blend contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. You can use store-bought or make your own pumpkin pie spice blend (use any leftover spice to make these pumpkin cookies or pumpkin bread!)
Cinnamon: I add a little more cinnamon in addition to the pumpkin pie spice for extra warmth and flavor.
Sea Salt: Just a pinch to bring together all the flavors.
Vanilla Extract: The best flavor enhancer! It adds a warm and cozy taste to the spread.

Serving Suggestions

A spoonful of pumpkin butter adds fall flavor to whatever you pair it with. I love it at breakfast time, but I’d never say no to it as a dessert, snack, or ingredient in other recipes! Here are a few serving ideas:

On fluffy homemade pancakes, waffles, or a Dutch baby
Swirled into yogurt and topped with pumpkin spice granola
As a topping for toast, bagels, or English muffins
On baked pumpkin pie oatmeal or mixed into overnight oats
As a dip for apple slices or graham crackers
Mixed into cream cheese to make pumpkin cheesecake dip
On top of ice cream or added to a milkshake

How to Store

Cool your pumpkin spread completely before storing it in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also freeze it in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months. Place it in the fridge overnight to thaw before serving with your favorite seasonal treats. We don’t recommend canning this recipe.

A knife spreading pumpkin butter onto a slice of raisin bread.

Pumpkin Butter Recipe

This recipe for Pumpkin Butter is easy, perfectly spiced, and budget-friendly. Spread it on toast, pancakes, or your favorite fall snacks!

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Total Cost ($4.27 recipe / $0.17 serving)

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings servings, 2 Tbsp each (3 cups/24 ounces/6 mini 4 oz jars total)

Calories 30kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

6 Tbsp brown sugar $0.24
1 29 oz can pumpkin purée* $2.74
2 Tbsp maple syrup $0.48
¼ cup apple juice** $0.06
1 tsp lemon juice $0.02
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice $0.38
¼ tsp cinnamon $0.02
⅛ tsp sea salt $0.01
½ tsp vanilla extract $0.32

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Simmer on low heat for 25 min, whisking often.
The color will darken slightly as it simmers. Keep whisking to prevent burning.
Once a smooth, thick texture is achieved with a deeper color, you’re done!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*It may seem like using pumpkin pie filling in a can is an easy substitute, but they add water and additional ingredients that don’t yield the same texture.

**Apple cider is a delicious substitute!

Nutrition

Overhead view of pumpkin butter in jars.

how to make Pumpkin Butter – step by step photos

Ingredients for pumpkin butter in a saucepan.

Combine 6 Tbsp brown sugar, a 29 oz can of pumpkin purée, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, ¼ cup apple juice, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ⅛ tsp sea salt, and ½ tsp vanilla extract in a small saucepan.

A whisk mixing the ingredients for pumpkin butter in a saucepan.

Simmer on low heat for 25 min, whisking often.

The color will darken slightly as it simmers. Keep whisking to prevent burning.

Once a smooth, thick texture is achieved with a deeper color, you’re done!

Enjoy the taste of fall every day with this simple but oh-so-delicious homemade pumpkin butter recipe.

Maple Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie

$4.70 recipe / $0.59 serving

Pumpkin Muffins

$5.43 recipe / $0.45 each

Pumpkin Smoothie

$0.94 each

Side view of a pumpkin pie bar on a white plate with whipped cream on top.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

$5.63 recipe / $0.63 serving

The post Pumpkin Butter appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

If you’re not familiar with homity pie, let me introduce you:

Homity pie is a traditional British recipe, which is essentially a cheesy potato and leek pie. It’s just the sort of thing we Brits do perfectly – simple ingredients, combined to make incredible comfort food. Say what you like about British food, but it’s hard to argue with buttery sautéed leeks, cheesy crushed potatoes, and a flaky shortcrust pastry case.

A slice of homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie).

I’m not going to lie, this homity pie is a bit of a labour of love. It’s not a quick weeknight meal like most of my recipes – this cheesy pie is definitely one to save for a special occasion (it would be perfect for a vegetarian Christmas dinner!).

Since cooking this pie takes a bit of time and patience, don’t try to cook it against the clock. Give yourself plenty of leeway – perhaps an afternoon where you’ve not got much else on. That way, it doesn’t matter if the potatoes have to sit for a little while so you can finish cooking the leeks, or if the pastry case is ready to fill before the filling is actually cooked – you can just potter away at your own pace, and it can all be assembled when you’re ready.

Overhead shot of a cheesy pie with a slice pulled away.

What’s in Homity Pie?

There are three parts to this recipe:

garlicky sautéed leeks and onion
buttery crushed potatoes (with a cheesy topping)
a crispy pastry case

These 3 elements can all be prepared simultaneously, or one at a time, depending on how good you are at multitasking. I’ve written the recipe in 3 separate parts, but if the timings work out (or if you have someone else helping you in the kitchen), you can prepare them all at the same time.

Once all three parts of the recipe are ready, they can be assembled, and baked one last time to complete your cheesy homity pie.

And by the way, I am 100% not a pastry expert. You may think my homity pie looks decidedly… rustic. But I like it that way If I wanted it to look perfect, I’d have saved myself a couple of hours, and bought one in a shop.

Becca’s Top Tip

Any extra scraps of pastry can be baked on their own, and eaten spread with strawberry jam – my kids love it when I cook with pastry as they always get little jam tarts!

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

leek – It’s hard to get the scale from the picture, but the leek I used was absolutely enormous – a proper monster (probably as big as my forearm!). If your leeks are a more normal size, you’ll probably need at least two.
potatoes
shortcrust pastry – I used a ready-rolled sheet of shop-bought pastry, as making pastry is not my forte. Feel free to use homemade pastry if you prefer!
cheddar cheese – If possible, use freshly grated mature cheddar cheese rather than the pre-grated stuff, as it melts more nicely.
onion – I used red onion, but regular onions would also be good.
fresh parsley
egg
garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar because I hate chopping large amounts of fresh garlic.
curry powder (optional, but it does add a lovely hint of warmth)

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re using shop-bought pastry, take it out of the fridge an hour or so before you need to use it. This helps it to soften a little, and means it’s less likely to crack as you unroll it.

Recipe Video

Equipment

I like to use a loose bottomed springform cake tin for homemade pies. It works really well because:

The clip on the side and the loose bottom make it so easy to remove the pie from the tin once it’s finished baking.
It gives a nice tall pie, which looks great, and also gives a wonderfully thick layer of filling.
The metal heats up nicely and helps to crisp up the pastry.

You can use a shallower pie tin to make homity pie if that’s what you have, but I would always recommend a cake tin if you have one.

Here’s a similar one on Amazon, with great reviews:

8-Inch Springform Cake Tin

I love using a loose-bottomed springform cake tin to make homemade pie. If you’re in the UK or Australia, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ to view a local product.

A slice of homity pie with sautéed leeks, potatoes and cheese.

Printable Instructions

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

How to make the classic British recipe homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie!) – a tasty vegetarian pie made with shortcrust pastry.

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, English

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 427kcal

Author Becca Heyes