Fall has arrived, aka, pumpkin spice season. While you won’t see me drinking down any PSLs, you’ll absolutely catch me putting this pumpkin-pie-scented pumpkin butter on everything. It’s creamy, easy to make, and surprisingly addictive. Slather it on bread, spoon it into oatmeal, or drizzle it on sweet potatoes topped with sliced bananas, apples, and maybe a handful of nuts or coconut flakes. (Trust me, breakfast sweet potatoes are a bomb way to start the day.)
Take note, you’ll need a solid food processor to make this, and some patience as you watch the butter swirl round and round. While it seems implausible at the start, the seeds will slowly release their oils as they’re processed, eventually turning the butter from a chalky to an extra smooth consistency.
Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking, and/or perhaps play around with toasting the seeds. Sometimes I’ll also add a few walnuts to the food processor, too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, or more, to taste
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom, plus a pinch
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Salt, to taste (start with at least a 1/4 tsp. and go from there)
Instructions
- Place pumpkin seeds in a food processor, and process until seeds transform into a fine powder. Add coconut oil, and continue to process for about 10 minutes, or until the seeds' oil starts to release and the butter is smooth and runny. Be patient -- and do NOT add water, which will only make it thicker! If the food processor is getting hot, pause every five minutes or so.
- When the seed butter is smooth, add spices and salt, and pulse to combine. Adjust to taste, as necessary. Store in a jar. Nut butter will keep for up to two weeks at room temperature, and longer in the refrigerator.
