Pumpkin Seed Butter
This homemade pumpkin seed butter is so delicious, easy to make, and nutritious. It’s paired with warming flavours like vanilla, cinnamon, and maple. Recipe is both gluten-free and vegan. Post includes a handful of ways to use it, too!
Have you ever made your own nut or seed butters at home? It’s actually a lot easier than you may think! While peanut or almond butter might be more common choices, I absolutely LOVE using pumpkin seeds to make a nut-free butter.
As a dietitian, I’m excited to share that pumpkin seeds are packed with nutrition benefits. They’re rich in so many minerals, plant protein, and healthy fats – all of which I cover in more detail below.
I’ve also shared a number of ways you can use pumpkin seed butter in your meals and cooking, so that you can reap all those nutrition benefits, too. Enjoy 🙂
Pumpkin Seed Butter Nutrition Benefits
Pumpkin seeds, and therefore this pumpkin seed butter, are packed with nutrition.
These little green seeds are excellent sources of so many micronutrients; in a 1-ounce or 28-gram serving you will find:
- manganese (42% of Recommended Daily Intake)
- magnesium (37% of RDI)
- phosphorus (33% of RDI)
- iron (23% of RDI)
- copper (19% of RDI)
- vitamin K (18% of RDI)
- zinc (14% of RDI)
Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of:
- dietary fiber (1.1 grams per serving)
- heart-healthy fats
- plant-based protein (7 grams per serving)
- antioxidants, like carotenoids + vitamin E
Ingredients Needed
All you need to make this spiced pumpkin seed butter are 6 simple ingredients:
- raw pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas, which have the hard white shell removed)
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
- salt
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- optional: cardamom
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Recipe Modifications & Ingredient Swaps
- If you don’t like the taste of coconut oil, you can use a more neutral flavoured oil. I would go for something like avocado oil!
- Cardamom is optional here, but I think it tastes lovely if you’re a cardamom fan.
- While I have not tried making this with honey, I would assume it can be used in place of maple syrup. Of course, it will have a bit of a different flavour this way.
- I made this recipe with store-bought pumpkin seeds, but if you are doing this during pumpkin carving season, you can also use those seeds. However, it will be A LOT more time consuming – the seeds will need to be cleaned and the shells will need to be removed before roasting. In complete transparency, it’s not something I’ve ever attempted, but there are many helpful tutorials available online if it’s something you want to tackle 🙂
Tips For Making This Recipe
- You will need to toast the pumpkin seeds before mixing it into a butter. To do so, be sure to use a big enough baking sheet to be able to spread the seeds out into a single layer. When baking, keep an eye on the seeds to make sure they don’t burn! You want them to be lightly browned, golden, and fragrant.
- Getting the seeds into a buttery texture will take a little bit of time – don’t lose hope! If you’re using a high-powered food processor, it should take about 10 minutes total.
- It is helpful to scrape down the sides of the food processor quite frequently, to help speed things along.
- The seeds will start by looking like a “crumble” – similar to the texture of almond meal or breadcrumbs. Soon, it will start to become a bit more of a crumbly-paste.
- Once it starts to become a paste (picture 4 below), you can add the additional ingredients. After that, it should become a smooth seed butter quite quickly!
My Go-To Food Processor
Large Food Processor
This is my go-to large food processor from Cuisinart, and what I used to make this pumpkin seed butter. It’s a super quick and powerful way to create things like nuts butters, energy balls, sauces, shredded cheese, veggies, and more!
What Does Pumpkin Seed Butter Taste Like?
First off, it does NOT taste like pumpkin.
Pumpkin seed butter has a nutty, toasty, and earthy taste. Of course, this recipe is paired with additional ingredients (like vanilla + cinnamon) that add flavour, too!
Ways To Use Pumpkin Seed Butter
There are so many ways to use this pumpkin seed butter! Here are some ideas for you:
- Spread it over toast, crisp bread, or rice crackers
- Spoon it into a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt
- Drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, french toast, or crepes
- Pair it with fruits like bananas or apples, to make them a more satisfying snack!
- Use it in baking muffins or cookies, as you would peanut butter
NOTE: This pumpkin seed butter recipe has more sweet notes, with vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup. If you’d prefer to use it with more savoury recipes (e.g. in a salad dressing, stir-fry, or as a sauce), simply omit those sweet seasonings. You can just use salt and a neutral-flavoured oil instead!
More Healthy Homemade Spreads
Did you give this Pumpkin Seed Butter Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Seed Butter (Easy + Nutritious!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas, which have the hard white shell removed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or other neutral oil)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- Optional: 1/4 tsp cardamom
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spread pumpkin seeds in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown and lightly toasted.
- Remove pumpkin seeds from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Place toasted pumpkin seeds in a high-powered food processor. Pulse until seeds become a crumble, and then a crumbly paste-like texture. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula or spoon as needed.
- Once the seeds become a crumbly paste, add the melted coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, and optional cardamom. Continue to pulse until a smooth seed butter forms.NOTE: This entire blending process can take about 10 minutes, or potentially longer depending on your food processor!
Notes
- If you don’t like the taste of coconut oil, you can use a more neutral flavoured oil. I would go for something like avocado oil!
- Cardamom is optional here, but I think it tastes lovely if you’re a cardamom fan.
- While I have not tried making this with honey, I would assume it can be used in place of maple syrup. Of course, it will have a bit of a different flavour this way!
- I made this recipe with store-bought pumpkin seeds, but if you are doing this during pumpkin carving season, you can also use those seeds. However, it will be A LOT more time consuming – the seeds will need to be cleaned and the shells will need to be removed before roasting. In complete transparency, it’s not something I’ve ever attempted, but there are many helpful tutorials available online 🙂
- Spread it over toast, crisp bread, or rice crackers
- Spoon it into a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt
- Drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, french toast, or crepes
- Pair it with fruits like bananas or apples, to make them a more satisfying snack!
- Use it in baking muffins or cookies, as you would peanut butter
- ***This pumpkin seed butter recipe has more sweet notes, with vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup. If you’d prefer to use it with more savoury recipes (e.g. in a salad dressing, stir-fry, or as a sauce), simply omit those sweet seasonings. You can just use salt and a neutral-flavoured oil instead!
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
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2 Comments on “Pumpkin Seed Butter”
This was super good! However, I first made it with honey and it turned out clumpy and thick, not spreadable at all. The second time I used maple syrup and it turned out smooth. Not sure if it’s because honey is thicker than maple? But good nonetheless
Hi Valerie! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and taking the time to leave a review. It’s much appreciated!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. That’s interesting that the honey didn’t work – I’ve seen other nut/seed butter recipes use it. Was your honey more thick, or more liquidy? Another tip would be to add a bit more oil to get things runny again! Either way, so happy you enjoyed it with maple 🙂