This is how to cook fresh pumpkin fast, and then turn it into the most delicious Instant Pot pumpkin butter in just 20 minutes! If you stopped at our Instant Pot pumpkin, keep going friends! Perfect spread for toast and more!
I was given some pumpkins out of a relatives garden the other day. Since I hate letting things go to waste I started to think of something I had never made before. I came up with homemade pumpkin butter! It was so much easier to make than I had thought and had wonderful Fall flavors that I am obsessed with. Definitely one of our favorite Fall Instant Pot recipes we’ve made recently. (participant in the amazon program, affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Pumpkin Butter
Using our easy pressure cooker pumpkin recipe (link below), a blender and spoon we now have a few jars we can now spread on toast and were so great on pancakes too. It’s a great 30 minute treat my girls love too.
It is way better than store bought because you can add as much or little sweetness into it that you want. To make things easier we began with making puree in our Instant Pot, a Crockpot Express works well or you could use a Ninja Foodi too.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Ninja Foodi Pumpkin Butter
This is what the pumpkin looked like we used for this. Did you know there are tons of different varieties of pumpkins? This one is a long pumpkin pie variety that is oblong rather than the traditional shape you’re used to seeing. Tastes the same though really.
Have you ever made homemade pumpkin puree before? I honestly hadn’t until the other day when I figured I would give it a whirl in my Instant Pot and it was amazingly easy to do and came out ever so tender.
So easy to scoop the insides out, and throw it in my blender to start making homemade pumpkin butter which is way better than store bought because you can adjust how much of cinnamon or nutmeg goes inside.
Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Butter
I prefer a bit of nutmeg but sometimes it is overpowering so I like being in control and making it perfect for us. It’s great to be able to adjust how sweet it is too. That is what homemade treats are all about right? You can make it sweeter if you are like me or more savory to please my husbands palate.
Yes you should. It tastes better a bit cooled anyway if you ask me but it is important to store in the fridge once it is made and completely cooled.
Use storage containers with tight sealing lids so it stays fresh as long as possible. You could freeze some of it too and defrost in the fridge until soft enough to spread again.
Serve about 1/2 cup on the side of a breakfast dish to everyone so they can enjoy it on a bagel or toast in the morning. I always make this once October arrives, at least once in November and if we are hosting a Christmas brunch one more time. It is always something people ask for and so cheap to include on the buffet.
I had never made Instant Pot pumpkin butter before so it was a bit of an experimentation process until I got it just right. As soon as I did I wanted to share it with y’all. You know I have to work to perfect every single dish before I feel comfortable enough to have you make it using my directions.
How to Make Pumpkin Butter From Fresh Pumpkin
- Steam your pumpkin until inside is very tender. We used our Instant Pot, link to those instructions in the recipe card below. Or you can use 1 can of Libby’s instead if you prefer.
- Allow to cool and then scoop inside of pumpkin out and into a blender (or use pumpkin puree). Add water or apple cider or apple juice and blend on low until smooth. You could alternatively use an immersion blender to get smooth.
- Add all other ingredients into blender and pulse until smooth and well incorporated. Stir to combine and then taste. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter, blend, taste again etc……
- Heat in a small saucepan and stir just until sugars are dissolved. Then allow to cool and enjoy.
- Enjoy right away and save the rest (fully cooled) in mason jars stored in your refrigerator. Great on toast or a yummy twist on top of pork chops instead of applesauce!
I think it came out really tasty and the perfect way to bring in those delicious Fall flavors we all love. I am obsessed and think you will love pumpkin butter in the morning too.
Instant Pot Pumpkin Butter Recipe
The closest thing I have found to match this spread would be the Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter I have bought in the past. BUT it’s so easy to make it’s worth it to do it yourself. 😉
Ingredients
- Our easy pressure cooker pumpkin instructions linked below – or use 1 can of pumpkin puree
- Blender if using fresh pumpkin
- Water or apple cider
- Brown sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
There are tons of pumpkin butter uses but we love it on toast! Another favorite is our slow cooker apple butter! Fabulous just the same but takes all day for everything to break down so if you are short on time this is the way to go for sure.
What if you don’t have one of these handy devices?? Well you could make this in a large saucepan instead using canned or cooked fresh gourd. I’d just use an immersion blender right in the pot instead of a blender this way. Adjust sweetness and allow sugars to dissolve with the heat.
How long is homemade pumpkin butter good in the fridge?
If you store it in clean jars and seal tight after each time you open it this should keep well for up to 2 weeks. Make sure you use a clean knife so no other ingredients are added inside which may promote mold growth. Of course this will last for months if you choose to properly can it under pressure.
Instant Pot Pumpkin Butter
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 15 oz pumpkin puree, canned or link will lead you to how to make it homemade
- 1/2 c apple cider, or water, amt. depends on how thick you want it
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg, depending on how much you like that flavor
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Optioinal – Steam your pumpkin until inside is very tender. We used our Instant Pot, link to those instructions in the recipe card above. You can use 1 can instead if you prefer. Allow to cool and then scoop inside of pumpkin out and into a blender (or use pumpkin puree).
- Add pumpkin puree and all other ingredients listed above into pressure cooker pot, stir together. Close lid and steam valve shut.
- Use high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release when done. Spoon out and enjoy warm.
- If storing for later use make sure it completely cools and transfer to sealed containers like mason jars. Store in the fridge and will last up to 2 weeks if completely sealed every time.
- Great on toast or a yummy twist on top of pork chops instead of applesauce!
- ** Note, if you use fresh pumpkin instead of canned puree it will be lighter in color like in our photos. Canned will turn out darker brown like apple butter.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About how many cups is a small/med pumpkin?