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A glass jar filled with thick, spiced Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter, tied with twine and surrounded by small pumpkins.
Daniel

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter

Silky, spice-laden pumpkin butter that slow-cooks itself while you go about your day, filling your kitchen with the scent of fall.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Breakfast, Condiment
Cuisine: American
Calories: 45
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 29 oz pumpkin puree two 15-oz cans, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 cup apple cider unfiltered, not apple cider vinegar
  • 0.75 cup packed brown sugar light or dark
  • 0.25 cup maple syrup pure, not pancake syrup
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract added at the end

Equipment

  • 4-6 quart slow cooker
  • Immersion Blender (or regular blender)
  • Half-pint jars for storage

Method
 

Prep and Cook
  1. In your slow cooker, whisk together the pumpkin puree, apple cider, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides so no sugar or spices stick to the walls.
  2. Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours with the lid slightly ajar (prop it open with a wooden spoon) so steam can escape. Stir every 45 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of soft peanut butter and mounds slightly on a spoon. It will reduce by about one-third.
  3. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Use an immersion blender to puree until completely smooth, or transfer carefully to a regular blender in batches. The butter should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without running.
  4. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to clean half-pint jars. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months. The butter will thicken further as it chills.

Notes

For a deeper caramel flavor, substitute half the brown sugar with maple sugar or coconut sugar. If your slow cooker runs hot, check and stir more frequently after hour 4 to prevent scorching. This is not safe for water-bath canning due to the low acidity - refrigerate or freeze only.