Pumpkin Butter Recipe + Canning Pumpkin Butter Instructions (2024)

FAQs

Is it safe to water bath pumpkin butter? ›

Yet year after year, people are disappointed to learn that they cannot can it at home, neither by water bath canning nor by pressure canning. The same holds true for unsweetened purées of pumpkin and winter squash. Pumpkin butter and purée can, however, be safely frozen.

When cooked down into a butter, pumpkin flesh becomes quite dense, making it difficult for the heat produced in a canner to penetrate fully through the contents of the jar. This means that even in a pressure canner, the interior of the jar may not reach the 240 degrees needed to kill those pesky botulism spores.

Process filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 55 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

It must be pressure canned to prevent botulism. It is not recommended to can pumpkin puree as it is too dense to heat thoroughly and kill all the bacteria. Pressure Canning is easy to do.

Pumpkin or squash purée can be made at home and preserved by freezing for future use. However, if you are looking to can pumpkin or squash at home, the only safe option is to pressure can cubed squash. Do not pressure can or boiling water bath can mashed, puréed, or grated squash or pumpkin.

Water bath canning is safe for high acid foods only. Because butter is a low acid food, a simple boiling water bath canner will not be able to get hot enough to kill botulism and other toxins in the final product. This means that if you are canning butter, you must pressure can it.

I created this pumpkin seed butter to satisfy my craving for variety. And also to get sufficient magnesium in my diet (here's why). Another reason that I love this alternative to my regular nut-butter is the anti-inflammatory benefits of pumpkin seeds.

This pumpkin butter makes an excellent hostess gift. Spread it on toast and muffins, add it to baked goods, or drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

*You can also preserve your apple butter via the water-bath canning method, which uses a canning pot. The recommending processing time is 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts. Home-canned apple butter has a shelf life of about two years. Store in a cool, dark place.

It is okay to keep our canner 2 or 3 PSI higher than the required temperature, but do not let the pressure exceed 4 PSI above what is required or the jars may result in liquid loss from syphoning once you bring the temperature back down to correct the increase.

What kind of pumpkin is best for canning? ›

Best Pumpkins for Canning

Small sugar or pie pumpkins give better results than field (jack-o-lantern) pumpkins because they are sweeter and less stringy. Make sure your pumpkins are fully ripe and cured for the best flavor (read more about how to cure pumpkins here).

Pumpkin puree is made by steaming and pureeing squash so there are no added ingredients. Is canned pumpkin cooked? Yes, it's already been cooked via steaming. It's safe to eat canned pumpkin straight from the can, but it's infinitely better baked into a pan of pumpkin bars.

A boiling water bath is simply a large pot (you can use a stockpot) with a rack on the bottom. Canning jars filled with food and with special canning lids secured are completely immersed in boiling water for an amount of time specified in the canning recipe. After processing, as the jars cool, a vacuum seal is formed.

All vegetables, except tomatoes, should be canned in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240°F). You may can tomatoes in either a water bath canner or a pressure canner, but you should always hot pack them.

Pumpkin can be frozen or canned, Freezing is the easiest method to preserve pumpkin and will result in a quality product later on. Thoroughly wash the pumpkin, prick with a knife or fork in several places. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (until tender).

This process is for butternut, pumpkin, or other winter squash only. There are different methods for preserving summer squash. You must use a pressure canner. You cannot water bath can winter squash.

Butter, milk and cream (like meat and vegetables) are low-acid products that will support the outgrowth of C. botulinum and toxin formation in a sealed jar at room temperature. Low-acid products have to be pressure-canned by tested processes to be kept in a sealed jar at room temperature.

If your pumpkin starts to wilt, let it soak overnight in cold water. Keeping it in the fridge at night will also help it to keep it from wilting and/or rotting. Those pesky fruit flies are not only annoying, they are also cause your fruit (pumpkin) to rot more quickly.

Pumpkin seeds are covered in a thin membrane. The enzymes in the membrane are difficult to chew and digest, which is why you want to soak the seeds for 12-24 hours. For every 1 cup of seeds add: [2 cups of water + 1/2 Tablespoon salt.] Some sources indicate that a 10 minute soak will do the job.