Creamy homemade pumpkin seed butter is a great alternative to peanut butter! All you need is toasted pumpkin seeds and salt. Use it to make dressings for salads, drop into smoothies, dip apples, or spread on toast. It's high in protein and naturally vegan and gluten-free!
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Pumpkin seeds have become a staple in my house. I love tossing them in my warm kale and quinoa salad or high protein vegan salad, or using as a topper for tomato soup.
Fall is obviously all about the pumpkin, so why not try making homemade pumpkin seed butter to add even more healthy seeds to your diet? This recipe is seriously easy to make and very hands off.
What is pumpkin seed butter?
Pumpkin seed butter, sometimes known as pepita butter, is a creamy spread similar to peanut butter. Instead of peanuts, we're using pepitas, or roasted pumpkin seeds, for a beautiful green color and variety of nutritional benefits.
Pumpkin seed butter ingredients
- Pumpkin seeds
- Salt
How to make pumpkin seed butter
- Spread pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in a 300ºF oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Let cool, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. This should take 15-20 minutes.
- Add salt and any other additional flavorings, and pulse until incorporated.
- Transfer to a jar or other sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Top tips and questions
Where to find pumpkin seeds
You'll want to purchase seeds that are already shelled to make this easier. These are often sold as pepitas, and you can find them in most grocery stores.
I always grab a bulk amount from the natural and organic section of the grocery store, but they may also be available near the nuts and seeds or baking items. You can also buy pepitas online (affiliate link).
Toasting pumpkin seeds
Toasting your seeds is optional, but will result in a more complex flavor. If you don't have time to toast the seeds you can skip this step.
Toast your seeds by roasting them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 300ºF oven for 12 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. If you were toasting a smaller quantity, you could toast them in a dry skillet over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes.
Uses for pumpkin seed butter
You can use pumpkin seed butter just about anywhere you would use other nut butters. I especially love the idea of using it around Halloween to make naturally colored treats. Here are a few ideas:
- Use this recipe in place of the peanut butter when making these peanut butter rice krispies treats, and turn them into Frankenstein rice krispie treats or Christmas wreaths.
- Use it to make pumpkin seed dressing for salads
- Add a spoonful to a pumpkin smoothie (or any smoothie)
- Swap the peanut butter for pumpkin seed butter in homemade peanut butter cups
- Use as a spread on sandwiches or a dip for apples
Pumpkin seed nutrients
While it may be difficult to eat a lot of pumpkin seeds at once, turning it into a creamy spread can make it easier to add extra protein and other nutrients to your diet. Always consult your doctor about health risks and changes or before changing your diet, but a few health benefits of pumpkin seeds include:
- Pumpkin seeds are a good source of fiber, magnesium, zinc, iron, and antioxidants.
- They're high in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps produce and maintain muscles, enzymes, and neurotransmitters in the body. It can also improve your sleep.
- They're made of mostly fat and protein, meaning they'll keep you fuller longer.
- Pumpkin seeds are good for heart, prostate, and bladder health thanks to all those special nutrients.
- They can lower blood sugar levels and help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
How to store
You might wonder, does homemade pumpkin seed butter need to be refrigerated? It is not entirely necessary to refrigerate your pumpkin seed spread, but I do recommend refrigerating to help it last longer.
Refrigerated spread will last up to 3 months. You'll know if your spread is going bad if it develops a rancid smell.
Tips for customizing
- Add maple syrup or honey to taste
- Flavor with cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, or curry powder
- Add vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- If you want it to be even easier to spread, add a little neutral oil (such as canola, avocado, or coconut if you don't mind the taste)
- Drizzle with caramel into a yogurt parfait
FAQ
Making homemade pumpkin seed spread is hard work for your food processor. If you notice it's getting too hot or starts to smell like the motor is overworked, turn it off and let the processor rest for a few minutes. It won't harm your seed butter to give it a break and then come back to mixing.
If your food processor can't handle it, you may want to invest in a higher quality appliance. My Cuisinart food processor is getting pretty old, but still handled this really well.
A high power blender like a Vitamix is another good option since I always like my appliances to serve more than one purpose in the kitchen.
Yes, pepitas are pumpkin seeds, but they are always shelled and come from a specific variety of pumpkin. That's why they look different from what you find inside a pumpkin at Halloween.
Yes, you can make pumpkin seed butter from fresh pumpkin seeds, but you'll need to prepare them a little differently. Make sure you remove the shell or hull from the seeds before roasting.
Pumpkin seeds are well tolerated by most and are naturally vegan and gluten-free, so this would be a fairly safe spread to serve if you are concerned about peanut or other allergies.
Pumpkin seeds are well tolerated by most and are naturally vegan and gluten-free, so this would be a fairly safe spread to serve if you are concerned about peanut or other allergies.
More easy recipes
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Strawberry Chia Jam
- Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Honey Simple Syrup
- How to Make a Flax Egg
- Healthy Taco Seasoning
- How to Ripen Avocados
- Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Spicy BBQ Sauce
- Butternut Squash Puree
- Roasted Garlic
- Baked Pita Chips
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Pumpkin Seed Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds, shelled
- Salt, to taste
- Neutral oil, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
- Arrange pumpkin seeds in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 12 minutes, stirring once, or until fragrant and beginning to turn lightly browned.
- Allow the seeds too cool to the touch.
- Transfer the seeds to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The seeds will become crumbly, then start to lump together, then turn into a smooth butter. This should take 10-15 minutes. If your food processor becomes too hot or overworked, turn it off for 20-30 minutes and then continue.
- Add salt and any other additional flavorings, and pulse until incorporated.
- Transfer to a jar or other sealed container and store in a cool, dark place. To extend the shelf life, refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Tips for customizing
- Add maple syrup or honey to taste
- Flavor with cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, or curry powder
- Add vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- If you want it to be even easier to spread, add a little neutral oil (such as canola, avocado, or coconut if you don't mind the taste)
- Drizzle with caramel into a yogurt parfait
Tony says
Can you use Olive oil, Peanut oil, or Vegetable oil instead of the ones listed here? And, I have ground my seeds in a NutraBullet and the end product is dry. I'm not sure how a roasted (essentially liquid removed) pumpkin seeds turn into a wet butter without adding anything but salt?
Lindsay Moe says
Yes, any of those oils would be fine, but will each have a different affect on the final taste. I would recommend adding the oils slowly after reaching the smooth butter stage to make sure you don't add too much. The seeds do look very dry and crumbly while processing, but will eventually come together to a thick, wet, peanut butter-like consistency. I haven't tried making this with a NutraBullet, so I'm not sure it will be powerful enough to reach that stage, but my recommendation would be to let it keep grinding for longer than you may think (it can take 10 minutes or more). I actually just made this again today to make pumpkin seed butter cups. I hope you enjoy!