Homemade pumpkin seed butter is deceptively easy to make. Once I realized how creamy it was, I was making toast just to have an excuse to eat more pumpkin seed butter! I love drizzling it on apples, muffins, and in my kids' oatmeal; it's the best seed butter. You are gonna be licking the food processor when you make this!
Quick Look: Pumpkin Seed Butter
- Equipment needed: High-powered blender or food processor
- Time: 30 minutes
- Serves: 24 tablespoons
- Calories: 45 per serving
- Protein: 2 grams per serving
- Dietary Info: Nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, sugar-free
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: A nut-free alternative to peanut or other nut butters. Creamy and delicious, this nut-tasting butter is incredible.
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Being allergic to peanut butter myself, this is one of my favorite alternatives. If I want to make my favorite no-bake protein bars to be nut-free, I will use this seed butter instead of almond butter, or when making my pumpkin seed granola bars this is what I use!
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Pumpkin seed butter is a nut-free alternative that is high in protein.
- You can make it in a Vitamix or a food processor (differences explained below).
- Make it with raw or roasted pepitas (read on for all the deets).
Homemade pumpkin seed butter is better because
- This recipe costs about $5 to make. A jar of pumpkin seed butter is about $12!
- The list of ingredients is clean, no added preservatives! Just like my homemade almond butter.
- You know how long it's actually been in a jar VS store-bought seed butter...(do note seed butter can go rancid quickly if not stored right!)
- Honestly, the taste of freshly made pumpkin seed butter is unreal; I would explain it as creamy and luscious.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Pumpkin Seed Butter
- Why you'll love this recipe:
- Homemade pumpkin seed butter is better because
- Ingredients needed and alternatives
- Variations and add-Ins
- Did you know this about pumpkin seeds?
- How to make pumpkin seed butter
- Pumpkin seed butter in the food processor
- Pumpkin seed butter in the Vitamix (or high-powered blender)
- Top tips for homemade pumpkin seed butter
- Where to get good quality pumpkin seeds
- Can I use fresh pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin?
- Can I use roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for this recipe?
- How long does homemade pumpkin seed butter last?
- A super delicious nut-free alternative
- Why does the color of pumpkin seed butter differ?
- Incredible Recipes with pumpkin seeds
- Pumpkin Seed Butter
- Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
Ingredients needed and alternatives
You can make this recipe with just roasted pumpkin seeds, however, I like to add a few ingredients to make it super creamy and flavorful!
- Hulled or shelled pumpkin seeds: Aka pepitas! You can use the salted roasted seeds from Costco or raw bulk seeds for this recipe. I usually buy mine from organic matters!
- Coconut oil: I like to add a little oil for this recipe to all come together; however, if you have a Vitamix, I found you can skip the oil if you prefer! Cold-pressed grape seed oil or canola oil can also be used.
- Sea salt: This gives the seed butter a little flavor boost. If you are using seeds that are already roasted and salted, skip adding any salt!
- Honey: Use a little honey or maple syrup to sweeten this seed butter. If you want to use this for salad dressings or something savoury, you can skip this ingredient.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations and add-Ins
- Nutmeg: One time I accidentally sprinkled nutmeg instead of cinnamon on top of my pumpkin seed butter toast, and it was the most delicious accident! Try it!
- Use dates to sweeten! Soak 2-3 large dates in hot water for 10 minutes, then add these to the nut butter while it is still blending to sweeten the seed butter instead of honey.
- Matcha: Add a scoop of matcha when blending the seed butter to make a beautiful green, nutrient-dense spread that is high in antioxidants!
- Cocoa powder: Chocolate pumpkin seed butter? Um yessss! Add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder when blending the seeds.
Did you know this about pumpkin seeds?
The green pumpkin seeds we eat for their nutrient-dense properties are not the seeds found in typical fall orange pumpkins.
The green seeds are called pepitas and are commonly grown in South America just for their seeds, and they actually don't have any hulls on them (like we see on a Halloween pumpkin).
How to make pumpkin seed butter
I make this recipe for pumpkin seed butter with a Vitamix or a food processor. I have shared photos for both methods, as you will see below. The Vitamix was much faster! When using the food processor, I added more oil to make it runnier so it processes better.
Step 1: If pepitas are not previously roasted, start by roasting the seeds to release the oils. I do this at a low temperature in the oven as they can roast pretty quickly: 300 degrees Fahrenheit (145°C) for 10 minutes worked perfectly for me.
They will roast faster if they are directly on a pan instead of on a piece of silicone or parchment paper, so keep an eye on the seeds. When they start to pop or turn brown, remove the pumpkin seeds from the oven. Let them cool for 10-20 minutes.
*Below, I am showing photos of pumpkin seed butter in a food processor or Vitamix mix so you can easily reference the photos that apply to you.
Pumpkin seed butter in the food processor
See step 1 above for how I roast the pumpkin seeds.
Step 2: Place the cool seeds in a food processor and leave on high speed. After about 5 minutes of processing, my pumpkin seeds looked slightly crumbly.
Step 3: After 10 minutes in the food processor, the pumpkin seeds formed a thick paste. I added coconut oil, honey, and sea salt at this point. The seed butter seized after this and it became quite thick. My machine became warm after a few minutes of processing, so I let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4: After letting the food processor cool down, I ended up adding 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and ran the machine for another 5-7 minutes until the pumpkin seed butter became thin and spreadable.
Pumpkin seed butter in the Vitamix (or high-powered blender)
See step 1 above for how I roast the pumpkin seeds.
Step 2: For the Vitamix method, place the roasted pepitas in the blender container. After just 2 minutes of blending, you will see the seeds break down into a thick paste.
Step 3: After 5 minutes, when everything looked smooth and spreadable, I added the coconut oil, honey, and sea salt.
Step 4: At this point, with the added ingredients, the pumpkin seed butter seized and became thicker, so I knew I needed to keep blending.
Step 5: After about 4 more minutes (about a total of 11 minutes) of blending, the pumpkin seed butter became the perfect consistency!
Top tips for homemade pumpkin seed butter
Use the freshest seeds possible: Seeds and nuts can go rancid quickly if they are not stored properly; be sure to use recently bought pumpkin seeds or seeds that have been stored in the fridge to get the best-tasting seed butter.
My pumpkin seed butter seized - what do I do? Keep blending! If you have been running the food processor or blender for a long time and it's heating up, let it cool down for 10 or 20 minutes and then keep blending for 5-10 minutes until it's a spreadable consistency again. It takes time, but it will become a runnier consistency.
Where to get good quality pumpkin seeds
Good quality pumpkin seeds will produce the best flavor and make this seed butter last longer!
- In the grocery store, you can find pumpkin seeds in the health food aisle or the baking aisle, next to the dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.
- I buy them online from organic matters and they are high quality. Or else you can get them from amazon.
- I also like to buy them at our local bulk store, then I can get exactly how many I need without any packaging.
Can I use fresh pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin?
When carving a pumpkin, we find seeds inside with a white casing on them, which is very fibrous, these are a type of pumpkin seeds but not the kind you want to use for pumpkin seed butter. If you were to break the shell open, you would have a white seed inside. These are different than green pepitas!
Pepitas are green pumpkin seeds grown in Central and South America, specifically for their nutritious seeds! These olive green seeds are what we want to use to make our own pumpkin seed butter.
Can I use roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for this recipe?
Yes, skip the roasting step, and if they are salted, do not add any more salt. There are roasted salted pumpkin seeds from Costco, and they do work to make your own pumpkin seed butter! This may be a more salty pumpkin butter, which would be great for sauces and salad dressings.
How long does homemade pumpkin seed butter last?
All nut and seed butter can go rancid at room temperature relatively quickly (within weeks); it doesn't mean it's bad, it just tastes off and the nutrition is slowly lessening.
Keeping pumpkin seed butter in the fridge will make it last longer, even a couple of months. However, if you eat your nut butter decently fast, like my family, I find it stays nice and spreadable if it's kept at room temperature.
Overall, make sure to use a sealing jar, write the date you made the butter on the jar, and keep it in the fridge if you want it to last a couple of months.
A super delicious nut-free alternative
If you have a peanut allergy (like me!!) or nut allergy, pumpkin seed butter is a great alternative! I think it tastes better than sunflower seed butter when you are going to have this straight-on toast, and I love how buttery and earthy-tasting it is. Send this recipe to your nut-free friends!
Why does the color of pumpkin seed butter differ?
The color of pumpkin seed butter depends on how fresh and what variety of seeds you are using! I have bought bright green pumpkin seed butter from the store, and my homemade seed butter is a duller green.
Incredible Recipes with pumpkin seeds
🎃 Did you make this pumpkin seed butter recipe? Please give a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and review just below the recipe. That means a lot to me and helps the growth of Beside the Mountain blog!
Pumpkin Seed Butter
Equipment
- 1 high powered blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds raw or roasted
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- (If you are using roasted pumpkin seeds, skip this step.) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (145°C). Place pumpkin seeds onto a cookie sheet and put them in the oven for 10 minutes, until they are turning golden brown and starting to pop. Let them cool for 10-20 minutes.
- Place the cool seeds into the food processor or high-powered blender (read the blog post above for photos and differences in machines), and blend for 5-10 minutes until you see a thick green paste. At this time, add the coconut oil, honey, and sea salt. The pumpkin seed butter will become thick and almost crumbly at this point, however, keep blending, and it will become runny again. If the machine gets hot or seems like it's overworking, turn it off for 10-20 minutes so it can cool down, then blend 5-10 minutes longer until you get runny pumpkin seed butter.
- Place in a clean jar and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.
Rebecca says
I like to use pumpkin seed butter for protein balls instead of nut butter so that my kids can take them to school (nut-free zones). They’re delicious!
Danika Vanderpyl says
Thank you for letting us know you enjoyed this Rebecca!
diane says
not sure how to measure a serving of 1 gram of seed butter
Danika Vanderpyl says
Oops good catch, sorry that was supposed to be 1 tablespoon.