Creamy and buttery with that nutty flavor we love, homemade pumpkin seed butter couldn’t be easier! Start with soaked and dehydrated raw pumpkin seeds… and three ingredients later, you have an enzyme-rich, nut-free, silky smooth spread perfect for sandwiches, smoothies, and more!
Do you have nut allergies? Wishing you could eat a nutty, buttery spread?
Then our creamy soaked, raw pumpkin seed butter recipe is just what you need. It’s perfect with homemade sprouted biscuits, in smoothies, and more.
Plus, pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc to help support your immune system!
Table Of Contents
What Does Pumpkin Seed Butter Taste Like?
My son is a huge fan of peanut butter (only creamy though, mind you). When he tasted this raw, soaked pumpkin seed butter he asked “Did you put butter in it? It tastes like butter!”
While it does have a lovely buttery taste, it’s not exactly like butter. It has the rich, almost earthy flavor of raw pumpkin seeds.
If you like to eat pepitas, you’ll love this homemade pumpkin seed butter!
Is It Good For You?
These little seeds are packed full of nutrition, so yes.
And, since they’re soaked, the enzyme inhibitors present are neutralized. This means the nutrients available in the seeds are easier for your body to utilize.
Plus, since they’re also raw, you get the benefits of living food.
Many people with food allergies tolerate pumpkin seeds well. So pumpkin seed butter is a terrific nut-free choice, especially for kids.
Furthermore, making your own pumpkin seed butter means you control what goes into it. This ensures no unwanted ingredients are in there.
Are There Any Health Benefits Of Pumpkin Seed Butter?
Pumpkin seeds contain quite a few important nutrients and including them in your diet helps support your body’s systems.
For example, zinc is very important for a healthy immune system. Just 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds provides 23% of the RDA for zinc.
They’re also a good source of copper (which is important for proper zinc function), iron, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorous.
In addition, there are many amino acids in pumpkin seeds, such as tryptophan. Tryptophan can help contribute to better sleep!
Pumpkin seeds contain a good amount of protein and fiber, too. All in all, quite a lot of nutrition in one tiny package!
What Ingredients Do I Need?
In commercially-produced nut or seed butters you often find several ingredients, like sugars or hydrogenated oil.
However, this easy recipe requires only three healthy, natural ingredients… and two are optional:
- soaked and dehydrated pumpkin seeds
- neutral-flavored healthy oil such as avocado oil or MCT oil — I chose the latter for its metabolism-boosting benefits (if needed for consistency)
- mineral-rich salt (optional)
You could also add a bit of honey, maple syrup, or molasses if you like a bit of sweet in your seed butter. Also, if you’re making the switch to traditional foods and are used to store-bought nut butters, which often contain sweeteners, it might help your taste buds get on board.
For a low-carb option, use a tiny pinch of pure stevia extract or your preferred sugar-free sweetener.
It’s absolutely delicious without anything added at all, though!
Pumpkin Seed Butter Tips
Since we’ll be using soaked and low-temperature dehydrated pumpkin seeds, plan ahead for soaking and dehydrating. Learn how to soak and dehydrate seeds (and nuts) here.
We recommend these raw pumpkin seeds… or you can buy already soaked and dehydrated raw pumpkin seeds here.
Whether homemade or purchased, I do highly recommend keeping a supply of these crunchy delights in your pantry. They’re so good on salads!
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may be tempted to skip the dehydrating step.
You may reason that wet pumpkin seeds will turn into creamy pumpkin seed butter even more easily than dry seeds. I’m here to tell you that this is not the case at all!
However, if you did decide to do that and ended up with a mealy-looking mixture that refuses to get creamy… all is not lost! Simply freeze in tablespoon-sized discs or balls and add to smoothies later.
Ask me how I know about this…
How To Make Pumpkin Seed Butter
1. Once your seeds are dehydrated, add them to the bowl of your food processor. Or, if you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix add them to your blender jar.
2. Begin processing on high speed. This will take several minutes, depending on how full your processor bowl is.
3. Your pumpkin seed butter will look like a ground-up meal after a minute or two.
4. Then you should start seeing the seed butter forming at the bottom of your bowl. Stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl may be necessary from time to time.
5. After about 3 minutes or so, it will start clumping together and banging around in there. Add oil, a tablespoon at a time, to help it smooth out and become a lovely spreadable consistency.
6. If you don’t want to add oil, let the processor continue until it reaches a spreadable consistency that circulates freely. This can take quite awhile as well as heat up your raw seeds.
7. If you want to keep your pumpkin seed butter in the raw state, don’t let it get too warm. Stop the processor and let it rest periodically to prevent this.
8. Once your pumpkin seed butter is at the consistency you like, taste and add salt if desired. If you’d like some sweetness, add your preferred natural sweetener and give it a quick mix.
So easy!
Raw Pumpkin Seed Butter
Creamy and buttery with that nutty flavor we love, homemade pumpkin seed butter couldn’t be easier! Start with soaked and dehydrated raw pumpkin seeds… and three ingredients later, you have an enzyme-rich, nut-free, silky smooth spread perfect for sandwiches, smoothies, and more!
Ingredients
-
3
cups
raw pumpkin seeds
preferably organic -
1/2
teaspoon
sea salt
plus an 1/4 teaspoon sea salt -
1 to 3
tablespoons
MCT oil
or other healthy neutral-flavored oil, such as avocado oil
Instructions
-
Place pumpkin seeds and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty food processor.
-
Use regular blade.
-
Put the lid on and turn on the food processor.
-
Let the machine run.
-
The pumpkin seeds will get ground into a meal.
-
Soon you’ll begin to see pumpkin seed butter as a bottom layer.
-
Let it run longer, even 5 minutes, until the pumpkin seeds begin to hang together in a clump.
-
It may form a ball that bounces around on the blade.
-
If the seeds seem not to be wet enough to clump together, add 1 tablespoon of oil at a time until it does hang together and achieves a spreadable consistency.
-
If necessary, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-
Then turn it on again.
-
When the pumpkin seed butter is circulating freely, it is done.
-
Refrigerate in a glass jar.
Recipe Notes
Do not skip the dehydrating step! Wet pumpkin seeds do not turn into creamy pumpkin seed butter like dry pumpkin seeds do. However, if you made that mistake (like I did), simply freeze the mixture in tablespoon-sized discs or balls and add to smoothies later.
Calories from Fat 72
Storing Instructions
Place into a container with a tight-fitting lid, such as a Mason jar. You can store it right in your cupboard for a few weeks.
However, if you don’t think you’ll consume it all within that amount of time, store in the refrigerator to prevent it from going rancid.
Serving Instructions & Ideas
There are so many ways to enjoy homemade nut and seed butters! The obvious one, of course, is spreading onto a slice of delicious homemade bread or making a sandwich with jam.
Give these other ideas a try, too!
- Spread on homemade crackers, soaked fruit muffins, sourdough English muffins, or fluffy sourdough pancakes.
- Stir into yogurt.
- Add to smoothies or shakes.
- Sweeten and use as a topping for homemade ice cream.
- Add to brownies, chili or casseroles (heating will destroy the raw properties).
- Stir into cooked, soaked oatmeal or other similar breakfast-type porridge.
- Just eat a spoonful of it for a quick snack.
- Spread on bread and drizzle with honey or maple syrup.
- Make ants on a log or spread on celery sticks as a great alternative to peanut butter.
A Healthy, Nut-Free Spread The Whole Family Will Love
This delicious homemade seed butter is one everyone can enjoy, from littles to grown-ups.
Get the kiddos involved in making it! Even littles can help measure and pour, while older children can run the food processor, etc.
Keep a jar of this on hand, especially throughout the cold and flu season, so making a quick and healthy snack is as easy as possible.
Have you ever made pumpkin seed butter? What’s your favorite way to eat it?
This post was originally published and written by Wardee Harmon on 1/24/08. It was updated and republished on 9/14/20.
