Pumpkin Seed Butter

Pumpkin seed butter is a healthy and allergy-friendly alternative to nut butter. Made with pumpkins seeds, also known as pepitas, it’s full of healthy fats and essential micronutrients. My 2 year old always points out the distinct green color of this nut free butter.

pumpkin seed butter in glass jar with peptias beside it

Ingredients in Pumpkin Seed Butter

Making any kind of nut or seed butter at home is SO easy and generally only requires 1-2 ingredients.

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To make pepita butter, you will need:

Can I use fresh pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin to make pumpkin butter?

Pumpkin butter is best made without the shell. So, while you could, in theory, shell the seeds yourself it would take a lot of time. I recommend just buying already hulled pumpkin seeds.

Where do I buy pumpkin seeds/pepitas for pumpkin butter?

You can find these in the bulk foods section of many stores or with the other prepackaged nuts and seeds. You can also order raw hulled pumpkin seeds online in bulk.

Equipment Needed to Make Nut Free Butter

The basic equipment you’ll need to make seed butter, in addition to your oven includes:

  • Heavy Duty Food Processor – I love my Cuisinart Pro Classic which has held up through many heavy duty jobs such as making nut or seed butter.
  • Baking Pans – Any basic baking pan will do. I line my baking pans with silicone baking mats for almost everything I make.
food processor needed to make seed or nut free butter

How to Make Peptia Seed Butter

Making your own homemade seed butter at home is so easy! The most important part is having a durable, heavy-duty food processor such as the one above. The two basic steps are:

  1. Roast your pumpkin seeds on a pan at 325°F for approximately 15 minutes. They will become shimmery as the natural oils start to release and the seeds turn somewhat of a golden color.
  2. After they have mostly cooled, put them into the food processor to blend. This part can feel like it takes a while. It took about 15 minutes with my food processor. The seed butter will get crumbly before it comes together. You may need to add a little neutral-flavored oil if it does not get as creamy as you’d like, but I’ve never needed to. Make sure you blend long enough before adding any oil.
First picture shows pumpkin seed butter being made but still in a very crumbly stage. Second picture shows pumpkin seed butter being made creamy.

Pumpkin Seed Health Benefits

Pumpkin seed butter offers a variety of nutrients thanks to the health profile of pumpkin seeds. It makes a wonderful allergy-friendly alternative to peanut or almond butter. This pumpkin seed butter is nut-free and vegan.

Here are a few of the scientifically supported benefits of pumpkin seeds:

  • Contain a variety of key nutrients. – Magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, healthy fats, and protein are all contained in pumpkin seeds.
  • Pumpkin seeds are loaded with antioxidants which can help reduce inflammation.
  • Pumpkin seeds are allergy-friendly. – Tree nuts such as almonds and peanuts are a top allergen, whereas pumpkins have far fewer cases of allergic reactions. So pumpkin seed butter can make a great allergy-friendly alternative.

Pumpkin Seed Butter Nutrition Facts

How many calories are in pumpkin seed butter?

In 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seed butter, there are 85 kcal.

The macronutrient breakdown is:

  • 4 g protein
  • 7 g fat
  • 2 g carbohydrates

The following micronutrients are found in 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seed butter (give in %DV):

  • Manganese 33%
  • Magnesium 20%
  • Phosphorous 17%
  • Copper 9.4%
  • Zinc 7.3%
  • Iron 6.6%

Is pumpkin seed butter good for you?

Pumpkin seed offers many healthy benefits such as healthy fats, various micronutrients (manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, zinc, and iron) making it very nutritious. Pumpkin seed butter fits with most diet plans from keto to paleo to vegan and can even be served in a thin layer to young kids.

small jar of peptia seed butter with pumpkin seeds lying on the table

8 Ways to Use Pumpkin Seed Butter

Pumpkin seed butter can be used in place of peanut butter, almond butter, or other seed butter such as sunflower butter. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it in my home for myself and my toddler.

1. Paired with Fruit

I either spread it on banana or apple slices or serve it as a dip to dip our fruit in. For my son, I prefer to spread it on to encourage it to be eaten along with the fruit (and not be left forgotten.)

2. In Oatmeal

I love to beef my oatmeal up with nut/seed butter, hemp hearts, chia seeds, etc. Pumpkin butter is a delicious and nutritious oatmeal add in.

3. On Toast or Pancakes

Smear a layer of pumpkin seed butter on top of toast, oat pancakes, or even waffles to boost the protein and fat which will help the breakfast satisfy for longer.

4. Mix it in Yogurt

Add a dollop of pumpkin seed butter and mix it in with yogurt. This is a great way to introduce it to young toddlers (to ensure it is not a large glob/choking risk) or even skeptical kids.

5. Pumpkin Seed Butter & Jelly

Switch out the peanut butter in PBJ for pumpkin seed butter to make a great on the go lunch for your kids. Replacing the peanut butter in PBJ is the perfect opportunity to switch up the nutrients your kids are receiving.

6. Smoothies

Pumpkin seed butter is a great way to add some healthy fats and nutrients to your favorite smoothies. It pairs well with berries, yogurt, apples, and even spinach!

7. Mix it in Banana Swirl

What better way to introduce it to your toddler than to mix it in their banana swirl ice cream?! Seriously, this is a treat you and your kids will love.

8. Bake with Pumpkin Seed Butter

Try replacing it with peanut butter in muffins, cookies, and snack balls.

Pumpkin Seed Butter

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Keyword: pepita butter, pumpkin seed butter
Servings: 16
Calories: 85kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups pumpkin seeds or pepitas raw, hulled with no shell
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread pumpkin seeds out on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden.
  • Let them cool until they are only slightly warm and then move to heavy duty food processor.
  • Blend in food processor until the pumpkin seed butter becomes very smooth and creamy. It will get crumbly first before it starts to come together and form a creamy seed butter. (It took approximately 15 minutes in my food processor.)
  • Blend in salt starting with 1/4 tsp and seasoing to taste.

Notes

Nutrition Facts per TBSP
Calories: 85kcal
Protein: 4.4g
Fat: 7g

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal
text reads "homemade pumpkin seed butter, healthy and easy" with a photo of a jar of pumpkin seed butter
Text reads "pumpkin seed butter - no nut - healthy- vegan - allergy friendly" with picture of hand holding pumpkin seed butter and pepitas

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2 Comments

  1. Hi Josten! Thank you so much for this recipe and the great ideas. I messed up when purchasing so I have on hand, roasted unsalted pepitas. Would this be OK to use or am I better off waiting until I get the raw pepitas?

    1. Hello Lisa! I have not tried this before so I’m not sure how it would compare or turn out. My only concern with buying them pre-roasted vs roasting yourself is that when they are freshly roasted they are fairly oily which helps them to blend. If you do decide to try it with the pre-roasted pumpkin seeds, come back and let us know how the pumpkin seed butter turns out!

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