If you’ve never made homemade pumpkin seed butter before, you have to start with this one. It only requires 3 ingredients and is super easy to make. It’s smooth, nutty-tasting yet completely nut and allergen free. It’s perfect for kids lunchboxes or anytime you’d normally use nut butter. It’s also naturally green with a rich, toasty flavor that’s a little earthy (but doesn’t taste like pumpkin). Use it as you would peanut or almond butter.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just 3 ingredients: You control exactly what goes in – no added sugars, preservatives, or mystery oils like store-bought versions.
- Nut-free and allergy-friendly: An allergy-free school safe option for lunchboxes or shared snacks, especially in nut-free homes or classrooms.
- Ideal for meal prep: Pumpkin seeds are often more affordable than nuts, and one batch gives you a full jar that keeps well for up to two weeks.
- Budget-friendly: Pumpkin seeds are so much cheaper than nuts so this is a great option for a natural spread with plenty of protein and healthy fats without the price tag.
- Nutritious and a source of protein: the cool thing about pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas) is that they contain all 9 essential amino acids. As a vegan of nearly 7 years now I am always looking for easy ways to make sure I’m getting enough protein into my diet and this is a natural little boost with about 3-4g of protein per tablespoon and healthy fats to help keep you feeling full and satisfied. This article on the benefits of pumpkin seeds from Medical News Today is a great overview. If you want to know more about where I get my protein check out my top 10 vegan proteins.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need a couple of ingredients to make a batch of Pumpkin Seed Butter. You’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card.
- Raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Neutral oil. This is optional – depends how runny you like your seed butter. I add just a tiny bit to help move things along in the food processor. If your blender or food processor is a bit weaker, this can also help. I recommend using a neutral flavored oil like rapeseed or sunflower – just be careful not to overdo it (I will explain further in the instructions below).
- Salt
Equipment
You’ll need an oven, plus a food processor to make pumpkin seed butter. You can also use a blender but it will need to be a powerful one and a jug-style one like a Vitamix or similar. Please for your safety, do not use a closed cup blender like a Ninja or Nutribullet. As you have to blend the seeds for several minutes, the heat and pressure will build inside and without an opening, there is a risk they can explode.
If you are in the market for a new blender, I recommend a Vitamix. It is very powerful and reliable, but certainly an investment.
For food processors, I recommend the Breville Sous Chef Pro. It is practically industrial grade quality and truly a buy it for life appliance – I’ve had mine for 13 years now and it works perfectly.
However, if you are a 1-2 person household, this smaller Kitchen Aid food processor on Amazon is also very good (not quite as sturdy or powerful as the Breville but it does the job and is affordable).
Instructions
I feel like making your own basics and pantry staples at home is so rewarding, especially when they are as easy as this one. You realise that you don’t need to pay for fancy basics – it’s very empowering! You can see how simple it is to make this pumpkin seed butter in the photos below – you’ll just need a food processor and oven. For the exact temperatures, timings and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the very bottom of this post.
Step One: Roast the pumpkin seeds until lightly golden and fragrant. Let them cool slightly. Do not skip this step – roasting is essential for the seeds to release their natural oils.
Step Two: Blitz the roasted seeds in a food processor until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add salt. Note – it will take some time for the mixture to break down. I would wait until the the blend time is nearly done before deciding whether you need to add the optional oil or not. If you do add the oil, mix until it is just combined and the mixture is sufficiently runny.
Step Three: Transfer to a clean jar and store at room temperature or in the fridge.
Variations
During my recipe development research, I saw one of my favorite content creators on TikTok, Healthy Girl Kitchen, make a sweetened version of Pumpkin Seed Butter with a little maple syrup and pumpkin spice mix. I haven’t tried it yet myself but it looks sooo good I thought I’d share it for a little inspo. I am planning on testing it soon – I think it’d be perfect spread onto my simple sourdough or even on my vegan banana bread.
Storage
Store your pumpkin seed butter in a clean, airtight jar. It will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for up to a month. Here’s a pro-guide from Epicurious on how to store seed and nut butters.
Note – as it is a natural seed butter without any added emulsifiers, there will be some natural separation of the oils on the top. Just mix it back in before you use it. If it starts getting a bit dry as you reach the bottom of the jar, you can also add a tiny dash of extra oil to help loosen it up.
Expert Tips
Make sure to only toast the seeds just until fragrant. Over-roasting can make the butter bitter instead of rich and nutty.
FAQ
You can, but I recommend starting with raw seeds and roasting them yourself. It gives you more control over the flavor – just lightly toast until fragrant. Pre-roasted seeds can sometimes taste a bit stale or too salty.
Keep blending! It takes time. Sometimes up to 10 minutes depending on your food processor. Scrape down the sides often, and add a teaspoon of neutral oil if it’s looking too dry. It always goes crumbly before it goes creamy, so don’t give up. If after 10 minutes, it’s still looking like a dough ball then add the optional oil to thin it out.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to enjoy pumpkin seed butter. The best advice I can give is to just treat it like you would peanut butter or almond butter. Personally I end up mostly eating this as a breakfast spread or slathering it onto sandwiches and rice cakes for my toddler.
A jar also makes a great hostess gift and once you’ve made it once and realise just how easy it is, I bet this will become a regular staple (especially for families).
More Seed & Nut Butter Recipes
I plan on adding more allergy-friendly and nut-free recipes very soon. I’ve realised since my son started day care how hard it must be for families and individuals who have to avoid nuts! It is something I am proactively trying to be more conscious and inclusive of. And I’ve also realised that there are lots of exciting and tasty alternatives out there. So please watch this space as I have more to come very soon (recipe testing is still in progress).
If you are lucky enough to be able to eat nuts, then in the meantime I do have some other spreads you can try like my Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (aka homemade Nutella) or my Healthy Copycat Biscoff Spread made with cashews and almonds instead of biscuits.
Once you’ve made a batch, don’t be surprised if you start putting this pumpkin seed butter on everything. I’d love to know what you think and how you describe the taste. This is the part I always find the trickiest to explain! I personally think it is closest to almond butter in flavor, but let me know your thoughts. If you have any creative recipe ideas for it I’d also love to know – I think incorporating it with matcha somehow to enhance the green could be very interesting.
Leave a comment below to share your twist, or tag me on Instagram @glowdiaries___ 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you create!
Pumpkin Seed Butter
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw pumpkin seeds pepitas
- 1-2 tbsp neutral oil optional, for smoother texture
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Spread pumpkin seeds on a tray. Roast for 8–10 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly toasted. Let cool slightly.
- Transfer to a food processor. Blend for 5–10 minutes, scraping the sides as needed. It will look crumbly at first – keep blending until smooth.
- Add salt and oil if needed to loosen the texture. Blend again until spreadable.
- Pour into a 375ml jar. Store at room temperature for 2 weeks or refrigerate for longer.
Tip:
- Pumpkin seed butter stays naturally green but will darken slightly once blended. Add oil slowly – it can go runny fast if you overdo it.
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