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This Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter is full or fall flavors, warm spices and is naturally sweetened with dates. It’s delicious on toast, pancakes, oatmeal or by the spoonful straight out of the jar!
About This Recipe
If you’ve been following along for a while now, you know that I LOVE pecans and will seize every opportunity to use them in my recipes. They are my number one choice whether I’m making homemade nut butters, cookies, overnight oats, baked oats or granola!
This fall-themed Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter recipe was adapted from my Homemade Pecan Butter in which I use apple pie spice. It’s made with perfectly oven roasted pecans, warming spices like pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and naturally sweetened with dates!
Just like my Dark Chocolate Pecan Butter and Pistachio Butter Recipe, you don’t need to add any oil as the pecans release their natural oils during processing. You’ll end up with a smooth, creamy and festive nut butter that tastes good ON and WITH everything!
Why I Love Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter
- Easy to make! All you need to do is roast the nuts, process, and store!
- Full of roasted pecan flavors with sweet caramel notes.
- Cheaper than store-bought fall-themed nut butters.
- Perfect for a holiday gifting!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Pecans: Use raw, unsalted pecans for the best flavor as we’ll be oven roasting them to perfection. Store-bought pre-roasted pecans won’t taste as fresh or nutty.
- Dried Dates: I used pitted dried Deglet Noor dates to naturally sweeten this pecan butter and add a hint of caramel flavor. They’re rich in potassium and packed with fiber, nutrients and antioxidants. You can use any type of fresh or dried dates that are easily available to you. Some good options are medjool, sukkari, ajwa, and bahri dates. Alternatively, substitute with 1-2 teaspoons (or more to taste) of date syrup, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, or agave syrup. For an unsweetened pumpkin spice pecan butter, leave out the dates.
- Spices: Pumpkin pie spice (store-bought or homemade will work), ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. The pumpkin pie spice I used is a store-bought blend made of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves. You can also use more cinnamon or substitute with apple pie spice if you don’t have it on hand.
- Fine Sea Salt: A small pinch to balance out the roasted nutty and sweet date flavors.
Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter
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Prep Time: 10 mins
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Cook Time: 10 mins
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Total Time: 20 mins
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Yield: 16 tablespoons 1x
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Category: Breakfast and Brunch
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Cuisine: American
- Method: Pulse
Description
This Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter is full or fall flavors, warm spices and is naturally sweetened with dates. It’s delicious on toast, pancakes, oatmeal or by the spoonful straight out of the jar!
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 240 grams unsalted raw Pecan Halves
- 4 pieces / 30 grams pitted Dates (I used dried Deglet Noor dates but any dried or fresh dates will work)
- ½ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
- Roast the pecans: Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper (nonstick cooking paper). Spread the pecans out evenly in a single layer on the parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until you can smell toasted pecans and they are nicely roasted but not burnt. Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly – 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
- Process: Carefully, transfer the pecans to a food processor bowl and add the pitted dates. Process, pausing to scrape down the edges, until smooth and creamy. It will look crumbly at first, then start to form into a ball and clump together before becoming smooth and creamy.
- Add the spices: Add the pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and fine sea salt. Process briefly to combine. The pecan butter should drip down from a spatula or spoon once done. Avoid over-processing or it will become too runny.
- Storing: Store in a jar or airtight sealed container for up to 1 week in a cool dry area or in the refrigerator for 4-8 weeks (recommended for fresher flavor and longer storage). For even longer storage, store in the freezer and thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Equipment
Notes
- See the full post for ingredient notes, tips and tricks, variations, and more!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon (16 grams)
- Calories: 111
- Protein: 1.6g
- Carbohydrates: 3.6g
- Fat: 11g
- Sugar: 1.7g
- Sodium: 36.4mg
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and can vary based on several factors. It should only be used as a general guideline.
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Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Process the nuts while they are still warm. The heat from freshly baked pecans will help them to break down and release their natural oils more quickly than cooled nuts.
- Do not add oil or water. Depending on the power of your machine, it may take 10–15 minutes to reach a smooth and creamy consistency. Do not try to rush the process and be tempted to add oil or water. Natural oils from the pecans will eventually release during processing as they are a high fat nut. Adding water will just yield a clumpy and pasty nut butter texture. Even if it appears crumbly and dry at first, the pecans will transform into a luscious, smooth and spreadable nut butter once they release their oils. So just be patient and trust the process!
- Use a wide mouth mason jar or airtight container for storing. This will be easier to transfer to from the food processor bowl. I love using old peanut butter jars for my homemade nut butters.
- Add chocolate. Because pumpkin spice, chocolate, and pecans make an incredible flavor combination!
- Add seeds. For a boost in fiber and healthy fats, add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds (or flaxseed meal).
- Blend in pumpkin puree. Add 1.5 tablespoons of canned pumpkin puree when you add the spices and blend it in for a true fall flavor delight!
- Add vanilla. A teaspoon of vanilla extract will add warmth and more cozy flavors.
- Make a double batch. Double the recipe so that you can make one jar for now and one for gifting to a loved one (or one more for yourself to enjoy later!)
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter – Step-by-Step
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Ways to use Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter
- Drizzle on top of baked oats, overnight oats or muffins. Such as this Apple Cinnamon Protein Overnight Oats, Pecan Pie Baked Oatmeal, Cottage Cheese Baked Oats, Matcha Overnight Oats with Berries, or these Healthy Apple Spice Muffins.
- Spread on toast or rice cakes. Spread it onto a slice of toasted wholewheat or multigrain brain, sliced sourdough bread, sourdough bagels, or rice cakes. Top with sliced bananas, blueberries or raspberries for a light breakfast or snack!
- Eat it with fruit or veggies. Sliced apples, pears, baked sweet potatoes, etc.
- Add to a smoothie. Add a boost of healthy fats and fall flavors to your morning smoothie!
- Drizzle it on ice cream or yogurt. Like my Ninja Creami Apple Pie Protein Ice Cream or Pumpkin Pie Protein Ice Cream if you have a Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker! It also tastes great on top of vanilla ice cream or swirled into Greek yogurt.
- Bake with it. Use it in muffins, granola – like this Maple Pecan Cinnamon Granola, cakes, baked oats, cookies, quick breads, brownies, oatmeal bars, etc.
- Eat it plain. A spoonful straight out of the jar is pure bliss!
Storing
- Pantry: Store in a jar or airtight sealed container for up to 1 week in a cool dry area such as the pantry.
- Fridge: Store in the refrigerator for 4-8 weeks. I recommend storing in the fridge so that it stays fresh longer.
- Freezer: Although the pecan butter won’t freeze completely solid due to the high fat content in pecans, you can store it in a freezer-friendly jar or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
FAQs
How long does it take to make homemade pecan butter?
The time it takes to process until smooth and creamy is dependent on the type of appliance you’re using and its power. A heavy-duty food processor or high-speed blender will require less time but an older and lower power appliance will take longer.
For reference, my Kitchen Aid food processor needed about 10 minutes to make this Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter. But when I make my Chocolate Hazelnut Butter with Almonds, it takes longer as hazelnuts have less natural oils than pecans.
Can I use a high-speed blender instead of a food processor.
Either a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec blender will work. However, I recommend using a food processor as I personally feel its less hands on than a blender. For the blender, you’ll need to use the tamper to keep the nuts moving. Plus, with something as powerful as a Vitamix, it’s easy to accidentally over-process the nuts and end up with a nut butter that’s too runny! With a food processor, I find that I have more control over the texture.
Why is my pecan butter crumbly and not smooth?
It likely just needs more time and to be processed for longer. Be patient and the texture of the pecans and dates will go from crumbly to creamy almost instantly once the pecans release their natural oils.
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