Make Ahead

Winter Squash Butter

by:
November  5, 2013
5
2 Ratings
Winter Squash Butter
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Makes 4 small jars
Author Notes

Velvety sweet and spicy spreads starring your favorite winter squashes. —Sarah (The Yellow House)

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is great to have in your back pocket in the fall and winter, when squash is abundant. Using a hand blender, like the Braun MultiQuick 9, makes whipping up a batch super quick (and super easy to clean up!). —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Winter squash butter
  • 2 cups roasted squash
  • 1/2 cup brown or demerara sugar
  • 2 teaspoons spice blend of choice (see recipes for spice blends below)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider (can substitute water)
  • Cardamom-clove-star anise spice blend
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
  • 1 small piece of a star anise pod
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Winter squash butter
  2. (If you haven't yet roasted your squash, preheat the oven to 450° F, cut your winter squash of choice in half, remove the seeds and stringy bits, drizzle with a bit of neutral tasting oil, and roast until the flesh of the squash is very tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour.)
  3. Scooping the roasted squash flesh from the skin, measure out two full cups of winter squash, packing it into the measuring cup. Then transfer to a container and puree, using a hand blender.
  4. Add in sugar, spice blend, lemon juice, and apple cider and blend until smooth.
  5. Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into a medium saucepan. Bring the squash mixture to a simmer, and continue to simmer, scraping the bottom to prevent sticking and burning, for 10 to 15 minutes, until it thickens and becomes velvety.
  6. Allow the squash butter to cool, and then funnel into small jars. The butter will keep, refrigerated, for up to two weeks. (Please note that you can not safely can the squash butter.)
  1. Cardamom-clove-star anise spice blend
  2. Pulverize the cloves, cardamom seeds, and star anise pod. Mix with ground cinnamon.
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  • Andrea Notch Mayzeles
    Andrea Notch Mayzeles
  • DrGaellon
    DrGaellon
  • Courtney Hess
    Courtney Hess
  • judy
    judy
Sarah (The Yellow House)
I'm a public health professional in the nation's capital, and an enthusiastic home cook and writer in my rural Virginia kitchen. I love simple, market- and garden-driven food and entertaining that's accessible and low-fuss. I like to think I write about the life lived between the lines of the recipe.

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8 Reviews

Andrea N.
Andrea N. November 1, 2020
So delicious! Thank you xxoo
Third season making this. Plan to freeze the leftovers from the huge banana squash I roasted!
 
Courtney H.
Courtney H. November 28, 2017
Delicious! This is a great way to use up extra squash and we loved the suggested spice blend. Great wintery breakfast spread.
 
judy
judy November 11, 2017
instead of cooking on the stove I put in a pie plate or pan with a 1-2 inch side and bake in the oven--about 275-300F until reduced to desired thickness. Little chance of burning on the bottom because the butter is so thick. Takes a little longer, but doesn't need as much babysitting. Works great with large batches of apple butter as well..
 
emcsull
emcsull November 10, 2013
I make this savoury with onions, garlic and rosemary, we eat it with goat cheese very happily.
 
Sarah (.
Sarah (. November 11, 2013
Sounds lovely!
 
DrGaellon
DrGaellon November 9, 2013
I wanted to see your recipe for the "pumpkin pie spice" with the fresh ginger...
 
Sarah (.
Sarah (. November 11, 2013
Hm, I had thought I included that as well, but it's not showing up. It's essentially ground cinnamon, fresh grated/pounded ginger root (peeled first), freshly grated nutmeg, and freshly ground cloves. I will almost certainly be using it for pumpkin pie around thanksgiving---super bright flavor, really lovely.
 
DrGaellon
DrGaellon November 16, 2013
What are the proportions for those spices?