A tutorial on how to make homemade pumpkin seed butter in the Vitamix blender.
Almost all of my life I have been a nut butter junkie. If it had peanut butter in it, you could pretty much guarantee that I would love it. And if it had peanut butter and chocolate? Well, that was even better.
After college I began to expand my nut butter horizons by incorporating in things like almond butter and cashew butter. They were definitely an acquired taste for me, but a year ago I would easily have said that I preferred these “fancier” nut butters over peanut butter on almost any occasion. Yes, even I was a bit baffled by that.
Once I went Paleo this past July, peanut butter left my life completely (peanuts are technically a legume and are, therefore, not considered Paleo). Luckily, I did not feel too terribly sad since I knew I would still have almond butter and cashew butter in my life. But then sometime last fall (I can’t remember the exact month), I decided to move even closer to the AIP Paleo diet by eliminating nuts to see if it helped me feel better. Was I sad about giving up my beloved almond and cashew butters? Heck yes, I was! Thank goodness another popular butter made from sunflower seeds came to my rescue, and I have been loving on it ever since.
Since the fall I have gone back and forth on whether to eliminate or keep seeds in my diet. I eliminated them for about three to four weeks but did not see any changes, so back they went into my meal line-up (especially during breakfast). And while I am fairly certain I will not tire of sunflower seed butter anytime soon, I thought it might be fun to whip up something new.
I was fortunate enough to win a giveaway on Instagram for a bag of Go Raw Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds about a month ago. I absolutely love that the seeds are sprouted, making them much easier to digest (which is something that is very important to me). I ate them several times as a snack and even threw them on top of salads. But I simply could not quiet the hankering to create pumpkin seed butter with them. Had I ever tasted pumpkin seed butter before? No. But somehow I knew it was going to be good.
Homemade Pumpkin Seed Butter in the Vitamix
Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Nightshade-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Whole 30
Makes approximately 2 cups
Ingredients
1 16 oz bag of raw sprouted pumpkin seeds
2 to 3 tsp of pure maple syrup or honey (if not vegan) for sweetness, optional
2 TB unrefined coconut oil, optional
Directions
1. Place the pumpkin seeds in the jar of your high-powered blender. I used the wet container of my Vitamix.
2. Secure the lid with the tamper inserted and slowly increase from variable speed one to speed ten while using the tamper to push the seeds down towards the blades. Process for approximately 30 seconds.
3. Increase the speed to “high” and continue processing while using the tamper to scrape the seeds away from the sides of the container. Continue to do so until the pumpkin seed butter is mostly smooth. Turn off the blender. If you are adding a sweetener and/or coconut oil to reach your desired consistency, do so at this time.
4. Slowly increase the blender speed back to the “high” speed and process for an additional one to two minutes, or until you hear the “low growl” sound of the Vitamix and the pumpkin seed butter is smooth.
5. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the pumpkin seed butter to a glass container. Seal tightly and store in your pantry for up to three weeks. If the butter will last longer than three weeks, store in the fridge to prevent it from becoming rancid.
Do you know what one of my favorite things about this pumpkin seed butter is? The fact that it is GREEN. That totally would have turned me off when I was a picky-eating child, but now I think it’s pretty darn cool.
This pumpkin seed butter works in just about every way that you would normally utilize nut/seed butters, but my favorite way to eat it has been on sweet potato “toasts” and sliced bananas. I’m telling you, there is nothing better.
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