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December 18, 2019

Gingerbread Pecan Butter Recipe

Dairy Free Gluten Free Vegan Dips Snacks Christmas
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Friends – I have a new favorite nut butter: gingerbread pecan butter. This features the same delicious flavor you get from gingerbread cookies, but with a more nutrient dense spin. 🙂

Even better is that this makes an excellent holiday gift! Whip up a batch, pop the nut butter into little mason jars, add a ribbon, et voila! Happiness, delivered. 

gingerbread pecan butter recipe

Homemade Pecan Butter with Gingerbread Spice

Homemade nut butter might sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple! This recipe is quick to whip up, and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. The pecan butter comes out creamy, and the gingerbread spice adds a deliciously festive flavor.

Plus, it goes great on oatmeal, toast, fruit, or really anything you can think of!

gingerbread pecan butter gift idea

How to Make Pecan Butter

To make this gingerbread pecan butter, you’ll need:

  • pecans
  • dark molasses
  • vanilla extract
  • ground spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves (FYI that this blog post was originally sponsored by McCormick when it was published way back in 2015! It has since been updated with more info/tips, etc.)

gingerbread pecan butter ingredients

The first step is to toast the pecans in the oven. Don’t skip this step! Toasting the nuts and then processing while they’re still hot makes for a much creamier nut butter. It’ll come together more easily, since the oils are drawn out.

Once the pecans are toasted, the rest is easy! Just toss all the ingredients into a blender together.

The combination of the toasted nuts, festive spices, pure vanilla extract, and molasses come together perfectly to bring out the gingerbread flavor (without needing sugar). Vanilla and cinnamon in particular just scream the holidays to me!

how to make pecan nut butter

The biggest thing to note about the food processor step of this recipe is that it takes quite awhile, so be patient! It will likely take about 10 to 15 minutes of processing for the nut butter to become smooth.

Also, adding the vanilla and molasses at the beginning of the processing is important. Adding water-based liquids at the end of processing will cause the nut butter to seize up and become clumpy and thick. No bueno!

The final step is to enjoy, of course! If you’re making this to give as a gift, be sure to save a little extra for yourself. It’s delicious on bread, atop oatmeal, with fruit… or simply eaten with a spoon. 🙂

gingerbread pecan butter

How to Store Homemade Pecan Butter

Pecan butter can be stored in room-temperature in an airtight container (like a jar), but I recommend storing in the fridge so it lasts longer. Generally, it should last for about a month in the refrigerator. (If you see or smell any signs of it going bad, then it’s time to toss it!)

The full gingerbread pecan butter recipe is at the bottom of this post. Happy eating and gifting, my friends!

gingerbread pecan butter mason jars holiday gift

Looking for more dessert/holiday-inspired recipes? Check these out:

  • Gingerbread Maple Pots de Creme
  • No Bake Vegan Lemon Bars
  • Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies
  • Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bars
  • Chocolate Coconut Almond Energy Balls
  • Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
  • Sweet Potato Muffins with Coconut

Gingerbread Pecan Butter

Gingerbread Pecan Butter
July 24, 2019

This delicious pecan butter is perfect on toast, oatmeal, or with fruit!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Yield
1.5 CUPS
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Ingredients:

  • 3 cups raw pecan halves
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon dark molasses
  • pinch of salt

Instructions:

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spread the pecan halves evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant and very slightly darkened but not burnt.
  3. Immediately place the pecans in a food processor and add the remaining ingredients.
  4. Process until a smooth butter forms, scraping down the bowl every few minutes. The mixture will start out as coarsely chopped, then finely chopped and crumbly, then a thick puree, and finally a smooth, drippy nut butter - it should take 10-15 minutes total.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

- anne
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21 comments
  • Rosie Lucchesini-Jack December 18, 2015 · 11:23AM:
    This sounds awesome and like such a fun thing to gift to someone. Thank you!
    Reply
  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
    December 18, 2015 · 11:36AM:
    Mmmm yea! I'd eat it by the spoonful!
    Reply
  • Catherine Cormier December 18, 2015 · 11:57AM:
    I'm so trying this recipe out! I love making my own nut butters :)
    Reply
  • Cassie
    December 18, 2015 · 12:11PM:
    Looks heavenly!
    Reply
  • Gretchen | Gretchruns
    December 18, 2015 · 1:15PM:
    Looks amazing! I'm going to make this for myself..forget about gifting it ;)
    Reply
    • Anne
      December 18, 2015 · 4:18PM:
      Good plan ;)
      Reply
  • Brittany December 18, 2015 · 1:58PM:
    I'm hoping Santa brings me a food processor for Christmas; I'll totally be making this to break it in! #nutbutterfanatic
    Reply
  • Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday
    December 18, 2015 · 2:12PM:
    This looks divine! I love making my own nut butters!
    Reply
  • Jen@jpabstfitness
    December 18, 2015 · 2:31PM:
    mmmm- looks incredible!
    Reply
  • Jen@bubblyrunner.com
    December 18, 2015 · 4:41PM:
    Oh my gosh this looks amazing!!!! I love anything gingerbread and I love all nut butters, and this would be amazing in a warm bowl of oatmeal. Can't wait to try!
    Reply
    • Anne
      December 18, 2015 · 4:46PM:
      Ooo yes it would!
      Reply
  • Erin M. December 18, 2015 · 5:56PM:
    YUM!! This sounds and looks so good!
    Reply
  • Jen December 18, 2015 · 10:25PM:
    Any suggestions for a substitute for the molasses? I live in Korea and it's one of the (many!) things I can't find here!
    Reply
    • Anne
      December 19, 2015 · 8:17PM:
      You could probably leave it out... it just won't be quite as gingerbread-y!
      Reply
  • Rachel Spencer
    December 19, 2015 · 3:43AM:
    I've seen gingerbread art and it's just so amazing. I'm going to use this recipe to get started with it :)
    Reply
  • Sarah Hurd
    December 19, 2015 · 10:40AM:
    Great tip about adding the cinnamon and molassas at the beginning - I never would have known the consequences of adding at the end!
    Reply
  • Alison December 19, 2015 · 5:51PM:
    Sounds delicious! And I love that it can double as a festive holiday gift!
    Reply
  • Alison December 21, 2015 · 12:04PM:
    This looks delicious! How long do you think it will keep for? And, does it need to be kept in the fridge?
    Reply
    • Anne
      December 21, 2015 · 8:34PM:
      Probably a couple weeks? I always just use the "does it smell or look weird?" test, but I know that's not super scientific. :) I wouldn't store in the fridge as it would get hard. Enjoy!
      Reply
  • Jo Lynn Stern February 12, 2016 · 3:45PM:
    I've made this twice and it turned out great both times. It's terrific on raisin toast with slivered almonds and bananas. It'll be hard to go back to almond butter when this last batch runs out! Thanks for the great recipe. FYI--I stored mine in the fridge and it stayed smooth and creamy.
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 12, 2016 · 4:15PM:
      Excellent, that's great to know about the fridge!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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