Easy Paw Paw Butter Recipe

Last week a friend of mine invited my son and I over to forage for pawpaw fruit from his tree. He was away, so we had a time even finding the tree. It was much larger than we expected, but the fruit is well hidden from view. We ended up googling a photo of the tree to locate it on his property. We've been fruit picking before, but it has always been at a large orchard or farm - where it's a little more structured. The idea of going out in the woods to find fruit was exciting. My son absolutely loved the adventure of going and foraging for fruit.

I've loved making jams and jellies for many years. Frequently I resort to a quick jam, rather than breaking out all the canning equipment which can be an all day project. Since we have a load of fresh pawpaws, I decided to whip up this paw paw butter recipe to enjoy them.

If you find yourself with some paw paws to spare, give this jam recipe a try. It can be canned in a water bath, but I just chose to jar it up and store it in the refrigerator. It makes 4-8 oz jars.

What Are Paw Paws?

If you don't have paw paws where you live, they are a fruit native to the Eastern United States. They are the largest indigenous fruit to the United States. While this fruit is very common to the area, it is not readily available unless you know where to pick it. It doesn't keep for more than a day once picked, so it's not possible to sell fresh at the market. You can keep ripe fruits for about a week in the refrigerator once picked.

Luckily my dress had pockets because we found a lot of fruit. We ended up with several pounds of fruit. I tried to get my son to taste it, because he was so excited to pick it, but that was a no go. He's not a very adventurous eater, although he does like seeing where all the food comes from. I have hope that he'll broaden his palate when he's older. (He might be afraid to eat it, but he's not afraid to stick it in his nose!)

What do Paw Paws Taste Like

Paw paws have a really fragrant tropical perfume smell.  The inside has a custard-like texture, with large black seeds that you do not eat. They have a tropical taste, some describe it as banana/mango/cantaloupe mix.

How to Make Paw Paw Butter

• STEP 1: Remove the skins and seeds from the pawpaws. Add the pawpaw pulp, water and lemon juice to a sauce pan.
• STEP 2: Heat the mixture over medium heat until bubbling, then allow to cook for 10 minutes.
• STEP 3: Add the sugars, spices, vanilla extract, bourbon (if using) and pectin to the pawpaw mixture. Whisk well until the dry ingredients have dissolved.
• STEP 4: Continue to cook for about 30 minutes until the jam passes the spoon test.
• STEP 5: Transfer to clean jars and store in the refrigerator or do a hot water bath if you want longer storage.

What Time of Year Do Paw Paw Trees Bear Fruit?

In North Carolina, our pawpaw season is the first few weeks of September. In other areas they begin to ripen in late summer (mid-August).

Can I eat the Paw Paw skin?

Do not eat the skins or the seeds of the paw paw.  They are toxic to humans.  Remove and discard them before making this recipe.

More snack recipes to consider:

If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.