10 Flavored Butter Recipes

The Quickest, Easiest Way to Perk Up Everything from Steak to Vegetables

Butter

Goydenko Liudmila / Getty Images

Flavored butter, also called "compound butter" doesn't sound like something you'd make for kids. It sounds like a fancy chef term for something that belongs in a five-star restaurant.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Flavored butter is just butter that has been mixed with herbs, spices or other flavorings. You can make it sweet or savory, and kids love it.

Imagine smearing pineapple butter on zucchini bread. Or putting a dollop of garlic herb butter on corn on the cob. It takes a dish from boring to fantastic in minutes.

And the best part is it only takes about five minutes to make compound butter. You can make just enough to serve with whatever you're eating, or make a bigger batch, roll it into a log, and refrigerate or freeze to have for future meals.

Here's the basic method for all of the recipes below:

  • Take 1 stick (1/2 cup) of softened butter and place it in a mixing bowl. Add the flavorings in the quantities specified in the recipes below. Stir with a spatula (easy to do when the butter is soft enough). Or if the butter is too firm, use a food processor to whip the butter first, then stir in the flavorings.
  • Form the butter into a log shape and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Slice off 1/4-inch thick pieces of the flavored butter and use it on steak, chicken, fish, grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, toast, muffins or quick breads. You can even toss it into pasta or add it to sauces for extra flavor.

And here are seven delicious flavored butter recipes:

  1. Garlic Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley, pinch of kosher salt or sea salt. Spread this on Italian bread for the best garlic bread you'll ever taste.
  2. Herb Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil, 1 Tbsp. finely-chopped oregano, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley, minced, 1 tsp. lemon zest. This butter works great on steak, chicken or under the skin for your Thanksgiving turkey.
  3. Mexican Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. lime zest. Stir this butter into rice or use on flank steak or corn on the cob.
  4. Poultry Seasoned Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper. This is another great recipe for roast turkey or chicken.
  5. Smoky Tomato Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1 drop liquid smoke, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained. This recipe is great on flank steak, grilled chicken, or grilled asparagus.
  6. Strawberry Butter: 1 cup frozen strawberries, 3 to 4 Tbsp. powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. This recipe should be made in the food processor. Put the strawberries in first, and pulse to break up into small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed and proceed according to the master recipe. This recipe is perfect for muffins, bagels, toast or quick breads, like chocolate zucchini bread with coconut.
  7. Cranberry Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, zest of 1 orange. Serve this cranberry butter on Thanksgiving and Christmas with muffins, quick breads, vegetables (it tastes great on roasted or steamed green beans), or even just on turkey.
  8. Cinnamon Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar. This warmly-spiced butter tastes great on zucchini bread, banana bread, and muffins of all kinds.
  9. Orange Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup orange marmalade. Chocolate and orange are such a terrific pairing. Use this butter for rocky road muffins.
  10. Pineapple Butter: 1/2 cup butter, 18-oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained. This is the perfect flavored butter for pumpkin bread or carrot muffins.
1:09

Watch Now: Simple Garlic Butter Recipe for Garlic Bread