Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Compound butter: It’s the thing you’re missing in your life — and your meals

Compound butter is magical flavor bomb will make all of your dishes shine

By

If you’re looking for an easy, instant upgrade to just about any dish, compound butter is the way to go. When you’re looking for ways to add flavor to a dish, you can’t go wrong with infusing butter, already the world’s most perfect food, with fresh herbs and savory flavors like garlic and shallots. If you’re wondering how to make an over-the-top magnificent bird this Thanksgiving, the answer is compound butter. A steakhouse-quality steak for date night at home? Compound butter. Roasted vegetables with a complex, buttery sauce straight from your fridge? You get it.

So how do you make this magical ingredient? And how can you be sure you always have it in a moment of need? Read on to find out how to make compound butter, learn different recipe ideas you can try, and discover why you need to make a big batch of this buttery beauty ASAP.

Recommended Videos

What is compound butter?

Sliced butter on paper on wooden cutting board.
Sea Wave / Shutterstock

Compound butter is simply butter mixed with other ingredients and used as a savory flavor bomb to just about anything you can cook up. It can be used soft and spreadable, rubbed under the skin of chicken or turkey, or even as a wonderful topping for bread or crackers. Butter boards, anyone? One of the truly wonderful things about compound butter, though, is that it can also be chilled, sliced, and used for individual portions. One slice of this heaven-sent goodness melting atop a hot-from-the-skillet seared pork chop is simply out-of-this-world delicious.

Related: 
Upgrade your daily routine with the best smartwatches for men

How long will it stay fresh?

hands cutting butter on a cutting board.
Photo by Rafael Andrian on Scopio

Sealed tightly in plastic wrap or a zip-top bag, homemade compound butter can last in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Conveniently, it also freezes beautifully and will keep in the freezer for up to six months. But we promise, you’ll go through this stuff long before you hit that mark.

How can I incorporate compound butter into my cooking?

butter board
Aubrey's Kitchen

In just about any savory dish where you’d use butter, you can substitute compound butter. It does absolute wonders for a dish when spread over any piece of protein before it cooks. Whip up a large batch and rub underneath the skin of a turkey before it’s roasted for the most flavorful and moist bird you’ve ever prepared. Don’t forget that all of that flavor goes directly into the gravy as well (when you use the pan drippings), so the flavor will generously spread out to almost every dish on your Thanksgiving table. This method works perfectly for other poultry as well. You can also spread it into the cavity of fish before grilling for a succulent and flavorfully flakey catch.

When compound butter is soft, you can even simply use it as a spread on a crudité platter. The ingredients you’ve used will infuse into the silky butter and create one of the most addicting, savory dips you’ve ever tasted.

After compound butter has been chilled, it can be sliced and put on top of  almost anything for a tasty buttery boost. Place a round on a hot juicy steak, a peppery and wonderfully gamey lamb chop, a perfectly roasted piece of salmon, or a delightfully earthy steamed artichoke. Toss a few slices into a pureed sauce or soup for velvety texture and added complexity. The possibilities are endless.

What ingredients should I use?

fresh honey.
Benyamin Bohlouli/Unsplash

This is where cooking gets fun. While there are lots of compound butter recipes out there, you can use absolutely anything you want in your version. What are your favorite herbs? Toss some in. Can’t get enough Cajun seasoning in your cooking? Put as much as you want into your compound butter. Even unexpected ingredients like soy sauce, pesto, or hot sauce are incredible when incorporated into compound butter. If you’d like to add a bit of sweetness, honey mixes in gorgeously and is a welcome accompaniment to many dishes. For your morning bagel, a sweet mixture of butter, honey, cinnamon, and brown sugar would be amazing. Maybe drizzle in some maple syrup to amp the sweetness way up. Let your inner chef out by trying new flavor combinations. It’s really hard to mess this one up.

The compound butter recipe below is our favorite mixture of savory ingredients. It makes for an incredibly delicious spread when soft. When it’s chilled, you’d be hard pressed to find any savory dish in which it won’t shine.

Herby lemon compound butter recipe

Lindsay Parrill/The Manual

When you discover how easy it is to make your own compound butter and how incredibly tasty the results are, you’ll never be without a batch in your refrigerator or freezer.

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • Juice from one lemon
  • Zest from one lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix all ingredients together, using a spatula to fully combine. *Note: If you’re using your compound butter soft, you can simply stop here. You’re done. See how easy that was?
Lindsay Parrill/The Manual
Lindsay Parrill/The Manual

2. Scoop butter mixture onto a large piece of plastic-wrap and roll into a log shape, using the sides of the plastic to form the shape. No need to touch the butter directly and get greasy fingers.

Lindsay Parrill/The Manual

3. When the log is formed, twist the ends of the plastic, creating an air-tight seal. Chill for at least two hours, until the butter has hardened.

Lindsay Parrill/The Manual

4. Slice and serve on top of anything you please.

Lindsay Parrill/The Manual
Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…

Editors’ Recommendations

Helpful wine terminology so you sound like you know what you’re talking about
Every pursuit has its buzzwords
White wine in a glass

There’s always something to be learned in the vast world of wine. Knowing a bit of the language will keep you from getting lost in translation and potentially buying something you might not like. Plus, you’ll sound informed the next time you’re in a tasting room or perusing a bottle shop, online or in person.
So, while you study up on outstanding regions like Alto Adige and unique styles like white pinot noir, pack this handy term guide with you. The list is a combination of winemaking terminology and the words industry types like to use to describe wines and their very specific styles. It might just expose you to your new favorite bottle or producer.
But first, let's start with wine terminology fundamentals. Someone has poured you a glass of wine, and told you what the varietal is -- maybe it's a malbec or a chardonnay or a blend of different grapes (more on varietals later). What's the first thing you notice? The color -- is the wine butter yellow or brick red? Next comes the nose: What do you smell? Citrus, or perhaps dried cherries?

Now, take your first sip. What's the mouthfeel? Is the wine light or heavy? What other sensations are there besides the taste? If it's a red, there could be tannins, which impart a sandpapery feeling like apple peels or strong black tea. Conversely, white wine's structure usually comes from acidity, which can present like lemon peel or yuzu. Lastly, notice the finish -- does the wine linger on the palate or get out quickly? How do the flavors resolve?
Now that you have a glass in hand, let's get specific

Read more
A beginner’s guide to sweet red wines: Why they’re more exciting than you think
It's not just for red meat anymore
Glass of red wine with fruit and ice on table

When it comes to wine, it's really more about the exceptions than the rules. You could be forgiven for thinking that a glass of red should be robust like a Bordeaux or earthy like a California cab. At any rate, it should be "dry," right? Oh, no, budding wine enthusiast. I'm here to tell you about some red wines that are literally toothsome. It all started when I had my first glass of a fizzy, sweet Lambrusco, along with an Italian dessert pastry featuring dark chocolate and burnt meringue, and life got noticeably better.

Let's start with the basics: What makes a wine sweet? The answer is simple -- the amount of residual sugar left after fermentation. Grapes tend to be sweet, after all, and yeast eats sugar to produce (among other things) alcohol. By stalling the fermentation process (or back sweetening the result), a wine can taste sweet, regardless of whether the grape varietal is red or white. (There's also a thing called "noble rot," scientifically known as botrytis cinerea. Although it's a fungus, it imparts a distinctive sweetness to wines and therefore we love it.) Let's visit the wonderful world of sweet red wine.
Sparkling sweet reds: It's a thing

Read more
How much protein is in steak? Here’s a breakdown of how much you’re getting
Steak and protein: How much you’re actually getting
Steak on a cutting board

Steak has long been deemed an excellent protein-packed food, loved by fitness enthusiasts, unabashed carnivores, and anyone who enjoys a hearty, satisfying meal. But how much protein does steak actually contain? And how does it compare to other protein sources? In reality, how much protein in steak or any other food source for protein depends on various factors, such as the portion size.

If you're looking to get the most out of your steak—whether to build muscle, begin a high-protein diet, or simply to make informed nutritional choices—this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about steak and its protein content.
How much protein is in a serving of steak?

Read more