Compound Butter: How to Flavor Almost Anything

Just a little something extra added to simple food can make a dish special. Compound butter or flavored butter can be that little something extra. Having one or two of these butters in your fridge is an easy way to impart flavor quickly.

Compound butter is a cinch to make and you’ll enjoy creating your own flavors! It’s really just butter that has been mixed with additional ingredients. Bring your butter to room temperature. Stir in your additions. After mixing it up, chill it as a log of butter wrapped in parchment paper or added into a mold. When it’s time to flavor your food, slice a bit off your log or pop it out of its mold. Easy Peasy.

Compound Flavor Ideas

Chipotle Honey Butter
Fine Herbes with Citrus Butter
Cajun Butter
Ventura Spice Butter
Honey Mustard Butter
Herbes de Provence Butter
Toasted Sesame Seed with Oregano Butter

Flavor butter with herbs, citrus, honey, or spices. Almost anything goes!

Steak Frites is a classic French meal of steak and french fries. It sounds simple–and it can be–but the crispy potatoes and rich juicy steak come together into something that feels very special and fancy!

So what should I do with this compound butter?

Melt it on top of a really good steak

Amp up the flavor of steamed veggies
Smear it under chicken skin before roasting
Dab a bit on french bread before toasting it
Adorn a baked potato with new flavors
Pair a sweet butter with waffles or cornbread
Spice up plain fish

Salted Butter or UnSalted Butter?

Cooking with unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content in your recipes and is what we usually use when cooking or baking. When creating compound butter, we throw that rule out the window! The added salt is a welcome addition for most savory butters and even sometimes for sweet butters.

Courses Cooking Techniques

Difficulty Beginner

Compound Butter Recipe

Each Recipe begins with:

1 stick Butter (softened butter, 4 ounces)
¼ teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Ventura Spice Add-in Ingredients:

1 ½ teaspoons Ventura Spice (Start with unsalted butter as Ventura Spice has salt)

Herbes De Provence Add-in Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Fine Herbs with Citrus Add-in Ingredients:

⅛ teaspoon Lemon Peel
½ teaspoon Orange Peel
2 teaspoons Dill Weed
½ teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Honey Chipotle Add-in Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder
1/4 teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Honey Mustard Butter Ingredients

2 tablespoons Honey
½ teaspoons Hot Mustard Powder
1/4 teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Cajun Butter Ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Mediterranean Seeded Butter Ingredients

2 tablespoons Sesame Seeds (Toast over low heat, Allow to cool before adding to butter.)
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Pacific Sea Salt (Or start with salted butter)

Instructions

Place room temperature butter in a medium bowl.
Add in any of the above combinations. Stir until completely combined..
Mound onto a piece of parchment paper, waxed paper or plastic wrap.
Shape into a log about 5-6" in length. Wrap paper or plastic wrap around the log.
Twist the paper or plastic wrap at the ends to seal the butter. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Can be stored chilled for up to a week. Or store in the freezer in a plastic bag for up to 6 months.

Note

Butter can also be chilled in a small ramekin, covered with plastic wrap, for at least two hours. Use as you would butter on the table for warm bread or rolls!