Compound Butter

What Is Compound Butter?

Compound butter is basically a fancy name for garlic herb butter. You simply mash butter with flavorful ingredients, like garlic, herbs, and spices. I love using it over meats, veggies, or even slathered on warm bread!

• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter, so I can control the salt separately Salted butter works, though — just skip the extra salt. Grass-fed butter tastes the best (I love this brand), but feel free to use regular if that’s what you’ve got.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves if you can, so that you can press them through a garlic press. I prefer this for texture, but jarred minced garlic works. 1 clove equals about 1/2 teaspoon minced.
• Fresh Herbs – I went with dill and parsley for my basic compound butter recipe, but feel free to swap in other fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro, or chives. You can make compound butter with dried herbs, but let’s be real, it won’t taste as good. If that’s all you have, use 1 teaspoon dried to replace each tablespoon fresh.
• Sea Salt – You can add black pepper, but I usually season my food with it separately. For a kick, try adding cayenne or chili powder.

1. Press the garlic. Peel your garlic cloves, then press through a garlic press (I have and love this garlic press, pictured below).
2. Mash the butter. In a small bowl, mash the butter with a fork.

PRO TIP: Use room temperature butter!

Soft butter is way easier to mash and helps everything blend together smoothly.

3. Mix it all up. Mash the garlic, fresh herbs, and salt into the butter, until combined.
4. Refrigerate (optional). If you want to be able to slice it, place the herb compound butter mixture on a piece of parchment paper, plastic wrap, or wax paper, and roll into a log shape. Twist the ends to seal and refrigerate until firm. You can skip this step if you just want to dollop it over something right away.

5. Enjoy! Slice your herb butter log, and use in your favorite way. (See below for my favorite compound butter uses!)

Storage Options

• Store: You can use the softened butter right away, or refrigerate it for firmer pats. I usually keep a stick of butter in my butter dish on the counter, but compound butter is best chilled, since it has fresh herbs. (Plus, this allows you to slice it more easily.) It will last up to 1 month on the fridge, as long as your herbs were fresh to begin with.
• Freeze: You can keep compound butter in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. To freeze the whole batch, just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in a zip lock bag. Sometimes I like to smear tablespoons into a small ice cube tray, so that I can use individual portions — I just got this one and love how easily the pieces pop out!

Ways To Use It

There are so many ways to use homemade compound butter! One of them deserves it’s own section. 😉

Compound Butter For Steak:

The #1 reason I make it! Using compound butter for steak is an instant way to add richness and take your steaks to a whole new level. Try it with some of my steak recipes:

• For every day – My sirloin steak recipe is my most popular affordable cut. You can also whip up a reasonable sirloin tip steak, grilled steak, or garlic butter steak bites.
• For special occasions – I have to admin, these are my weakness, and I sometimes make them even when there’s no event. My fave is filet mignon, but you can also use compound butter for ribeye (pictured below), New York strip, London broil, or even surf and turf.

Other Uses:

• Poultry – My favorite way to use compound butter on chicken and turkey is to tuck it under the skin. Try it in my recipes for spatchcock chicken, roasted turkey, air fryer chicken legs, or roasted chicken thighs. For lower heat cooking methods, like my slow cooker turkey breast, you can just slather it on top. I also love adding a dollop to my juicy chicken breast after baking.
• Seafood – My favorite is my pan seared salmon, but you can also use this in place of regular butter for pan seared scallops or pan fried cod, or for dipping chunks of broiled lobster tail or crab legs.
• Vegetables – Add it to my sauteed green beans, sauteed asparagus, or sauteed cabbage in the last couple minutes of cooking for a garlicky, buttery finish. I also love blending it into cauliflower mash.
• Potatoes – I always toss my air fried potatoes with a little butter at the end, but they’re even better with this compound butter recipe. This method works with roasted sweet potatoes, too.
• Bread – Use your favorite kind! I like to slather it on my gluten-free almond flour bread after toasting.

With so many ways to use it, it’s no wonder I always have a log of compound butter in my fridge! And once you try it, I bet you will, too.