Herb Butter

This compound herb butter is a flavorful mixture of butter and a combination of herbs. It’s one of my favorite recipes that takes anything from a standard steak recipe to the likes of green beans or potatoes to the next level.

You can use any kind of butter that you like from the regular stick of butter in your fridge to a European-style butter from the store or a specialty shop.

Likewise, you can customize the herbs — anything from fresh parsley or fresh basil to fresh rosemary and fresh thyme work well (you can see I’m a bit of a fan of using fresh herbs, but you can use dried, too, if necessary).

If this is your first time making delicious compound butter, you might find that you’ll want to keep this in the refrigerator on the regular.

From being a delicious topping for meats and an amazing spread for bread to elevating any veggie dish you make, this homemade herb butter is just as able to take your simple weeknight dinner to the next level as it is to wow a crowd at your next gathering.

Common Questions about Herb Butter

What is herb butter made of? 

Herb butter is a simple combination of butter with fresh herbs. Once it is combined and refrigerated it can be sliced and served or used in food preparations.

How long does herb butter last? 

You can keep herb butter in the refrigerator for about 1 month or 6 months in the freezer.

Can I leave the butter out overnight?

Technically, the answer is that you can leave the butter out of the refrigerator for brief periods (1-2 days) but we recommend keeping it chilled in the refrigerator. 

Storage

It’s easy to store this butter in the fridge or freezer, especially since it doesn’t take up much space. 

Refrigerator: Keep the butter in the parchment paper or store it in a ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 1 month.

Freezer: Store the butter in a freezer-safe container, tightly wrapped in a piece of plastic wrap, or in a plastic freezer bag for up to 6 months. You can also store individual portions in an ice cube tray and remove the small cubes as you need them.

Tips For the Best Herb Butter

This simple recipe doesn’t require a whole lot of finesse but there are a few tips to make it the best.

• Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature so it is easy to mix. 
• Chop the herbs into somewhat uniform sizes and mix them together well so that they are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.

Ingredients

Only a few simple ingredients from the grocery store (and perhaps your garden) are needed to make this easy recipe.

• Unsalted butter (softened)
• Chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary)
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need 

Simple supplies are all you need for this herbed butter.

• Stiff silicone or rubber spatula, hand mixer, or stand mixer
• Large mixing bowl
• Parchment paper or wax paper

How to Make Homemade Fresh Herb Butter

You’ll have this butter herbed and refrigerated in a matter of minutes.

1. Add the softened butter, herbs, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.
2. Completely combine all of the ingredients.
3. Spoon the mixture onto parchment paper. 
4. Cover the mixture and roll it into a log shape.
5. Close the parchment on both ends by twisting.
6. Allow the log of butter to set in the refrigerator.

How to Use Herbed Compound Butter

There are so many ways to use this incredible herbed butter but these are a few of our suggestions.

• Vegetables – Add herbed butter before or after roasting or grilling fresh vegetables.
• Potatoes – This is a great way to add flavor to potatoes. Pat some butter on a baked potato, serve it melted as a dipping sauce for french fries, or mix it into mashed potatoes.
• Meat dishes – Place a generous amount on top of a variety of different meats like grilled steak, chicken, or pork for added juiciness. You can also pack ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey around it for burgers bursting with extra flavor.
• Bread – Crusty fresh bread, naan, and pita are all great dippers when it’s melted (or you can spread the butter over top). It’s also perfect for garlic bread or to spread on dinner rolls.
• Seafood – Dip steamed shrimp, lobster, or other seafood into melted compound butter.

Why You Should Make Homemade Compound Butter with Herbs

Who doesn’t love butter? It’s even better with fresh herbs!

• Easy – Just a minute or two of mixing and — voila! — you can roll it up and have it handy for any dish you want to use it in.
• Customizable – Vary the ingredients to make this a signature spread at your house.
• Accessible – Butter and herbs (and simple salt and pepper) are all you need.
• Versatile – There are so many ways to use this delicious butter.

Variations and Add-ins

You can easily flavor this butter in a bunch of ways.

• Salt – Change up the salt so that it’s one of your favorites. Sea salt works well as does Himalayan pink salt, and you can try flavor-infused versions, too. 
• Herbs – There are plenty of herbs that you can use for this recipe — choose whichever you prefer. You can also opt for dried herbs if you can’t find the fresh variety that you want to use.
• Spice – Make a slightly spicy version by adding crushed red pepper flakes.
• Garlic – Make a garlic herb butter by adding minced fresh garlic cloves or garlic powder. You can also use roasted garlic.
• Molds – You can use butter molds to shape and store the butter.
• Citrus – Add bright flavor with a dash of lemon juice or by shaving some lemon zest into it.

---

If you love this easy Herb Butter recipe, you’re going to love these other recipes that you can pair it with too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

Other Homemade Kitchen Staple Ingredients

Honey Cinnamon Butter

Italian Garlic Butter

Homemade Mayonnaise

Homemade Brown Sugar

---

---

---