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Homemade flavored butters are so easy to put together. Sweet or savory, compound butters melt beautifully over warm bread, grilled meats, fresh vegetables, or even pancakes and waffles. From herb-infused blends to jam sweetened versions flavored butters are quick to make, endlessly customizable, a delicious way to add a gourmet touch to everyday cooking and perfect for gift giving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick & Easy – Just a few minutes of mixing turns plain butter into something special.
Endlessly Customizable – From savory herbs and garlic to fig preserves, the flavor options are limitless.
Elevates Any Meal – Spread it on bread, melt it over steak or veggies, or swirl it onto pancakes for a gourmet touch.
Make Ahead Friendly – Flavored butters store beautifully in the fridge or freezer, so you can always have some on hand and perfect for holiday gift giving.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter
- Fig Preserves
- Fresh Cranberries
- Maple Syrup
- Orange Zest
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Chives
- Lemon Juice
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Onions
- Salt
How To Make Flavored Butter
Fig Butter
One of the easiest flavored butters to make is just a combination of butter and your favorite jam. I used Fig jam to make a flavored butter. Just add in 1/4 C of jam to 1/2 C butter. I just used my little food processor to make the butters. Just pop everything in and then pulse!
Cranberry Orange Butter
The second flavor I made was also sweet, Cranberry Butter. Cranberry butter is a combination of fresh cranberries, maple syrup, orange zest and of course butter! We loved this one. It would be yummy on pancakes or waffles too!
After I process the butter I but it onto a piece of wax paper and form it into a log.
Roll it up in the wax paper and twist the ends.
Add a bit of washi tape around it to dress it up a bit and add a tag and you have a nice little, delicious gift for some lucky person!
Garlic Herb Butter
I also made two savory butters. The Garlic Herb Butter is delicious and wonderful on warm bread or on top of a piece of meat or fish. I used some fresh chives and parsley from my garden but you could use your favorite combination of herbs and I am sure dry herbs would work also but fresh is always better!!
Roasted Red Pepper Butter
The second savory one is amazing. The color and the flavor! I used a combination of roasted red pepper, salt and green onions.
Because of the liquid in the roasted red pepper this butter doesn’t hold together as well as the others. I did make it into a log but had to freeze it so that I could cut it without it totally falling apart and it was still pretty crumbly. Next time I would just put it in a bowl and use it from there instead of trying to make it into a log.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Soften Butter First – Make sure your butter is at room temperature so it mixes smoothly with your add-ins.
- Roll & Chill – Shape the butter into a log using parchment or plastic wrap, then chill until firm. Slice into rounds for easy serving.
- Think Seasonal – Use fresh herbs in the summer, cozy spices in the fall, and sweet berry blends in the spring.
- Store Smart – Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn.
- Serving Ideas – Try garlic herb butter on steak, fig butter on biscuits and red pepper butter on bread.
- Quality butter –Â A good quality butter will have a better flavor and give you better results.
- Make Ahead – Make butter ahead of time and refrigerate to allow the flavors to develop before using or gifting
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does flavored butters last?
Flavored butter will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Either works! If you use salted butter, reduce or skip any extra salt in your mix-ins. Unsalted butter gives you more control over the flavor but you may want to add in some salt with your other mix ins.
Can I use dry herbs instead of fresh herbs?
Fresh herbs give the brightest flavor, but dried herbs work too. Just use about 1/3 – 1/2 of the amount since dried herbs are more concentrated.
Can I make flavored butter dairy-free?
Yes! Substitute a plant-based butter alternative. The flavor will vary slightly depending on the brand, but it still works beautifully.
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Flavored Butter Recipe
Ingredients
Fig Butter
- 1/4 cup fig preserves
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Cranberry Butter
- 1/3 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
Garlic Herb Butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Roasted Red Pepper Butter
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper drain off liquid
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Instructions
- For all butters, combine ingredients in food processor and pulse.
- Place onto a piece of wax paper and form into a log.
- Wrap in wax paper and twist ends.
- Refrigerate
Nutrition Facts:
Lori says
Hi. Do you soften the butter before you mix it in the food processor?
Leigh Anne says
Lori, I do soften it, I updated the recipe to reflect that – thanks!
Stella says
Thank you for the flavored butter recipes. I am going to make them soon.
Leigh Anne says
Stella, Enjoy the butters!
Linda Summers Butts says
How many people will one recipe serve approximately?I need enough for 250 people.
Leigh Anne says
Linda, It depends on what you are serving to put it on? Is it a roll? I would just figure how much butter you think each person will use, 1 Tablespoon?? and calculate from there.
Susan says
Hi, I love your recipes/site. Can you put the butters in a 4-oz. jelly jar?
Thank you and a very Merry Christmas.
Leigh Anne says
Glad you enjoy the blog and recipes! I think it would look darling in a little jelly jar and cute little bow!
Sarah says
Looks like I’m a little late to the flavored butter party… But I just tried this and I LOVE it! Had some lemon curd in the fridge, so I did half fig jam and half lemon curd in mine and paired it with French baguettes I made this afternoon!