Elevate simple meals with homemade herb butter. Learn how to use fresh herbs to make herb butter that’s delicious and easy to put together.
Lately I’ve been making my own butter from scratch, using nothing but heavy cream and a bit of salt.
Having all this fresh, softened butter has propelled me into the world of flavored butters, and of course, you’re coming along with me on this journey!
Herb butter was at the top of my list of flavored butters because Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and I love to have prepped flavor bombs ready to go for the holidays.
Let me tell you, herb butter is the ultimate secret weapon you can have in your kitchen.
It takes less than five minutes to make and can turn simple meals into incredibly delicious experiences.
With a bit of softened butter and fresh, homegrown herbs, you can make a batch of herb butter now, freeze it, and be effortlessly fancy later.
Especially helpful for when the holidays sneak up on you!
What You’ll Need to Make Herb Butter
You will need:
- Fresh herbs (whatever’s thriving in your garden or fridge)
- unsalted butter (store-bought or homemade)
- sea salt (I like using flaky sea salt for the crunch)
Hot Tip: Use the best quality butter you can find. I really like the flavor of Kerry Gold.
Want to see another recipe like this? Here’s how to make infused herb salt with fresh herbs.
How to Make Herb Butter
You’ll need to start with softened butter.
To do this, leave a stick on the counter for an hour or so, just until it’s spreadable.
You can speed this up if you’re short on time by filling a glass or bowl with hot tap water. Dump out the water, and place it upside down over the stick of butter so the butter isn’t directly touching the glass. In about 10 minutes or so, you should have softened butter.
Next, wash and dry your herbs. You’ll need about 2 Tablespoons of chopped herbs per stick (113g or 1/2 cup) of butter. Here, I’m using rosemary, chives, and sage.
Chop your herbs as finely as you can.
Once you finish chopping your herbs, do a second pass just to be sure it’s nice and fine.
Then combine the softened butter, herb confetti, and a teaspoon sea salt in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir everything together until combined.
Or if you don’t want to dirty more dishes, you can mix the ingredients on your cutting board with the flat of your kitchen knife à la Coldstone, like I did!
Would it have been easier to do it in a bowl? Yes.
But was it more fun this way? Yes.
Once you’ve got the herbs, butter, and salt all mixed together, have a little taste test. You don’t even need to get bread or a cracker or anything, just have the herb butter straight up.
Go on. I won’t tell.
Next, scoop your butter onto a piece of plastic wrap. I portioned out about half a stick (66g) of butter for mine. I like having small portions for the freezer.
Roll the butter up in the plastic wrap and twist the ends like a candy wrapper.
Shape it however you like—rectangles, rolls, hearts—whatever you want. It’s your butter.
Continue with the remaining butter (if you have any). Chill the herb butter in the fridge, or place in a freezer-safe bag and keep frozen until needed.
Freezing Herb Butter Will Make Future You So Happy
I highly recommend doubling or tripling this recipe and making a big batch of herb butter to keep portioned out in the freezer.
When wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept in a freezer bag, this butter will stay fresh for six months or more, which means you can stockpile summer herbs and get a taste of summer even in the middle of winter.
To use, just take a little log out and let it soften at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight.
Voilà. Instant flavor upgrade for mashed potatoes, roast veggies, fish, bread, or anything that needs that extra special something.
Herbalicious Flavor Combos to Try
Here are a few herb flavor mixes to try:
- chives, dill, lemon zest
- parsley, garlic, cilantro
- sage, thyme, rosemary
I’m also partial to just chives and good sea salt. This on mashed potatoes = ultimate comfort side dish.
How to Use Herb Butter Besides Just Spreading It on Toast
Sure, you can spread it on toast. You can spread it on a fluffy dinner roll.
Yes, it’s also amazing on sourdough bread.
But let’s get a little more creative than the obvious usage of herb butter.
- Spread slices of homemade herb butter under the skin of your turkey or chicken before roasting.
- Sub herb butter for regular butter in chicken & pumpkin pot pie.
- Melt herb butter on your roasted veggies.
- Swirl herb butter into gravies or savory sauces.
- Top a good ribeye steak with a slice of herb butter.
- Scoop herb butter on salmon and bake until cooked through.
- Mix with an equal amount of cream cheese to make copycat Boursin cheese.
- Toss a stick of herb butter with hot pasta noodles and Parmesan cheese for a quick and flavorful pasta dish.
Do this and every bite will taste like you worked twice as hard as you actually did. That’s the magic of herb butter.
A Final Note
Making herb butter is easy to do and adds a big burst of flavor to any dish
You can use leftover herbs or an abundance from the garden.
You can also choose to make your own homemade butter or simply soften a stick of store-bought butter.
No matter which route you take, you’ll end up with something special. Something that will give you a sense of satisfaction and pride every time you use it.
At Not Quite a Homestead, it’s not about doing everything from scratch all the time. It’s about these small, thoughtful touches that make life feel easier, more beautiful, and lovingly homemade.
I hope you try this recipe out and enjoy!
Herb Butter
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113g, softened
- 2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Chop herbs finely.
- Combine the softened butter, herbs, and sea salt in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir everything together until combined.
- Scoop your butter onto a piece of plastic wrap.
- Roll the butter up in the plastic wrap and twist the ends like a candy wrapper.
- Shape it however you like—rectangles, rolls, hearts—whatever you want. It's your butter.
- Continue with the remaining butter (if you have any). Chill the herb butter in the fridge, or place in a freezer-safe bag and keep frozen until needed.