Herb butter recipe – The ingredients

Types of butter

• Butter comes in three different varieties. Sweet cream butter tastes mild and creamy and has a slightly sweet note. The flavor is ideal, for example, for truffle butter.
• Mild acidified butter is the most common variety in our supermarkets and has a tangy taste. It harmonizes perfectly with strong seasonings, such as in tomato or garlic butter
• Sour cream butter is less common and considered higher quality. Lactic acid bacteria contribute to its maturation. In the other two types of butter, the cultures are only added at the end of the production process. Sour cream butter also tastes strong and pleasantly tangy.

Fresh herbs

• You can easily use fresh herbs when in season, straight from the garden, or buy them at the market. Supermarkets also offer many herbs in pots all year round. We strongly advise against fresh herbs in plastic packaging. In addition to an increased risk of bacterial contamination, the packaging is anything but environmentally friendly. In that case, frozen herbs are better!
• After washing, you should always dry the herbs well so that the herb aroma is not watered down. Dried herbs are less suitable for making herb butter because they have a firm consistency.

Optional ingredients

• Lemon or lime give herb butter a refreshing note. You can use three tablespoons of pressed lemon juice per pack of butter or grate the zest of a lemon or lime. We definitely recommend organic quality. Conventionally grown citrus fruits are often heavily sprayed. Truffle butter should never be combined with citric acid.
• Cream cheese makes your herb butter lighter and softens the aroma. You can replace 125 g of butter in our recipes with the same amount of cream cheese.
• Chili gives herb butter a spicy note and can even be combined with truffle butter.
• Parsley is an all-rounder and harmonizes with a wide variety of herbs. It even goes well with wild garlic and cilantro!

What does herb butter go with?

You can perfectly serve herb butter with bread as an appetizer. A special delicacy is pull-apart bread with herb butter. Classic versions go well with meat and fish, especially trout. You can also make herb butter without garlic and onions, depending on your preference. The herbs provide a strong aroma and are quite sufficient for seasoning.

Food Pairing

• Bread & Baguette
• Baked potato
• Meat & fish (especially trout)
• Grilled and pan-fried vegetables
• Stuffed mushrooms
• With potato and vegetable purees
• Fried tofu

More recipes at Leni & Hans

One of the most popular recipes is tomato butter with dried tomatoes. Spicy and intense, this herb butter gives meat dishes and green vegetables a delicate flavor.

• Tomato butter with dried tomatoes

Garlic butter is, of course, the hit at every barbecue party. Paired with homemade bread, you have the perfect appetizer. And if there are leftovers, you can excellently pan-fry dumplings & co. in garlic butter.

• Garlic butter with fresh herbs

Wild garlic butter is a great alternative to the classic and tastes milder. If you gather the leaves yourself, you should know what you're doing. But the effort is worth it! Wild garlic butter is a highlight with salmon and asparagus.

• Making your own wild garlic butter

Truffle butter is a real treat for the palate and can be made without much effort using truffle oil. True truffle fans enjoy this delicacy best on a slice of white bread or with egg dishes.

• Truffle butter

Basil butter with lemon harmonizes perfectly with meat & fish. You can serve this herb butter excellently with baguette and tomato salad. A delicious appetizer!

• Basil butter with lemon

Thyme butter with lemon zest is a pure flavor explosion and goes excellently with beef steak or grilled trout. This herb butter refines mushroom and potato dishes with a magnificent note.

• Thyme butter with lemon zest

How much herb butter should I plan for per person?

One pack of butter (250 g) is usually enough for six to eight people. If there are leftovers, you can simply freeze the herb butter in small jars. Therefore, we recommend for a culinary evening: Better too much than too little!

Enjoyment tip: Beyond the season or for quick gourmets, you can make herb butter with high-quality spice blends.

Presenting herb butter decoratively

• Anyone with their own garden can beautifully serve herb butter with flowers. The calyx of nasturtiums looks beautiful and tastes pleasantly spicy. Or you can decorate your herb butter with daisies or wild pansies. You should know what you are doing when choosing flowers and not experiment. Plants can be poisonous!
• Butter rosettes decorate every buffet. Simply fill the soft herb butter into a piping bag and pipe small portions onto parchment paper. Chill and serve.
• A traditional decoration is the butter stamp. You can get the wooden stamp in different designs and thus give your herb butter an individual touch.

Little Kitchen Know-How

How many calories does herb butter have?

Butter has about 700 kcal per 100 g. If you have to watch your figure a little, you can reduce the butter in our recipes by half and replace it with cream cheese. Only with truffle butter should you forget the calories and enjoy the aroma to the fullest. Truffle is difficult to combine with cream cheese.

Can I also make herb butter vegan?

You can replace butter with margarine in our recipes. We recommend a high-quality vegetable fat for making herb butter. Inferior products have an oily taste and a very soft consistency. For vegans, herb and flavored oils are a great alternative. You can serve them with bread just like herb butter and use them to season dishes.

Where does herb butter come from?

Herb butter comes from haute cuisine. The French traditionally serve the delicacy with garlic and parsley with snails.

The origin of the popular recipe, however, lies in Geneva. In the 1930s, the first herb butter was created there at the famous Café de Paris.

Shelf life and storage

You can store homemade herb butter in the refrigerator for a week without hesitation. We recommend closing the container or butter dish airtight. This way, the herb flavor is best preserved and the often intense aroma does not transfer to other foods in the refrigerator.

You can make herb butter in batches and freeze it for up to half a year. Depending on your needs, you can use an ice cube tray or small jars for portioning.