The decadence of butter is no secret. It’s a foundational ingredient for classic French cuisine and the trump card of many restaurants. (If you’ve ever wondered why the home-cooked imitation of your favorite restaurant dish isn’t quite hitting the same, chances are you aren’t using enough butter.) Combine butter with some supplementary savory ingredients or aromatics, and you have yourself an extremely powerful flavor bomb. Compound butters, or beurre composé, are very common in French cuisine, but simple versions can be found everywhere. For example, the garlic butter atop grocery store garlic bread or the cinnamon and brown sugar butter served with a short stack of pancakes are both prime examples of compound butter. However, compound butter can take many forms and can be used to instantly turn some protein or vegetables into an incredibly flavorful meal. The best part? Compound butter will keep in the fridge longer than you’ll ever need it to, so having it around makes quick dinners a cinch. Making compound butter is incredibly easy. Place all the prepared ingredients in a bowl and go to town with a fork or whisk. A stand mixer makes this even faster! For best results, mince your supplementary ingredients and aromatics as small as possible before combining with the butter, and allow the compound butter to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using. Here are 5 unique compound butters (not your average garlic-herb butter) alongside some ideas on how to use them in your meals.

Garlic Miso Butter

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2-3 cloves (8g) garlic (crushed or minced)
• 2 tbsp (20g) miso paste

Sundried Tomato Herb Butter

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 4-5 sundried tomatoes, about 20g (finely chopped)
• ~1 tsp (3g) fresh parsley (chopped)
• ~1 tsp (3g) fresh basil (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt

Lemon Dijon Butter

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp (10g) Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp (7g) honey
• ~1 tsp (3g) fresh thyme (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp (2g) black pepper
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt

Sesame Gochujang Butter

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 tbsp (5g) untoasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp (20g) gochujang
• 1 tsp (5g) sesame oil

Garam Masala Butter

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 cloves or 8g of garlic (grated)
• 1/2-inch knob or 8g of ginger (grated)
• 1 tbsp (7-8g) garam masala
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt

5 Unique Compound Butters

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Ingredients:

Garlic Miso Butter Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2-3 cloves (8g) garlic (crushed or minced)
• 2 tbsp (20g) miso paste

Sundried Tomato Herb Butter Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 4-5 sundried tomatoes, about 20g (finely chopped)
• ~1 tsp (3g) fresh parsley (chopped)
• ~1 tsp (3g) fresh basil (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt

Lemon Dijon Butter

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp (10g) Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp (7g) honey
• ~1 tsp (3g) fresh thyme (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp (2g) black pepper
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt

Sesame Gochujang Butter Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 tbsp (5g) untoasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp (20g) gochujang
• 1 tsp (5g) sesame oil

Garam Masala Butter Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 cloves or 8g of garlic (grated)
• 1/2-inch knob or 8g of ginger (grated)
• 1 tbsp (7-8g) garam masala
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt

Instructions:

1. Place all the prepared ingredients in a bowl and go to town with a fork or whisk. A stand mixer makes this even faster!
2. For best results, mince your supplementary ingredients and aromatics as small as possible before combining with the butter.
3. Allow the compound butter to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using.