Everyone Is Making This Cowboy Butter Right Now—We Can See Why

4.8
(5)
3 Reviews
1 Photo

You'll want to put this easy-to-make, flavorful compound butter on everything.

By
Marianne Williams
Marianne Williams
Marianne Williams
Marianne has been writing and testing recipes in the test kitchens for Dotdash Meredith since 2016. She studied at the International Culinary Center, in New York, and the International School of Italian Cuisine, in Italy, under highly esteemed chefs and graduated in 2015.
Allrecipes' editorial guidelines
Updated on November 21, 2023
Tested by
Amanda Stanfield
Amanda Stanfield
Tested by Amanda Stanfield
Amanda Stanfield is the Food Studio Coordinator and Recipe Tester/ Developer at the Dotdash Meredith. She completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and strategic communications at Hampton University. After graduation, Amanda worked in the nonprofit sector as a marketing associate for a global nonprofit organization for 3 years. In 2018, she pivoted into the food industry and began training in fine-dining restaurants around Atlanta. Later she gained her culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University and went on to work in a variety of kitchens from boutique restaurants to conference hotels. Her work has been featured on Eatingwell.com, Southern Living, People.com, Food & Wine, and Allrecipes.com. As a true foodie, Amanda seeks out nutritious and unique flavors to inspire others to eat happily and healthily. When she's not cooking up delicious recipes, you can find her lap swimming in the pool or watching a good sci-fi movie. She's a member of MAPP a non-profit supporting women-led food organizations. You can follow her adventures @amandaeight. Her go-to kitchen must have? A sharp chef's knife.
Meet the Allrecipes Test Kitchen
1
a top down view of a colorful snack board served with two forms of cowboy butter.
Active Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
Servings:
8 servings
Yield:
8 tablespoons
Jump to Nutrition Facts

Compound butter recipes are simple to make, fun to customize, and perfect for flavoring any dish. And this cowboy butter might just be the best version we've tasted. It's vibrant in many ways, from the orangey hue, to the lemon zest notes, to the kick of heat. Cowboy butter is the dip you never knew you needed for chow time.

What Is Cowboy Butter?

As mentioned, cowboy butter is just a compound butter at its core—softened butter combined with sweet or savory herbs and spices. Where cowboy butter stands out is in the ingredients that get mixed in: There is a perfect balance here of acid from the lemon, tang from the mustard, spice from the chili, paprika, and red pepper, and freshness from the garlic, chives, parsley, and thyme. What you get is a bold, smoky-yet-bright condiment that evokes the Wild West and a spot at the campfire with your fellow ranchers.

a top down view of a colorful snack board served with two forms of cowboy butter.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

How to Make Cowboy Butter

The hardest part of this recipe is probably waiting for the butter to soften (we have some tricks for that) and chopping up the garlic and herbs. That is to say, it couldn't be easier to put together. Simply mix all the ingredients with your favorite butter and shape it into a log or whatever form you prefer. Once your cowboy butter has firmed up, it's ready to go.

Recipe Tips

This recipe was developed in our test kitchen. Here are some tips and tricks from culinary experts to make the process easier:

  • Be sure that the butter is completely softened. Otherwise, the mixture may have streaks and take much longer to get a homogenous finished product.
  • Of course, if you're serving it as a dip right away, you can use melted butter and skip the softening step altogether.

The Best Ways to Use Cowboy Butter

Cowboy butter can be added as solid slices over top hot dishes so that it flavors the food as it softens. It can also be spread on cornbread or melted before serving and used as a dip for grilled steak in true cowboy fashion.

Other than the traditional steak pairing, smokey, spicy, herbaceous cowboy butter—with a nice punch from Dijon and lemon—is delicious on chicken, pork, fish, roasted veggies, bread, crackers, and more. It's really very versatile.

Our test kitchen experts noted that this recipe would also work well with herb and spice variations if you need to substitute anything from the list. Swap in cilantro and lime for a different flavor profile, try spicy brown mustard instead of Dijon, use dried herbs if you don't have fresh, or add cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce to raise the heat.

a piece of steak being dipped into cowboy butter.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

How to Store Cowboy Butter

If you don't use up all the butter in one sitting (how?!), it can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for two weeks and in the freezer for up to six months. Which also means you can prepare it ahead, to boot.

Editorial contributions by Andrea Lobas

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

  • 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (from 1 bunch)

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (from 1 [1/2-ounce] package)

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1/2 teaspoon fresh juice (from 1 lemon)

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (from 1 [1/2-ounce] package)

  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    all ingredients to make cowboy butter gathered in small bowls on kitchen counter.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Stir together butter, garlic, parsley, chives, mustard, lemon zest and juice, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, thyme, chili powder, and crushed red pepper in a medium bowl until well combined.

    spices and seasoning mixed thoroughly with softened butter.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Transfer butter mixture to a large sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and roll into a log, shaping as needed. Holding both ends of plastic wrap, twist the log until taut and uniform in shape. Refrigerate for 2 hours for flavors to meld and for mixture to firm up.

    butter wrapped in plastic wrap and rolled into a log.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. To serve, remove from refrigerator and cut into slices. Top steak, seafood, vegetables, or spread onto bread. Alternatively, melt and use as a dipping sauce.

    compound butter chilled and being sliced on a wooden cutting board.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

108 Calories
12g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 108
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 7g 36%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 197mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g 1%
Vitamin C 2mg 3%
Calcium 13mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 31mg 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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