What is Compound Butter?
Compound butter is butter that’s blended with other ingredients to make a flavorful spread, like this pesto butter. It’s a quick way to enhance meals like pasta, steak, and boneless leg of lamb. For more butter recipes, try my savory bone marrow butter, chimichurri butter, or onion butter.
Key Ingredients
- Pesto: Use your favorite homemade or store-bought pesto. The butter is a great way to make the most of any leftover pesto from meals like pesto ricotta pasta or orzo pesto pasta salad.
- Butter: Opt for unsalted butter so you can control the saltiness.
- Garlic: Include two fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Salt: Adjust the amount of salt according to the type of butter or pesto you use as the base so it isn’t overly salty.
Additions and Substitutions
- Don’t have enough fresh basil? Substitute some of the basil leaves for baby spinach leaves or arugula.
- Experiment with pesto flavors. Swap traditional basil pesto for pistachio pesto, walnut pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, arugula pesto, or AIP pesto to meet your dietary needs.
- Spice things up. Add red pepper flakes or chopped peppers like jalapeños or serrano chiles for some heat.
Tools You’ll Need
I combine the butter and pesto with a fork because I hate doing extra dishes. You can use a food processor, hand mixer, or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to whip the pesto butter into a velvety, smooth texture.
How to Make Pesto Butter
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Leave the butter at room temperature until it becomes soft and spreadable, for 30 minutes to an hour.
Step 2: Meanwhile, pulse the garlic cloves, pine nuts, and kosher salt for the pesto in a food processor to combine. Then, add the grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves. Stir olive oil into the pesto mixture until incorporated and set aside.
Step 3: Add the softened butter, pesto, garlic cloves, and kosher salt (if using) to a small bowl or plate and use a fork to mash them together until well combined.
Preparation Tip
Combine the ingredients in a food processor if you don’t want to do it by hand.
Step 4: Use the butter immediately, or prepare plastic wrap or parchment paper and transfer the butter mixture onto it. Shape it into a log, roll it tightly, and twist the ends to secure it. Store the butter in the refrigerator until it hardens. Then, slice it into rounds for later use.
Whip up the easy pesto butter recipe and pair it with one of these dinner recipes!
How to Use Pesto Butter
Whether you throw together a quick dinner or want to make a dish pop, you can add pesto butter to just about anything! Spread it onto Dutch oven sourdough bread, pao de sal, or garlic bread for a quick, flavor-packed snack or side dish.
Melt it over ribeye or bison steak, grilled chicken drumsticks, or fish for a fresh-tasting finish. You can also stir a dollop into cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or fluffy rice.
The easy-to-make compound butter is a tasty addition to vegetables, such as air fryer broccoli and cauliflower, roasted potatoes, or air fryer zucchini and squash.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the pesto compound butter in an airtight container for one week. You will have some leftover pesto sauce, so transfer what you don’t use to an airtight container or glass jar for one week.
- Freeze: Wrap the butter in plastic wrap or parchment paper and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Pesto butter freezes for 6 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the butter in the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to soften the butter?
Leave butter on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour to soften so it’s easy to mix.
More Pesto Recipes:
Pesto Butter
- Small Bowl or Plate
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
- 2 clove garlic cloves, minced
- kosher salt, as needed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Leave the butter at room temperature until it becomes soft and spreadable, for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Meanwhile, pulse the garlic cloves, pine nuts, and kosher salt for the pesto in a food processor to combine. Then, add the grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves. Stir olive oil into the pesto mixture until incorporated and set aside.
- Add the softened butter, pesto, garlic cloves, and kosher salt (if using) to a small bowl or plate and use a fork to mash them together until well combined.Tip: Combine the ingredients in a food processor if you don't want to do it by hand.
- Use the butter immediately, or prepare plastic wrap or parchment paper and transfer the butter mixture onto it. Shape it into a log, roll it tightly, and twist the ends to secure it. Store the butter in the refrigerator until it hardens. Then, slice it into rounds for later use.