How to make flavoured butter at home – and why everyone’s doing it

Butter, but make it personal – this humble fridge staple is getting a major glow-up thanks to social media and a little culinary curiosity - (Getty)

Flavoured butter is having a moment – and it’s not just because we’re all trying to be the kind of person who serves a little something with bread.

Across TikTok and Instagram, creators are whipping up their own blends (hello, Buttertok) and at home, a new generation of cooks is discovering just how good a knob of compound butter can be.

According to Waitrose, searches for “flavoured butter” are up 444 per cent compared to this time last year, with garlic and herb butter sales up more than fivefold and even “chocolate butter” gaining traction – up 346 per cent in the last month alone. It’s part of a broader shift towards creative, fuss-free flavour, where the smallest additions make the biggest difference.

“Flavoured butters are the new kitchen essential and every home cook’s secret weapon,” says Will Torrent, Senior Brand Development Chef at Waitrose. “From savoury hits like garlic herb and blue cheese to sweet combinations such as chocolate butter – these flavoured butters are empowering home cooks to craft seriously impressive, personalised flavours. The possibilities are endless!”

So whether you’re slathering it on steak, folding it through pasta or melting it over veg, here are three butter blends worth making from scratch – no viral video required.

’Nduja butter

Think of this as the spicy condiment you didn’t know your pasta, steak or corn on the cob was missing – and it takes five minutes to make (Waitrose)

Serves: 4

Time: 5 minutes

Tip: Serve this butter with anything! Great with steak, shellfish, vegetables or folded through pasta.

Ingredients:

125g salted butter, softened

40g ’nduja

1 clove garlic, finely grated

½ unwaxed lemon, zest

Method:

1. In a food processor, pulse together all the ingredients until well combined and smooth. Taste and season if needed. Wrap and chill for up to 1 week in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months.

Stilton butter

Proof that blue cheese and butter were meant to be – slather it on steak, roast potatoes or let it melt into a hot jacket spud (Waitrose)

Serves: 4

Time: 5 minutes

Tip: Serve this butter with steak, roast beef, roast pork or with broccoli or cabbage.

Ingredients:

125g salted butter

125g Stilton

Method:

1. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat together the butter and Stilton until well combined. Taste and season if needed. Wrap and chill for up to 1 week in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months..

Cowboy butter

Social media’s favourite steak companion lives up to the hype – punchy, herby, a little spicy, and just as good on eggs the morning after (Waitrose)

An all-American favourite that’s been surfing a wave of social-media fame, not least because it’s a dream melted on steak. Eggs fried in the leftovers make for a next-level breakfast, too.

Serves: 6

Time: 10 minutes, plus chilling

Ingredients:

100g unsalted butter, softened

3 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tsp Dijon mustard

½ unwaxed lemon, zest of all, squeeze of juice

1 tbsp chives, chopped

1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp creamed horseradish

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a small blender and season and pulse to combine (or mash together in a bowl using a fork).
2. Shape into a log and wrap in baking parchment. Chill for at least 1 hour (keep in the fridge for up to week or freeze for up to 2 months).
3. Slice into discs and melt over cooked steak.

Read More

No pizza oven? No problem. Here’s how to make perfect pie at home

From Ottolenghi to Prue Leith: 6 recipes perfect for The Big Lunch table

No time to cook? A private chef’s hacks for eating more plants on a busy schedule

These easy shawarma mushroom flatbreads are all about max flavour, zero fuss

Beans, pesto and roasted tomatoes – an easy win when you’ve got no time to cook

Hate chia pudding? This lemon and blueberry version might convert you