Cowboy Butter is flavored butter that can be used as a dipping sauce or formed into a log to use as a spread. It’s delicious when served with steak, turkey, chicken, and more. In fact, you have to try it with my Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin!
What is Cowboy Butter?
Cowboy Butter is a concoction of a multitude of flavors added to butter to use as a dip or as a spread, also known as compound butter. Butter is flavored with herbs and spices with a little kick from added cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. It would be a perfect addition to your Surf and Turf Butter Board!
Ingredients
Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe. If you use salted butter, you may want to reduce or eliminate the added kosher salt.
Mustard: I prefer Dijon mustard in the cowboy butter, but you could also use yellow mustard if that is what you have on hand. It will just slightly alter the flavor.
Fresh Herbs: Both fresh parsley and fresh thyme are added to the butter. If you only have dried herbs, use about a teaspoon of each (as opposed to a tablespoon of fresh).
Lemon Juice: There is just a hint of lemon flavor in the butter. I have another recipe, Cowboy Sliders, where I omit the lemon juice. But on any meats, fresh lemon juice is a must!
Spices: You will need paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. The cayenne and red pepper flakes do not add too much heat, but you could leave them out if preferred.
How to Serve Cowboy Butter
This butter can be used as a spread and a dip. It pairs well with all kinds of meat, from chicken to steak to pork. In addition, use it to saute vegetables, add flavor to pasta or rice, or serve with air fryer french fries. Another way to enjoy cowboy butter is to spread it on a French baguette or your favorite slice of bread.
Can I Make this Ahead of Time?
Sure! This seasoned butter can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last up to 5 days.
Freezing Cowboy Butter
Compound butter like this one can be frozen. I recommend rolling the butter into a log and wrapping it in parchment paper or wax paper. After wrapping it, store it in a freezer-safe container for up to 4 months. When ready to use, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Cowboy Grub
Cowboy Butter
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon coarse Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme,
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the softened butter, dijon mustard, chives, parsley, thyme, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Mix together until combined. This will make about ⅔ cup of butter. (You could also mix the ingredients in a food processor.)
- To make a compound butter: Scoop the cowboy butter onto a piece of plastic wrap. Roll the butter into a log shape, pressing and shaping as you go until the butter is completely wrapped in plastic. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap together and refrigerate until firm (2 hours up to overnight).
- To make a butter dip: Melt the mixture in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
I don’t normally comment on recipes, but I made this go with some tomahawk steaks a few days ago. I put the cowboy butter on a dish with some homemade cheesy bread as an appetizer, and my guests devoured it. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh yay!!! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Thanks for this great feedback! I relish when my guests devour my dinners. I’m making this this weekend!
Easy, flavorful, lots of uses.
If it doesn’t say “fresh garlic, minced” do I assume you mean minced garlic from a jar/can? After looking over quite a few of your recipes it looks like you sometimes say “fresh garlic,” and sometimes not. I would just assume you would use garlic cloves in this butter, if you’re going to the trouble of fresh parsley, chives, and thyme. Sincere question, not trying to be snarky! 🙂
Hi Vonda! You can use either freshly minced or the garlic from a jar. I do prefer fresh but have definitely used it from a jar! 🙂
Thank you!
Thank you for your recipe….. I have make cowboy butter before But lost my recipe…. I look at the ingredients And they really sound good…. I made a double batch to give half of it to a friend…. I’m getting ready to sachcock a chicken and sliver some under the skin Before I put it on the grill….. It will be so yummy…… We had it on homemade jalapeno Cheddar cheese toast this morning and it was Awesome…….
I just made this and used it for steak bites. Was fantastic. I saw a recipe yesterday that had horseradish in it and made it 🤢🤢 DO NOT RECOMMEND 0/10. thank you for not adding unesseary ingredients to your recipes that dont make sense and dont taste good. Your recipe is perfect AS IS!!!!!
the fresh ingredients really put it over the top. I used this on my smoked feast this weekened and there wasn’t a meat people didn’t add it to.
I know I should wait till I make this to leave a comment, but I KNOW this is going to be delicious drizzled over so many things. Thank you, Amanda, for another great recipe!
This is the best cowboy butter I’ve ever tried. I saw one on tiktok and made it from their video and then went searching for the recipe again and found yours and yours is by far the best. I think its the lemon???? Whatever combination you did is magical amazing delcious and you are right it goes with everything. I am trying the cowboy mushrooms next because my boyfriend loves mushrooms and I love this butter!!!
Can you use lime instead of lemon?
I froze this. It’s excellent on steak. I put a couple thick slices on some big raw shrimp with fresh bread crumbs in an oven-proof ramekin, then splashed in some white wine and extra garlic – Under the broiler til brown and sizzling. Yum
Microwaves are not good
Then don’t use one.
Might be nice if some of the questions were answered. I am asking the same question as another person, can you use dried herbs instead of fresh
There is valuable information about the recipe right in the blog post.
This is what it says:
“Fresh Herbs: Both fresh parsley and fresh thyme are added to the butter. If you only have dried herbs, use about a teaspoon of each (as opposed to a tablespoon of fresh).”
Can’t wait to go to the grocery store and make this. Mushrooms sound like they would be delicious. This easy recipe I can make in senior living
I just made these for dinner tonight. I used the exact amounts that the recipe called for only in dried. It was delicious. I also hadn’t made the butter ahead of time, so I just put butter and herbs in the frypan and slowly melted. Then followed the recipe after adding the mushrooms. As I said they were excellent, so probably even better if you make the compound butter ahead.
Of course you can use dried herbs! I started making compound butter since the early 80.
The only things I don’t put in it fresh garlic because I get sick from it so I always used garlic powder. I put dried parsley in it to. I also leave out the hot pepper flakes.
it’s so easy to make! Amanda’s is fabulous!! she has so many wonderful recipes!!
How much cowboy compound butter do you use to fry the mushrooms in
It says to double the recipe.
How much compound be you sure to cook the mushrooms
Here is the recipe:
https://iamhomesteader.com/cowboy-mushrooms/
Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!
My 17 year old son ate this and asked me to make more.
He puts it on EVERYTHING! Thank you yet again for sharing.
Made this today and it was GREAT!
I’ve used this recipe many times at the restaurant i work at and its really elevated the quality of our steaks! Appreciate it!
Can dried herbs be used instead?
My 17 year old son ate this and asked me to make more.
He puts it on EVERYTHING! Thank you yet again for sharing. I highly recommend it on bacon, egg and cheese on bagel breakfast sandwiches
It would be beneficial if you go back and read her article before the recipe details. Near the end of her article she says, “Fresh Herbs: Both fresh parsley and fresh thyme are added to the butter. If you only have dried herbs, use about a teaspoon of each (as opposed to a tablespoon of fresh).”.
Crushed red pepper flakes equals chilli flakes in Australia right? Or is it more like capsicum/dried bell peppers?
I would think that you are correct on that with the chili flakes.
Crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes is a condiment or spice consisting of dried and crushed red chili peppers.
Love this
Why does it only last 5 days?
Put it in the freezer to last longer
Jeff, you didn’t answer the question. Freezing Cowboy Butter was addressed in the blog. I wonder why its says only lasts 5 days refrigerated.
It is fresh ingredients, that’s why.