Whether it's in my food, as a tea, in my bath water or even in a medicinal tincture, I love to add fresh herbs into my life in as many ways as possible. If you are new to herbs or just want a simple way to bring herbal goodness into your kitchen, making herbal butter is a simple and versatile way to do that!
Why make herbal butter?
Ahh, let me count the ways. Shall we start with the fact that herbal butter is delicious? Do you need another reason? You probably don't really need one, but I have one! Culinary herbs are good for you. They are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These herbs are also anti-inflammatory and have both glucose and cholesterol-lowering properties. Plus, according to Ayurveda, fresh plants are full of prana (life force). Eating fresh foods fills us with vibrant energy! Who doesn't need that?
Watch Me Make Herb Butters
What Herbs Should I Use
The options are endless. You can use almost any herb or spice that sounds good to you. I encourage you to experiment to see what you like, but here are some of my favorite herbs to use when making herb butter:
garlic
basil
chives
rosemary
thyme
cilantro and jalapeño
chili powder & cumin (great on rice)
I usually use just 1 or 2 herbs. However, if you make a bunch of different 1-herb butters, you can combine a little bit of each to make some more complicated and delicious combinations.
How to Use Herb Butter
You can use these butters to top potato or rice dishes, finish off meat after grilling, and butter toast.
Garlic butter on toast makes garlic bread. I like rosemary butter on sauteed/fried potatoes but prefer chive butter on mashed or baked potatoes. Basil butter is delicious on top of cooked cod. Both cilantro/jalapeno and chili/cumin are wonderful on rice. The options are endless!
How Long Does Herb Butter Last?
If you google this, you will likely see that most people say that it lasts about 5 days in the fridge or a couple of months in the freezer. In my experience, the butter usually lasts longer than that. I find that butters with softer herbs like cilantro and basil go bad faster, and butters made with only dried herbs last the longest. If it smells good, looks good, and tastes good, it's probably fine. Just be sure your fresh herbs have been washed and left to dry before you use them. This will help extend the life of your herb butter.
I would love to hear what you are going to make and how you are using herbal butter! Let me know in the comments!
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