Cowboy Butter Recipe Compound Butter And Dipping Sauce

What is Cowboy Butter?

Get ready to put some pep in your spurs! Cowboy Butter is essentially compound butter for steak, a mixture of butter with additional ingredients to provide amplified flavor. But although the taste is wildly exciting, the condiment is actually quite simple and easy to whip up in a blender. This crowd-pleasing recipe features tangy Dijon mustard with fresh lemon and herbs. We also add a few key spices like paprika and crushed red pepper to give the butter its signature spicy kick. (But don’t worry – it’s easy to adjust the heat to your tastes!) This robust butter sauce is widely popular on social media and in restaurants right now… And you are about to find out exactly what the hype is all about!

How Do You Use Cowboy Butter?

The most traditional uses for cowboy butter is with steak, either as a dipping sauce, or as a chilled compound butter on top. However, you can serve it with pork chops, chicken, fish, shrimp, over vegetables, and even as a garlic bread topper before toasting. Keep reading for some of our favorite dishes to pair with this fabulous seasoned dip or firm butter!

Ingredients You Need

Butter – unsalted butter, melted Dijon mustard – for an extra tangy taste Garlic – peel cloves but leave them whole if you are blending, or mince to make the compound butter by hand Lemon zest – the tartness brings together the luscious butter and fresh herbs Fresh herbs – chopped chives and parsley Spices – crushed red pepper flakes, ground cumin, and smoked paprika

How to Make Cowboy Butter

Note: You can make this recipe using a blender, or combine the ingredients by hand if you prefer. Here we list the steps to make in the blender while featuring images for making the compound butter to help you see the full process. Enjoy whichever method you like! Place the melted butter in the blender and add Dijon mustard. (Or add to a mixing bowl, if you want it chunky.) Add garlic. Puree until the mixture has emulsified and the garlic cloves are finely chopped. Add in the lemon zest, chives, parsley, crushed red pepper, ground cumin, and paprika. Pulse 2-3 times to blend the ingredients into the mixture. (OR stir vigorously to combine.) Taste, then add additional salt or spices if desired.

Recipe Variations

Dairy-free – Swap traditional butter with your favorite plant-based alternative to easily make this a vegan cowboy butter recipe. Fresh herbs – We love the addition of fresh chopped chives and parsley; however, feel free to omit either and/or swap with your choice of other herbs. Fresh cilantro is a great option! Spices – Cut back on the crushed red pepper or leave it out entirely for a mild compound or melted butter. Or, if you’d like, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the mix to really crank up the spicy flavors!

Serving Suggestions

We LOVE how versatile cowboy butter is! You can serve it warm as a butter dipping sauce, or you can chill it to use as a firm compound butter to melt over hot steak and other proteins. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use this spicy delicious butter: Spoon generous amounts of the melted butter mixture over grilled meats like tender slices of steak, chicken, or pork. It is particularly wonderful to add some luscious flavor to cuts of meat like hanger steak, skillet steak bites, and skirt steak! Add some excitement to veggies and enjoy as a dip with roasted, sautéed, air-fried or steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or any hearty veg. It’s also delightful for dipping hunks of crusty bread as an appetizer or side dish. Chill the mixture for 30+ minutes to make a fantastic scoop-able and/or sliceable firm compound butter. Slice off thick discs and add onto steaks or other proteins; we particularly love to let the butter melt over hearty steaks like porterhouse steaks, filets, ribeyes, or sirloin steaks. It also adds an extra level of juiciness to grilled chicken and salmon, Serve slices of the butter with corn on the cob, grilled veggies, or grilled artichokes to add some giddyup to your classic vegetable side dishes. And, if you are anything like me, you’ll love smearing a cool pat of compound butter onto warm pieces of bread. Or add it to garlic bread right before toasting. (Seriously, I could enjoy the combo of bread and butter any time of day.) Yum!