Easy Cowboy Butter

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Cowboy butter is now a regular feature in my kitchen. It’s a flavored compound butter, made with garlic, fresh herbs, lemon, mustard, paprika, and chili. It’s best known as a topping for steak, but it also works well with seafood, vegetables, and bread. The result is SO good and will definitely become a favorite in your house to serve with a host of recipes.

Why you will love this recipe
Ingredients
Substitutions and variations
Two ways to make cowboy butter (and when to use each)
What to serve with cowboy butter
How to make a simple cowboy butter
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
Frequently asked questions
Other recipes you might enjoy
Easy Cowboy Butter Recipe
Make-ahead and storage

The name “Cowboy Butter” has an origin that is a little hazy – some say it’s a modern steakhouse creation, while others think it’s a social media invention. Regardless, you will want to make it!

This guide shows you two ways to make it: as a chilled compound butter or a melted sauce, plus all the storage, pairing, and variation tips you may need. You could also try making Café de Paris Butter – it is so good.

Why you will love this recipe

This cowboy butter goes with many different dishes.
It only requires a handful of ingredients, which you likely have in your kitchen already.
It’s customizable – you can adapt it depending on your flavor preferences.
It’s so easy to make but full of flavor, adding a punch to simple grilled meats, fish, or bread.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter – I like unsalted as I can then control the salt level in the butter. Try to buy a good-quality block of butter, rather than spread.
Worcestershire sauce – I always use the classic Lea & Perrins brand. It has the best flavor.
Herbs – I used fresh parsley and chives, as I like the herbaceous flavor of parsley with the oniony flavor of the chives. You could use basil or cilantro (coriander), or other herbs too, if you prefer.

Substitutions and variations

Smoky chipotle cowboy butter: Add a little dollop of chipotle paste for smokiness.

Tarragon cowboy butter: I love adding tarragon to cowboy butter sometimes. It almost gives it a Café de Paris butter twist and is really delicious. You probably just need 3-4 sprigs.

Maple cowboy butter: For a sweet, salty twist, add 1 tbsp maple syrup to the butter. Or honey! (If you want a sweet butter, try my salted honey butter)

Texture: I like to make cowboy butter in a food processor. I just use softened butter and blitz the ingredients together, but you can also make it by hand. Or with an electric mixer too; you just need to make sure everything is very finely chopped first.

Two ways to make cowboy butter (and when to use each)

1. Chilled compound butter (room-temperature mixing then chill)

Texture: spreadable slices, easy to top hot steaks, so it slowly melts.
Best for: finishing steaks at rest, spreading on sandwiches.
Pros: easy to slice, prettier presentation.

2. Melted cowboy butter (melt, then combine)

Texture: a pourable sauce or basting liquid.
Best for: basting during grilling, serving as a dipping sauce for seafood.
Pros: more saucy and easy to drizzle.
Cons: it doesn’t last as long as a compound butter.

I like to make cowboy butter as a compound butter, but it’s totally up to you if you would prefer it melted.

What to serve with cowboy butter

You can serve cowboy butter on anything you like; it is butter after all, so it will make most things more delicious. I like to use it in sandwiches, serve it with steak (that’s a classic way), with shrimp or prawns (add the butter near the end to coat the seafood in it), or I like cowboy butter stirred into pasta with lots of Parmesan.

How to make a simple cowboy butter

Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.

Chopping chives and other herbs with shallots on cutting board.

ONE: Finely chop the shallot and herbs and grate a garlic clove.

Adding ingredients for cowboy butter to blender.

TWO: Place the softened butter in a food processor. Add the shallot, parsley, chives, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, chili flakes, salt, and black pepper.

THREE: Blend in the food processor until everything is well combined and the butter is mixed evenly with herbs.

FOUR: Spoon the butter onto a piece of parchment paper, pinch the edges of the paper, and roll into a log. Place in the fridge until firm to make it easy to slice. Or, keep it in a ramekin, covered, in the fridge.

Tips from Margie’s kitchen

Softened butter: it is really important that the butter for the cowboy butter is softened to begin with. Otherwise, it won’t mix together smoothly.
Finely chopping: don’t add the herbs whole to the food processor with the butter. Make sure they are at least roughly chopped before then blitzing it all together. Otherwise, you end up with long, straggly bits of chive that don’t get chopped up well.

Frequently asked questions

Is cowboy butter supposed to be melted or solid?

Cowboy butter can be either melted or solid. I prefer it as a chilled compound butter, as I like that it has multiple uses. But melted cowboy butter is great for drizzling. It just depends on what you prefer (see above for full breakdown).

How long does cowboy butter keep in the fridge or freezer?

Cowboy butter as a compound butter lasts around 2 weeks in the fridge, wrapped in parchment paper or in a butter dish. You can also freeze it for 3-6 months, but I find it is best fresh. I like to thaw it overnight in the fridge before using.

Can I use salted butter in cowboy butter?

Yes, just go slowly when adding salt to the cowboy butter. Taste it and see first.

how can i make dairy free cowboy butter?

Use a good quality plant butter – ideally a block butter (Flora Unsalted Block is a good one), or you could use an olive oil spread in place of the unsalted butter.

Other recipes you might enjoy

If you like this cowboy butter recipe, you may want suggestions on how to serve it. It’s excellent on a sirloin steak or rump steak, as well as in this rib eye steak frites sandwich.