{"id":1978919,"date":"2024-04-09T17:32:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T22:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=1978919"},"modified":"2024-05-14T12:37:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T17:37:06","slug":"cowboy-butter-recipe","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/cowboy-butter-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboy Butter"},"content":{"rendered":"
It’s hard to trace the origins of every viral recipe, but it seems likely that cowboy butter originated at a tiny, now-closed New York City restaurant called Mr. Donahue’s. There, it sided dishes like gorgeous herb-crusted prime rib<\/a>, duchess potatoes<\/a> and lemon-almond asparagus<\/a>. Soon, riffs on the restaurant’s secret seasoned butter recipe became an internet sensation.<\/p>\n Our cowboy butter recipe is robustly seasoned with garlic, shallots and a wide array of spices, bringing tons of flavor to any dish. You can make the butter in batches and store it in the fridge or freezer so it’s available whenever you want it. Use cowboy butter to spruce up weeknight dinners and wow your party guests.<\/p>\n In its original iteration, cowboy butter was a sauce of butter that was melted and flavored with herbs, spices and alliums (all the delicious plants related to onions and garlic). Our version is more like compound butter, a fancy name for softened butter mixed with stuff to make it taste even better! Once the flavorful ingredients are blended in, the butter is rolled into a log and chilled. It can then be sliced and placed on top of hot foods to make an instant sauce.<\/p>\n In a small bowl, whisk together the softened butter, shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, horseradish, chives, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper.<\/p>\n Transfer the butter mixture to a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll it up into a log. Refrigerate until chilled.<\/p>\n Editor’s Tip:<\/em> To wrap the butter log, place the butter mixture on the center of the wrap. With your hands, flatten and roll into a cylinder shape. Twist the ends in opposite directions to shape into a roll.<\/p>\n Unwrap the butter log, and cut into slices or place on a butter dish to serve.<\/p>\n Cowboy butter is a natural complement to grilled meats<\/a>, especially grilled steak<\/a> and other cuts of beef. It’s wonderful as a topping on baked potatoes<\/a> or tossed with potato cubes or wedges before roasting them. Slather cowboy butter over steamed or grilled sweet corn<\/a> for a perfect summertime treat. Making burgers or sandwiches? Put some room-temperature cowboy butter on the bread or the buns, or use it as the butter spread for garlic bread<\/a>. Cowboy butter would also be fun to include on a butter board<\/a>.<\/p>\n Store wrapped cowboy butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.<\/p>\n Compound butter like this freezes really well. Store it wrapped and in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months. To use, let it thaw in the refrigerator a bit before slicing.<\/p>\n If the butter is separating, it might be because it’s too warm. You want the butter to be room temperature soft but not liquified. When mixing all the ingredients, be sure to whisk vigorously. You can also put the bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes and then whisk it again. To ensure super-smooth butter with no streaks, put it in a blender or food processor.<\/p>\n If you want to serve cowboy butter as a dip, melt the butter first, and then mix in all the remaining ingredients. You can also melt refrigerated or frozen cowboy butter until it’s liquid and warm. Serve it as a dip or drizzle for fresh bread or biscuits, seafood like lobster, and roasted veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cowboy butter is a delicious, seasoned spread that can be slathered on steaks or burgers, dolloped on baked potatoes or rubbed on grilled corn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7061,"featured_media":1991272,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"tags":[305989,305982,304328,305487,304338,305003,304988,340638,303887,306848,305014,305018,304350,324623,303883],"categories-v2":[311724,311717,308984,310796,308992,308949,308935,340804,308478,309603,308957,308959,309001,309177,308476],"coauthors":[341951],"recommended_recipes":[{"post_title":"Cowboy Cookies","post_link":"\/recipes\/wyoming-cowboy-cookies\/","post_image":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/EXPS_TOHVP24_792_MR_07_09_1.jpg"},{"post_title":"Cowboy 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Butter","post_link":"\/recipes\/easy-strawberry-butter\/","post_image":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Strawberry-Butter_EXPS_TOHD24_92725_AbbeyLittlejohn_05.jpg"},{"post_title":"Cowboy Beef Dip","post_link":"\/recipes\/cowboy-beef-dip\/","post_image":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Cowboy-Beef-Dip_EXPS_GBBZ20_40682_C10_16_2b.jpg"},{"post_title":"Butterfinger Ice Cream","post_link":"\/recipes\/butterfinger-ice-cream\/","post_image":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/EXPS_TOH_SUM25_45591_DR_01_29_06b.jpg"},{"post_title":"Texas Cowboy Stew","post_link":"\/recipes\/cowboy-stew-2\/","post_image":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/EXPS_TOHD24_275186_SarahTramonte_6.jpg"},{"post_title":"Cajun Butter","post_link":"\/recipes\/cajun-butter\/","post_image":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Cajun-Butter_EXPS_TOHD24_36279_JackieAlpers_03.jpg"},{"post_title":"Buttery Cajun 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together the softened butter, shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, horseradish, chives, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper.","image":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Cowboy-Butter_TOHAM25_217204_P2_MD_04_18_2b.jpg?fit=700,1024"},{"@type":"HowToStep","name":"Make a butter log","text":"Transfer the butter mixture to a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll it up into a log. Refrigerate until chilled. Editor's Tip: To wrap the butter log, place the butter mixture on the center of the wrap. With your hands, flatten and roll into a cylinder shape. Twist the ends in opposite directions to shape into a roll.","image":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Cowboy-Butter_TOHAM25_217204_P2_MD_04_18_3b.jpg?fit=700,1024"},{"@type":"HowToStep","name":"Slice and serve","text":"Unwrap the butter log, and cut into slices or place on a butter dish to serve.","image":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Cowboy-Butter_TOHAM25_217204_P2_MD_04_18_6b.jpg?fit=700,1024"}],"recipeYield":"3\/4 cup","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Suzanne Podhaizer"}],"nutrition":{"@type":"NutritionInformation","calories":" 72 calories","fatContent":"8g fat (5g saturated fat)","cholesterolContent":"20mg cholesterol","sodiumContent":"137mg sodium","carbohydrateContent":"1g carbohydrate (0 sugars","fiberContent":"0 fiber)","proteinContent":"0 protein."},"aggregateRating":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":0,"reviewCount":0,"worstRating":1,"bestRating":5}},"video":{"data":{"status":204},"message":"No shortcode found in recipe"},"rms_legacy_id":"217204","romance_copy_dek":"Cowboy butter is a delicious, seasoned spread that can be slathered on steaks or burgers, dolloped on baked potatoes or rubbed on grilled corn.","enhanced_recipe_title":"Cowboy Butter","rms_legacy_data":{"RecipeCategories":null,"Ingredients":[{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1\/2 cup butter, softened","IngredientText":"1\/2 cup butter, softened"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1\/2 shallot, minced","IngredientText":"1\/2 shallot, minced"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1 tablespoon lemon juice","IngredientText":"1 tablespoon lemon juice"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1 tablespoon Dijon mustard","IngredientText":"1 tablespoon Dijon mustard"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley","IngredientText":"1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1 tablespoon prepared horseradish","IngredientText":"1 tablespoon prepared horseradish"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"2 teaspoons minced chives","IngredientText":"2 teaspoons minced chives"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1 garlic clove, minced","IngredientText":"1 garlic clove, minced"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme","IngredientText":"1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1\/4 teaspoon kosher salt","IngredientText":"1\/4 teaspoon kosher salt"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1\/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper","IngredientText":"1\/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1\/8 teaspoon paprika","IngredientText":"1\/8 teaspoon paprika"},{"CampaignId":"","IsBrandedIngredient":false,"Ingredient":"1\/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper","IngredientText":"1\/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper"}],"FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/tmbidigitalassetsazure.blob.core.windows.net\/rms3-prod\/attachments\/37\/1200x1200\/Cowboy-Butter_EXPS_TOHAM25_217204_P2_MD_04_18_6b.jpg","RecipeId":217204,"AttachmentSourceId":null,"AttachmentSource":"Taste Recipes","PhotoCredit":"Cowboy Butter Recipe photo by Taste Recipes","VideoCode":null,"RecipeAttachmentFileName":"Cowboy-Butter_EXPS_TOHAM25_217204_P2_MD_04_18_6b.jpg","ContributorId":null,"Firstname":"Taste Recipes","Lastname":"Test Kitchen","City":"Milwaukee","StateDescription":"Wisconsin","IsCommunityCook":false,"ContributorAttachmentFileName":"https:\/\/cdn3.tmbi.com\/toh\/Recipe\/testkitchenapproved.png","TimeCallout":"Prep\/Total Time: 15 min.","MinimumServingQuantity":12,"MaximumServingQuantity":12,"Yield":"3\/4 cup.","DigitalTitle":"Cowboy Butter","SubmittedTitle":"Cowboy Butter","RecipeTypeId":1,"AverageRating":0,"WebPublishedDate":"4\/9\/2024 5:32:34 PM","ContestPlacementId":null,"FbImage":"FB_TOHAM25_217204_P2_MD_04_18_7b.jpg","PreparationTimeInMinutes":15,"CookTimeInMinutes":0,"TotalTimeInMinutes":15,"ServingDescription":null,"IsTestKitchenCertified":true,"IsContestWinner":false,"IsFieldEditorRecipe":false,"IsCommunityRecipe":false,"PublishedProjectTitle":"Cowboy Butter","OriginalSourceProject":"Cowboy Butter","ContestPlacement":"","Trailer":null,"Metadescription":null,"AboutRecipeTitle":null,"AboutRecipe":null,"DigitalHeadnotes":"This cowboy butter blends herbs, aromatic garlic, shallot and spicy horseradish, paprika and cayenne pepper for a flavorful taste. 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Cowboy Butter Ingredients<\/h2>\n
Taste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
Directions<\/h2>\n
Step 1: Make the cowboy butter<\/h3>\n
Taste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Step 2: Make a butter log<\/h3>\n
Taste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Step 3: Slice and serve<\/h3>\n
Taste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Recipe Variations<\/h2>\n
\n
How to Use Cowboy Butter<\/h2>\n
Taste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
How to Store Cowboy Butter<\/h2>\n
How to Freeze Cowboy Butter<\/h2>\n
Cowboy Butter Tips<\/h2>\n
Taste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Why is my cowboy butter separating?<\/h3>\n
How do you serve cowboy butter as a dip?<\/h3>\n