Do you know how to make jalapeño butter? Because everybody needs a kicky butter to slather on their corn, their green beans, their biscuits, and their steak, right? This spicy compound butter is super easy to make, too.
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Jalapeño butter is a compound butter
That just means it’s butter that has been mixed with other ingredients for flavor. Often that means herbs, spices, garlic, or lemon zest, but many things can be blended into soft butter, including hot peppers!
How to make compound butter by hand
- You’ll start with room temperature butter. If yours is cold from the fridge, let it sit out for several hours (I leave mine out overnight) until it gives when you press on it. Don’t let it get so soft that it begins to melt.
- If your in an awful hurry you can soften your butter in the microwave, I put a stick or 2 in, micro in 5 second bursts, giving the stick or sticks a quarter turn after each 5 seconds. 20- 25 seconds should do it, and if not, add another 5.
- You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. With unsalted you can add the salt to your taste.
- Make sure your herbs or add-ins are clean and dry. Finely chop or mince them.
- Put the butter into a bowl and blend in your ingredients until they’re evenly incorporated. Don’t over work the butter, you don’t want it to melt. I find a flexible silicone spatula works well for this.
- Soon the butter into a small jar, or form it into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
- The butter will stay fresh for at least a week.
How to make compound butter with a food processor
- Alternatively you can use a food processor to make your butter, and that’s what I did today. A food processor works well when you want your add-ins to be actually blended right into the butter.
- Depending on the amount of butter you’re making, you may need a smaller sized food processor. A regular food processor will work for larger amounts.
- Add your herbs or other flavorings to the bowl of the processor and pulse to break them down into a fine mince. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the soft butter and continue to pulse/process until everything is well combined.
- Proceed as above.
Can you freeze compound butter?
- Yes! That’s the perfect way to preserve this jalapeño butter.
- You can make a big batch and freeze it in smaller amounts to pull out as needed.
- You can fill glass or plastic freezer safe containers with the butter and freeze them, or you can form the butter into small log shapes, then wrap in plastic wrap and twist the ends to secure. You can smooth out the log of butter as you wrap it. Put the logs into freezer bags. Be sure to label.
- Your butter will be great for up to 6 months.
How to use jalapeño butter ~
Funny how something so simple can have such a big impact on so many foods…
- Slathered on hot corn on the cob.
- With cornbread and biscuits.
- On steamed vegetables like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus.
- Topping a steak or burger.
- Over mashed potatoes, polenta, pasta, or rice.
- In a tomato sandwich.
- Melted in a skillet for scrambled eggs.
- spread on a warm corn tortilla or a crusty wedge of bread.
- I know I’m forgetting something fabulous…what would you do with it??
You’ll thank me when you’re enjoying that great corn on the cob, with jalapeño butter dribbling down your chin 🙂
More proof that jalapeños rule!
How to Make Jalapeño Butter
How to Make Jalapeño Butter ~ everybody needs a spicy butter to slather on corn, veggies, biscuits, and steak, and this compound butter is easy to make.
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 2-3 jalapeño peppers, depending on the heat level of the peppers, and your tolerance for heat
- 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Remove the stems and give the peppers a rough chop. Add them, seeds and all, to the bowl of a small food processor and pulse/process until they're finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the butter to the processor and run until the butter and peppers are completely smooth and combined. Scrape down sides again as needed.
- You can store the butter in a small tub or you can turn it out onto plastic wrap and form it into a log shape. Wrap it in the plastic and twist the ends to secure. This way you can slice it.
- Use your butter right away or refrigerate until needed.
- Makes 1 cup
Notes
The heat of hot peppers is concentrated in the seeds and veins, so I use these in my butter, along with the green flesh. If you want less heat in your butter, remove them first.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Tbsp · Calories: 102 kcal · Carbohydrates: 0.1 g · Protein: 0.1 g · Fat: 12 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 0.5 g · Cholesterol: 31 mg · Sodium: 91 mg · Potassium: 8 mg · Fiber: 0.05 g · Sugar: 0.1 g · Vitamin A: 373 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 4 mg · Iron: 0.01 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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My use is a bit unconventional, but as a lover of jalapenos, I am always looking for new ways to infuse jalapeno flavor into things. I made your jalapeno butter, froze it, then when it thaws just a bit I use a small cheese grater to shave off bits of the butter into popcorn, kind of like those butter melt flakes but with nice, spicy jalapeno flavor. It’s so yummy and works better than just tossing in pickled jalapenos (which make the popcorn soggy) or using jalapeno flavored powders (some can be too salty, and some don’t capture the true jalapeno flavor-no to mention that you need a binder so it sticks to the popcorn).
I’d love this on my Jersey corn Sue! Bet it’d be totally delish, Pinned and excited to try!
Hope you love it Mary Ann 🙂
Sue what I love about your blog is that you’re not above sharing the simplest of recipes, I love this, and never would have thought to try it , thank you!!
I share what inspires me, whether it’s simple or complicated, and frankly, some of my favorite foods are dead simple.
I made your Red Pepper Jelly. You listed apple cider vinegar as an ingredient but neglected to include it in the directions. I enjoy your recipes but this one was not very spicy. Guess I need more hot peppers.
Hey Susan, that was corrected and the vinegar is now in the directions. The red pepper jam was formulated to be more of an in-between level of spiciness, but you can always feel free to up the heat, I do!!
I want to make this! Have you ever tried using roasted or grilled jalapeños for this butter? What a yummy way to use up summer peppers.
Now that’s a genius idea, I’ll try it!
Yes…roasted would be yum too! And I think I’d add some garlic too. Going to make this soon! Thank you!