If you haven’t noticed, I live for good butter. Once you ditch the mediocre sticks and start using the quality stuff, you’ll notice a difference in everything — from a simple slice of buttered sourdough to a bowl of fancy popcorn. It’s true that excellent butter doesn’t need anything to dress it up, but there is one way to make it fancier and even more flavorful: by making compound butter.

Compound butter is simple. Basically, it’s just butter mixed with other ingredients to give it a different flavor profile. But this easy-to-make condiment can do wonders in the kitchen.

“Compound butter is a simple yet elegant way to elevate your cooking,” says Jodi Moreno, the James Beard-nominated author of Simple Pleasures: Incredibly Craveable Recipes for Everyday Cooking. “By marrying butter with herbs, spices, aromatics or something sweet, it becomes a ready-to infusion that melts easily and luxuriously, adding depth, aroma and consistency. It can transform any dish into something special, whether it’s a garlic butter gracing a perfectly seared steak or some maple butter over a stack of warm pancakes.”

We Tasted and Ranked 12 of the Best Grocery Store Butters

Grab a baguette and go to town

Flavored butter is one of the recipes in the Essential Sauces chapter of Simple Pleasures, and it really emphasizes how easy it is to make. Not only does Moreno break down the process step-by-step, but she also provides recipes for some of her favorite flavor combos. Once you’ve made the compound butter, you can freeze it to have on-hand when you want to cook but don’t have a lot of time. “One of my favorites is a classic garlic chive butter that I use to baste steak,” Moreno says. “I also love miso butter for finishing fish or vegetables.”

In addition to Moreno’s compound butter recipes below, she has a few tips to keep in mind when making the condiment:

“Start by using a soft, high-quality butter. Use a high-quality unsalted butter at room temperature so it blends smoothly, and it will set you up for the best end result.”
“Balance and finely chop your add-ins. Mincing herbs, zest or other ingredients very finely will make sure they distribute evenly and keep flavors balanced.”
“Roll the finished butter tightly in parchment or plastic wrap, chill until firm, and slice into neat rounds to give it an elegant appearance that you could also display on a table for guests.”

Jodi Moreno's Flavored Butter

Servings: 8 Tbsp.

Ingredients

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter, preferably salted, softened
Flavorings of choice (see below)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, fold in your flavorings of choice or use a food processor to ensure a cohesive mixture and more whipped texture. To store, use plastic wrap or parchment paper to roll it into a log, then wrap it and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or transfer to the freezer to store for up to 6 months.

Moreno’s favorite flavor combinations:

Tomato confit + roasted garlic (.25 cup tomato confit and 2 to 3 roasted garlic cloves)
Wild garlic + lemon zest (3 to 4 pieces wild garlic or ramps, white and green parts, minced and zest of 1 lemon)
Anchovy + parsley + shallot (2 to 3 anchovy fillets, 2 Tbsp. finely-chopped flat-leaf parsley and 1 large shallot, minced)
Chili crisp (3 Tbsp. chili crisp)
Bacon + scallion (4 to 5 finely-chopped pieces of crispy bacon and 2 thinly-sliced scallions)
Pesto (.25 cup pesto)
Salted maple (.25 cup pure maple syrup, pinch of ground cinnamon and 2 tsp. flaky sea salt)
Lemon sugar (1 Tbsp. granulated sugar and zest of 1 lemon)

Meet your guide

Amanda Gabriele

Amanda is InsideHook’s Senior Editor and has been writing about food, drinks, travel and style for 16 years. She’s written for Travel + Leisure, Eater, Gear Patrol and New York Magazine among other outlets.