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This garlic and herb spreadable butter is a tasty condiment that takes butter to the next level! It spreads easier than regular butter and is delicious on everything from bagels to steak.

My husband always buys spreadable butter for himself, and I figured that it must be easy enough to make your own, so I gave it a try. It's handy to not have to wait ages for butter to soften up, and for those who don't use butter enough to keep it on their counter without it going bad quickly, this is a nice way of doing it. I wanted this butter to be as tasty as a savory compound butter but also double as easily spreadable. If you just want plain ole spreadable butter, simply skip the herbs and garlic.

What is spreadable butter?

Spreadable butter is simply butter mixed with oil (in this case olive oil) so that it can spread easier than regular butter when it's straight out of the fridge.

Spreadable butter consistency

When you first make this spreadable butter, it will be very soft and have a whipped consistency. It does firm up in the fridge, so if you want to keep that same texture, you will have to let it warm up for a bit... just not as long as regular butter! It'll still spread easier than regular butter when it's cold. Or, if you want it very soft straight out the fridge, you can go up to 1/2 cup of oil.

Spreadable butter uses

Use it on anything you'd use regular butter including sandwiches/toast/bagels, in cooking (like if you're making a sauce or pan-frying salmon or something), or even on steak or other grilled meats!

collage with garlic herb butter spread on a bagel and melted on a ribeye steak — Great on bagels or steak!

Homemade spreadable butter shelf life

There's nothing that's immediately perishable in this recipe (we used dried herbs and olive oil, and salt has preservative qualities), so conservatively it'll last at least 2-3 weeks in the fridge, but in reality it should be good for a lot longer (a month+). It just depends what you're comfortable with, really. I do recommend keeping it in the fridge. If you choose to keep it out on your counter, just keep an eye (and nose!) on it because it will go rancid a lot quicker than if it's kept in the fridge. You can freeze it for up to 6 months if needed.

Can I use fresh herbs?

Yes! Definitely. Just chop them finely prior to mixing them in. The butter won't last quite as long, but it should still be good for a couple of weeks.

Can I use salted butter?

Yes. Just be careful about adding any extra salt to the recipe.

Can I use a different kind of oil?

Yes, I prefer the flavor of olive oil with the herbs and garlic in this particular recipe, but you could also use a more neutral-tasting oil like canola oil or avocado oil. I don't recommend coconut oil because it solidifies too easily.

More tasty homemade condiments/sauces to try:

I used my Kitchen Aid electric hand mixer for this recipe.

I hope you'll give this garlic and herb butter a try! Questions? Let me know in the comments below.