Plain ol’ butter is great just as it is. I’m not here to argue that it’s not… but what if, what if you took plain ol’ butter and mixed it with some onions that were caramelized low and slow, some other herbs and odds and ends, so that it was transformed into French Onion Butter? Well, wouldn’t that be amazing? (Spoiler alert — it is. And the recipe is below.)
What Ingredients Do You Need for French Onion Butter?
You’ll need:
- An onion, first and foremost.
- Butter. (Pretty important.)
- Garlic.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Dried thyme and parsley.
- Some salt and pepper.
How Do You Make French Onion Butter?
You will need a bit of patience, because… caramelized onions. They just take time. There’s no way around it. Slice your onion up thinly and get it into a pan with some butter. With it on medium or medium-low heat, cook and stir occasionally until the onion is deeply brown and caramelized. The longer you go, the deeper the flavor, but don’t try to speed things up by increasing the heat. You’ll either burn it or you’ll miss out on that sweet onion magic!
Then all you have to do is combine! A food processor is easiest. Just pulse together the butter, onions, Worcestershire, and herbs, and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Done!
How Do You Use French Onion Butter?
You can store it in a container to use as a spread on bread or even crackers or toast. You can also roll it in plastic wrap into log form and chill it so it’s sliceable and more of a “compound butter.” You can slice it and top chicken or steak with it. (Even a salisbury steak or hamburger patty would be amazing!) It’s also great over pretty much any veggie. Mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta? That works too. It adds incredible flavor to anything you add it to.
French Onion Butter
Allergens: Milk
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened and divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a large skillet, place 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until deeply brown and caramelized, stirring frequently. This can take up to 40 minutes. The longer you cook, the deeper the color and flavor.
- Remove pan from heat and set onions aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the remaining butter, caramelized onions, garlic, Worcestershire, thyme, and parsley. Pulse until mixture is mostly smooth.
- Taste, season with salt and pepper as needed, and pulse once more to mix in.
- Transfer to a container to use as a spread, or roll into a log using wax paper or parchment for sliceable butter. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Trial and Eater.