Quick Chimichurri Butter (15-minutes)

Name: Quick Chimichurri Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Cilantro, leaves and tender stems; 1 cup Parsley, leaves, and tender stems; 1 tbsp Fresh Oregano Leaves; 1/2 Red Chili Pepper; 4 cloves Garlic; 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1 Salt to taste; 8 oz Unsalted Butter, Grass-fed (Softened, room temperature)

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Side shot of Chimichurri Butter on serving dish

Why This Recipe Works

Takes 15 minutes to make this delicious compound butter (a true time saver).

You can store it in the fridge to make dinner planning easy for the week. Add it on your favorite pasta or proteins for a delicious finish.

Works well with vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.

What Is Chimichurri Butter?

Combining all the herbaceous greens like cilantro and parsley found in the classic authentic chimichurri recipe is blended with room-temperature grass-fed butter. It’s rich. It’s tangy. It’s then rolled into a log and refrigerated into a compound herbaceous butter.

Different Ways to Prepare This Chimichurri Herb and Garlic Butter

What I love about this recipe is its versatility. Depending on the dish I’m adding a dollop of this butter to, I can either make it spicier for a spicy mussels recipe or add more citrus, like orange juice or lemon zest, for a citrusy salmon chimichurri butter dinner.

Or mix it with organic Japanese miso paste and smother it on seared salmon like this sazón-spiced miso salmon recipe.

If you live a vegan lifestyle, swap the grass-fed butter for a vegan alternative, and add your favorite grilled veggies like broccoli or asparagus.

Chimichurri Butter Variations

Here are some variations for chimichurri compound butter that you can try. These recipes use the same base as the original recipe but add a few simple ingredients to create a delicious, buttery goodness.

Picanté (spicy) chimichurri butter – if you love spicy, amp it up with jalapeño or habañero pepper. Keep the ingredients fresh to keep the herbaceousness fresh.

Make it a super citrusy butter by adding some lemon or lime zest. You could even add orange juice to the recipe.

A quick tip: butter and citrus, or liquid in general, don’t mix well, so I’d recommend a powdered addition or adding the orange juice or more citrus juice to the recipe when you’re ready to serve or add to the food.

Ways To Enjoy Chimichurri Butter

Chimichurri Compound Butter is a versatile creation that offers a lot of culinary potential. Check out these tempting ideas for enjoying this delicious herb and garlic butter:

Grilled Meats – slather chimichurri butter on carne asada, chicken, or your favorite protein.

Roasted Vegetables – toss your favorite vegetables in butter after roasting for a savory, buttery finish.

Sweet Corn – spread it on corn on the cob, or add it to quickly cooked frozen sweet corn.

Baked Potatoes – add compound butter as a topping for baked potatoes. Perfect for cookouts or holiday potatoes.

Pasta – toss your favorite cooked pasta with chimichurri butter. This Argentinian shrimp with chimichurri pasta recipe is delish!
Bread – Serve it with a pinch of salt to spread on warm, slightly toasted bread (yum).

overhead view of Chimichurri butter on carne asada plate

overhead view of Chimichurri butter on wild argentine shrimp pasta

Storage and Shelf Life

Keep it refrigerated

This butter is so good that it won’t last in the fridge for long, but if you have some left in the fridge, keep it wrapped tightly in double layers of parchment paper. It can last in the fridge for 10-14 days.

Store in the freezer

When well-wrapped, it can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap it tightly in parchment paper and plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil, and store it in a freezer-safe container.

Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

FAQs

Can I use other herbs in chimichurri butter?

Yes, the two classic herbs are parsley and cilantro, but you can experiment with fresh basil or fresh dill for a different flavor profile.

What’s the best way to serve chimichurri butter?

Serve the compound butter at room temperature, and use a butter knife to cut into individual portions.

What is chimichurri butter made of?

Chimichurri butter is made with grass-fed butter at room temperature, fresh cilantro, parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, spicy red chili pepper, and a pinch of salt to taste.

Ingredients and Variations

Fresh flat-leaf parsley and tender stems

Fresh cilantro and tender stems.

Fresh oregano leaves or dried oregano, less of the dried oregano.

Fresh garlic Cloves, or frozen garlic puree works

Red wine vinegar but white distilled vinegar can also work in this recipe

Fresh lemon juice

Red Chili Pepper or chili pepper flakes

Salt to taste

Grass-fed butter at room temperature (1 package of softened 8 oz butter)

How To Roll The Butter

Place the parchment paper on a cutting board or flat surface, then place the chimichurri butter on the parchment paper. With the silicone spatula, flatten the butter and spread it lightly while forming a rectangular shape.
Use the parchment paper to roll the butter and form it into a 4-6 inch log. Then, depending on the desired size, twist the ends of the parchment paper.
Then, with plastic wrap, mold the log, and twist the ends.
Place the compound herb and garlic butter in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

You may ask why parchment paper when compound butter is typically formed and wrapped with plastic wrap alone. However, I prefer wrapping the butter with parchment to prevent plastic from touching the food. Remove the parchment paper from the process if you’re ok with only using plastic wrap.

Tips

Follow this chimichurri recipe, and exclude the olive oil from the recipe. The butter replaces the olive oil.

Soften the butter at room temperature for a few minutes to an hour before mixing with the chimichurri, you’ll want it to be really soft before mixing with the chimichurri.

Note: Lemon juice and vinegar have a hard time mixing with butter, and you may notice that not all of the liquid will incorporate and mix well with the butter, and that’s ok.

Slowly mix the butter with the chimichurri to incorporate as much as possible. Use a handheld mixer to make mixing the butter and chimichurri easier if you’re having difficulty combining them.