If you are on Tiktok then you know what a butter board is. If you're not and you keep hearing people talk about butter tables, I'll tell you everything you need to know!
Butter boards are here to stay, especially now that we're heading into the holiday season. Everyone is looking for a new trendy snack and if you're young (or young at heart), butter boards are sure to show up at the party.
What is a butter board?
A butter board is a wooden board (or ceramic plate) smeared with butter and sprinkled with ingredients such as flaked sea salt, freshly ground pepper, spices, herbs, citrus zest, edible flowers, and honey. Invented by award-winning Portland chef Joshua McFadden, butter boards are becoming increasingly popular. The idea is: instead of a charcuterie board, it's a flavored butter board. They are endlessly customizable and are a fun way to make butter a little more tactile and interactive because of the way it's presented. Butter boards come with bread, toast, crackers, scones, or anything that goes with butter. Think of a butter chart like compound butter (butter flavored with herbs, spices, and other ingredients) but in a different form factor.
How to make a butter board
butter table ingredients
- manteca – unsalted butter to win here. Get a nice, golden and high quality butter. At its core, a butter board is just bread and butter, so both bread and butter need to be good quality ingredients. Kerrygold is a great brand readily available. If you have access to locally made butter, this is also a perfect option.
- sea salt in flakes – Giant sea salt flakes are nice, crunchy and feel special. We love using Maldon Sea Salt, both in their regular flakes and in their smoked flakes. Jacobsen Salt Co. is also amazing. They have lots of flavored salts and their salt comes from the Pacific Northwest Ocean which is local to us.
- pepper – Freshly ground black pepper or other peppers like chili flakes add heat and heat.
- spices – you don't need a lot of spices to make your butter sing. Just make sure they're fresh! Spice mixes work wonderfully and za'atar butter or any other bagel butter is amazing.
- it – cool for a spicy bite or roasted for mild warmth. I LOVE garlic butter and a table of garlic butter is my idea of heaven.
- Herbs – fresh herbs are the flavor superstars. Think: thyme, chopped rosemary, chopped parsley, basil, chives, sage, tarragon, mint, cilantro, green onions, the world of herbs is wide and delicious.
- nuts – chopped walnuts add a bit of crunch and texture. Try: pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, or your favorite nut.
- sweet – a drizzle of honey, sliced fruit, fruit compotes, jams or even maple syrup add a sweet note to contrast the salty. Sweetness and butter work particularly well for breakfast butter boards served with pancakes or waffles.
What kind of butter for a butter board?
Opt for a high-quality, unsalted butter. My all-time favorite butter is SMJÖR, an Icelandic butter that is not available to anyone but Iceland. Here at home I love Kerrygold or the local butter that is available.
Who invented butter tables?
Butter tables were first mentioned in the James Beard Award-winning cookbook Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables by Joshua McFadden. We can thank Justine Doiron via Tiktok for popularizing the butter board.
Why are butter boards popular?
What can I say? I feel like everyone loves food served on tables. Charcuterie and cheese boards are a fun and interactive way to entertain and a butter board is just a natural extension, especially if you're going to be serving bread and butter. There are haters, but I love a good plate of bread and butter and I think this idea is pretty cool. I think at this point they are kind of love hate it with a lot of people on the internet being both disgusted and delighted.
How to cleverly smooth butter
The best way to artfully smooth butter is to use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula. If you cream your butter, you can use a silicone to create cutlets just like when you frost a cake. The key is to make the butter look like waves. It's easier if the butter is the right temperature. You don't want it too hard or too soft.
12 Best Butter Board Ideas
- Coriander honey. This is the classic Justine Doiron combination and it works: flaked sea salt, pepper, fresh mint, ground coriander, ground cardamom, fresh basil, honey, lemon zest and edible flowers.
- Figs and honey. Juicy quartered purple figs, flaked sea salt and a generous drizzle of honey.
- Sweet and spicy. Flake sea salt, fresh lime zest, honey and Calabrian chili flakes.
- Garlic. Roasted whole garlic cloves along with finely grated fresh garlic, finely chopped parsley, and flake salt.
- Lemon. Thinly sliced baked caramelized lemons, fresh lemon zest, thinly sliced lemons, honey, fresh mint and flake salt.
- Pistachio. Coarsely chopped pistachios, salt flakes, basil, lemon zest, roasted tomatoes.
- Chives. Oven roasted chives, freshly cut green onions, flaked salt.
- All bagels. A generous sprinkle of everything, bagel spice, thinly sliced red onions, capers.
- Gremolata. Chopped toasted pine nuts, lemon zest, finely chopped parsley, finely chopped garlic.
- Pesto. Crushed garlic, chopped toasted pine nuts, lots of chopped fresh basil, and a generous sprinkling of finely grated Parmesan cheese.
- dark chocolate. Dark chocolate chips, flake salt, fresh raspberries and roasted chopped pistachios.
- Chocolate with hazelnuts. A mix of dark and milk chocolate shavings, chopped toasted hazelnuts, salt flakes.
How to serve a table of butter
Make your butter board just before serving. They come together very quickly, so there is no need to prepare them ahead of time. If you need to prepare your butter board ahead of time, make it and then put it in the fridge to keep the butter cold. Take the butter board out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Arrange the butter board, along with ladles, small plates, small butter knives, and napkins arranged around it. That is all! Everyone can help themselves by spooning the flavored butter onto the bread with knives or small spoons.
Butter Board Scoops
- bread – freshly baked crusty breads, such as country loaves, sourdough, or baguettes, cut or torn into individual servings.
- toasted bread – Hot buttered bread is one of life's simple pleasures. Give your bread some transformative toasting heat.
- cookies – seed crackers, cheese crackers, crackers; sourdough crackers https://iamafoodblog.com/small-batch-sourdough-crackers/ are especially delicious paired with butter boards.
- breakfast foods – buns, pancakes, waffles; Sweet breakfast things go well with the sweet butter boards that feature dollops of jam, fresh fruit, and herbs.
- vegetables – radishes, peas, any kind of crunchy vegetable you can dip into.
Are butter boards safe?
There are a ton of scare-mongering sites about the dangers of butter boards because crushing butter on a wooden board can cause butter to get into cracks where microbes can grow, especially if you're using a board you use to prepare foods. . To avoid this, all you need to do is make your butter board on a plate or place a piece of parchment paper on top of the board so the butter doesn't get into the cracks. Also, instead of having everyone dip the bread into the butter communally, set out a few small butter knives or spoons so they can scoop up the butter and discourage double dipping.
Alternatively, you can make cute little individual butter boards in small plates or dipping bowls. Also, you want your butter to be spreadable and room temperature, but you don't want to leave the board out too long because, believe it or not, butter can go rancid, especially in hot, humid weather. The best thing to do is to assemble your butter board just before serving.
What kind of board for a butter board?
Definitely use a clean, dry wooden board that is specifically for cutting bread or vegetables. Or better yet, get a specific wooden board for butter boards if you're set on using a wooden board. Otherwise, I recommend using a large, flat plate, which will put those butter-board naysayers off your back.
Best Butter Board Tips and Tricks
- Soft butter is your friend. Let your butter come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Unsalted butter is best. Choose high-quality, unsalted butter so you can season it to your liking.
- Flake sea salt and freshly ground ground pepper are the spices of salty food.
- Herbs, seeds, nuts, and seasonings make it a feast.
- Sweet and tasty. Add a drizzle of honey for a little sweetness and shine.
- Always provide spreading tools. No double dipping!
- Make your butter board on a plate. It's much easier to throw a plate in the dishwasher and much more difficult to hand wash a buttery wooden board.
Happy butter shipping!
lol steph
How to make a butter board
Butter boards are here to roll into the holiday season.
8 portions
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cook time 0 minutes
Total time 5 minutes
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 pinch of flaked sea salt about 1 teaspoon, or to taste
- 6 roasted garlic cloves
- 1 lemon (just the zest)
- 1 slice of red onion
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- fresh herbs of your choice, such as thyme, parsley, or sage
- 2 chopsticks sliced to serve, or bread of choice
Estimated nutrition does not include bread.
Nutrition Facts
How to make a butter board
Amount per proportion
Calories 209 Calories from Fat 207
%Daily value*
fat 23gPresent in several = 35%
Saturated Fat 14.6gPresent in several = 91%
Cholesterol 61 mgPresent in several = 20%
Sodium 213 mg9%
Potassium 18 mg1%
carbohydrates 1,3 g0%
Fiber 0.1g0%
Sugar 0.5g1%
protein 0,4 g1%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
