A butter board is SUCH a fun idea for a cheap, creative alternative to a cheese or charcuterie board for entertaining. It’s as simple as smoothing butter onto a board, then adding whatever gorgeous toppings take your fancy.

I’ll show you how to make a butter board, and share six different topping options to get your creative juices flowing.

Say hello to the ULTIMATE in grazing boards. If you’re looking for a fun centrepiece or appetiser for your next party or get together, a butter board is a fab idea. I saw them making the rounds on TikTok, and had to jump on it with my version. I was never a butter fan growing up, but I’ve realised that it just needs to be flavoured with something complimentary and delicious. I’ve become super obsessed with roasted garlic butter, so I had to give this a go. The original idea comes from Justine Snacks, who got the idea from Joshua McFadden’s book.

There are SO MANY variations you can go for, it’s a great chance to let your creativity fly. It’s a bit like a painting. You can’t go TOO wrong here, so experiment and see what you can come up with.

Of course, I can never go past a sweet, salty, spicy combination so that’s what I’m going for here. Roasted (or raw) garlic, fig chutney, prosciutto, chilli oil and fresh herbs make a seriously addictive board I think you’ll love.

Serve with fresh bread (hello no-knead focaccia), crackers (pita chips or sourdough crackers are great) or crunchy crudités and let everyone dive in. You can place little cheese knives or spoons on the side to encourage people to spread the butter onto their bread if you’re worried about double dipping (although how this is different to a dip, I don’t know).

The formula for a great butter board

To build your board, I would try to involve these key elements:

• Good quality, ideally unsalted butter. Use unsalted butter so that you can control the levels of salt on the board, but if you can’t find it, salted will be fine. I’ll generally use 250g (or a whole block of butter) for a board.
• Always add a decent sprinkling of flaky salt.
• Something crunchy for texture. Roasted nuts or seeds (dukkah is great), crispy prosciutto, parmesan crisps, kale crisps or roasted seaweed all work well depending on the flavours you’re going for.
• Something sweet. Think honey, hot honey, chilli jam, sweet chilli sauce, your favourite chutney (I’m using my fig and tamarind chutney here), jam or fresh juicy fruit (chopped figs are fabulous)
• Something fresh. Whether fresh herbs, lemon zest or lime zest, the rich butter needs something to cut through it.

Of course, you don’t always have to involve all these elements – but this combination is generally a winner (and flaky salt is non-negotiable).

How to make your board

Start with a good quality wooden board. Make sure your butter is at room temperature and is easily spreadable. A quick way to do this is to microwave your butter in a bowl in 10-second intervals and give it a little mix. With a teaspoon or small cheese knife, smooth the butter all over your board, making grooves and swirls in the butter for your toppings to fill.

Scatter over your flaky salt, then go in with all your toppings, finishing with the fresh elements (like herbs). Pile your bread, crackers and crudités on the side and serve.

Six topping ideas

Harissa, honey, parsley, lemon zest, crushed almonds

• 2 tablespoons harissa
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon roasted almonds, crushed

Sundried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers, parsley, lemon zest

• 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon

Confit garlic and cherry tomatoes, rosemary, crispy parmesan (here’s how to make parmesan crisps)

• 1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup roasted cherry tomatoes
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 parmesan crisps, broken into small pieces

Spring onions, coriander, chilli oil, chilli jam, furikake seasoning and lime zest

• 2 spring onions, 1 chopped finely, 1 sliced into thin strips lengthways and popped in a cup of water to curl up
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chilli oil (try my chilli oil recipe)
• 1 tablespoon chilli jam or honey
• 1 tablespoon furikake seasoning or toasted sesame seeds
• Zest of 1 lime

Roasted peaches, basil, rosemary, honey and hazelnuts

• 2 peaches, chopped and roasted
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon crushed hazelnuts

Roasted garlic, dukkah, thyme, rosemary, fig chutney, prosciutto, chilli oil

This is what I’m topping my board with in the recipe below!

Got a question?

Like this recipe? Here are more fun entertaining ideas you might enjoy

If you make a butter board let me know in the comments below! I’d love to know what you think.

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