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How to Make the Best Butter Board

Sep 22, 2022 | 3 comments

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.

Butter smoothed onto a board and topped with chilli oil, fig chutney and herbs with crackers and bread on the side.

Say hello to the ULTIMATE in grazing boards. If you’re looking for a fun centrepiece or appetiser for your next party, 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.

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/2 sticks for a board.
  • Always add a decent sprinkling of flaky salt.
  • Something crunchy for texture. Roasted nuts or seeds (dukkah or everything bagel seasoning 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 scallions (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 cilantro (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?

Can I use salted butter?

You can – just give it a taste and adjust the flaky salt or salty toppings you’re adding so that it’s not TOO salty.

Do I have to use a board?

Nope! Use a platter or plate if you like – and you can assemble the butter on a piece of baking paper for easy clean up. Just secure it to your board or plate with a smear of butter on the underside.

How long will the butter board last?

This will depend on what you’ve topped yours with, but it’s certainly fine to be left at room temperature for the day you’re serving it. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and use on toast.

Can I make this with vegan butter?

You definitely can!

Hand holding up a piece of bread with butter and toppings on it.

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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Butter smoothed onto a board and topped with chilli oil, fig chutney and herbs with crackers and bread on the side.

How to Make a Butter Board


Description

Say hello to the ULTIMATE in grazing boards. 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 topping with whatever gorgeous ingredients take your fancy.

I’m topping this one with a sweet, salty and spicy combination that hits all the umami notes out of the park. Serve with fresh bread, crackers or crudités for a wonderful party appetiser. I’ve given the option to roast your garlic (which I LOVE) or for a quicker board, go for 2 raw, crushed cloves.


Ingredients

Scale

For the butter board –

  • 250g/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (you want to be able to easily spread it)
  • 3 teaspoons flaky sea salt
  • 1 whole head of garlic OR 2 raw garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fig chutney (or chutney of your choice)
  • 2 slices prosciutto, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dukkah
  • 1 tablespoon chilli oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from the stem

Equipment –

  • Wooden board or serving platter

Instructions

  1. Roast your garlic. If you’re roasting your garlic, heat your oven to 220C/430F and chop your head of garlic in half. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then wrap in aluminium foil and roast for 40 minutes, until soft. Leave to cool before squeezing out the roasted cloves. 
  2. Assemble your butter board. Spread your butter out onto your board, making grooves and swirls so that your toppings have space to sit. Sprinkle over 3 teaspoons of flaky salt, then dollop over the roasted or raw crushed garlic. Spoon the fig chutney onto the butter, scatter over the dukkah and prosciutto, drizzle over the chilli oil then finish by sprinkling the thyme and rosemary on top. Try to make sure everything is evenly spread over the whole butter board. Serve with fresh bread (no knead focaccia is fabulous), crackers (pita chips or sourdough crackers are great) or crudités and enjoy!

Notes

As mentioned in the post, there are so many options for topping your board and this is just a suggestion. Get as creative as you like, but always start with good quality butter and a good sprinkling of flaky sea salt.

The butter board will be totally fine at room temperature for a day – then you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, depending on what you’ve topped it with.

For a quick hack to soften your butter, pop it in the microwave on low at 10 second intervals and give it a mix.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Category: snacks
  • Method: no cook
  • Cuisine: mediterranean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 25g

Keywords: butter board, charcuterie board

Welcome!

I’m Kate, the creator behind Dished. I love creating flavour packed, simple (ish) recipes for you, designed for every day and special occasions.

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3 Comments

  1. Mel

    ok I am obsessed with this!! made one tonight to have with after work drinks to try it and it was DELISH. I used a random chutney I had in the pantry but next time I will try to make your fig chutney

    Reply
    • Kate Alexandra

      Yay!!! It’s so easy isn’t it 🙂 And let me know if you try the chutney, it’s so addictive

      Reply
  2. Sarah

    Made this to serve with drinks at a party, so good, thank you

    Reply

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