Herb-Infused Steak Butter

By Todd Martin September 5, 2025 4 mins read 256 Views

This herb-infused steak butter adds a creamy, bright, and delicious flavor to grilled and pan-seared steaks. And it’s so easy to make!

Grilled steaks are delicious, but you can make them even more tasty by topping them with a compound butter. This herb-infused steak butter recipe calls for fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and sweet cream butter. The best part is that this mixture complements any cut of steak, and your taste buds will definitely thank you!

What is a steak butter?

A steak butter (or resting steak butter) is a mixture of room-temperature butter, savory spices, herbs, and garlic, which is chilled, sliced, and then set on top of a cooked steak. The goal is to rest the hot steak with the butter on top, and as the butter melts, it infuses the surface of the meat with a buttery-herbaceous flavor.

Why use butter on steak?

Butter imparts a rich, creamy, and slightly nutty flavor to cooked steaks and beef roasts. As the butter melts, it coats the meat’s surface, softening the char on steaks and adding moisture.

How do you use steak butter?

You can cook a steak in the compound butter, use it as a topping, or apply it as a resting butter for steaks. Additionally, steak butter can be used on pork chops, grilled chicken breasts, fish, shrimp, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and various vegetables.

Ingredients

The butter: Use room-temperature unsalted butter for this recipe. That way you adjust the salt content to your liking.
Garlic: Use either fresh or smoked garlic in your steak butter. The latter adds a slightly smoky caramelized flavor to the compound butter. If you plan to use fresh garlic, we recommend grating instead of mincing it.
Lemon: For this recipe, we use both lemon zest and juice from a small lemon. Remember to only use the yellow surface skin of the lemon and not the bitter white coating that covers the fruit. Zest the lemon first before juicing it.
Fresh herbs: This herb steak butter is made with fresh chives, thyme, and flat-leaf parsley. You can substitute one or more herbs with chopped fresh rosemary, oregano, basil, dill, or tarragon.
Salt and black pepper: See the recipe card below for exact measurements.

How do you make a compound butter for steaks?

compound butter wrapped in plastic — compound butter in plastic wrap

Step 1: Place 1 stick (1/2 cup) of softened, unsalted butter in a small bowl.
Step 2: Combine the butter with chopped herbs, lemon zest and juice, the grated garlic, salt, and black pepper.
Step 3: Scoop mixture onto a 12″ piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll the butter into a log shape. Secure the ends, and place the steak butter in the refrigerator for 1 hour before using.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover steak butter in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also divide the butter by placing spoonsful into ice cube trays, and freezing it. Remove the butter cubes from the tray (it should come out easily), then place them into an airtight container. Store in the freezer for 2 months, and use as needed.

Steak tips

Temperature: Let raw steaks rest at room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes before grilling.
Flavoring: Season with a simple SPG seasoning or your favorite steak rub.
Cooking: Grill them hot and fast (400-450 degrees F) to your preferred doneness.
Resting: Place the cooked steaks on a clean cutting board. Unroll compound steak butter, slice into 1/2″ sections, and top the steaks with 1-2 pieces. Let the steaks rest for 5-10 minutes, and serve.

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