This Cowboy Butter Sauce Recipe is like garlic butter, but even better! It's loaded up with fresh herbs, spices, shallots, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and it goes perfectly on nearly any protein you can think of. Try this tasty compound butter on these air fryer ribeye steaks, on chicken breasts, salmon, shrimp, and more!
Want to jazz up some steaks or chicken? This cowboy butter recipe is truly irresistible, and it's made with super simple ingredients. It's really easy to put together and is one of our favorite ways to enhance meals.
Keep this recipe in mind for your next steak dinner!
Love these flavors? Be sure to check out these air fryer smashed potatoes with garlic & herbs, this keto shrimp and broccoli skillet, or this creamy parmesan steak and seafood skillet.
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❤️Why you'll love this
- Simple ingredients: Just pull out a few spices from the cabinet, and grab a few other kitchen staples from the fridge or your local grocery store. This recipe is super simple.
- Quick & easy: This recipe takes less than 20 minutes to make, and it's a very impactful buttery dipping sauce!
- No special equipment needed: All you need is a small bowl, a sharp knife, and a whisk.
- Packed with flavor: Tangy, zingy, herbaceous, lemony, with a kick of heat, and lots of buttery goodness. What could go wrong?!
🧈Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used. You can add less or more of the ingredients we used, or substitute for your favorite spices and herbs. You can find full quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card.
✏️Ingredient Notes
- Salted butter - Adds the best flavor to this recipe. You can use room temperature or softened butter, or you can melt it for a smoother consistency in the sauce.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest
- Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- Cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes & smoked paprika - For a little bit of heat and smokiness.
- Worcestershire sauce - Optional but highly recommended for depth of flavor.
- Fresh shallots & garlic - Finely minced.
- Fresh parsley, cilantro, green onions & thyme - We load this sauce up with fresh herbs. You can use some dried ingredients instead, and feel free to swap in your favorite herbs in place of the ones we used.
📖Instructions
Melt butter and add to a mixing bowl. Combine butter with chopped parsley, thyme, green onions, and cilantro.
*You could also use softened room temperature butter for a thicker butter sauce.
Add in salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cayenne, dijon, garlic, shallots, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and zest, then whisk together.
Your sauce is ready to enjoy! This sauce gets better over time, as the flavors meld together.
Place butter on top of meat, like the perfect steak. You can also serve with these air fryer fingerling potatoes or any vegetables. We will be sharing a bavette steak recipe this week that is perfect for this recipe. Stay tuned!
✨Substitutions & variations
We have a few suggestions for simple swaps.
- Chives - Use chives in place of green onions if you like.
- Dried seasonings - Although we love fresh cilantro, parsley, thyme, and green onions, feel free to use dried if you prefer.
- Add more seasonings - You can add a dash of your favorite hot sauce, or swap in your favorite
- Dairy free - You can use dairy free butter in place of regular butter for a dairy free option.
- Vegan - Use dairy free butter, and omit the Worcestershire sauce.
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🥣Storage
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. This butter can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
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📖 Recipe
Cowboy Butter
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 whole lemon, juice and zest
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- 1 tablespoon green onions, minced
- 1 tablespoon thyme, minced
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk. Adjust seasonings to taste. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until time to use. The flavors will develop over time.
- Serve with steak, chicken, shrimp, pork, or fish. Enjoy!
- This recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Add seasonings, and herbs to taste. Anything is interchangeable in this sauce.
- Feel free to use softened butter instead of melted butter for a thicker butter sauce.
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
This recipe has been adapted from EatWell 101.
LaShae says
Made this for dinner! So good!!! Going to add on top of all the things!!!
Briana says
So awesome to hear! Thanks for trying it LaShae! 😀
Victoria says
For my taste, the butter was a bit too acidic to work with steak (which I originally intended it for). However, it was amazing atop salmon and whitefish. Love this recipe!
Briana says
Thank you Victoria for this feedback!! We're glad you found other ways to enjoy it. In our opinion there's no wrong way, and it works with so many things!
Stephany says
I’m not joking this is the best thing I’ve ever made. I put it on top of skirt steak & potatoes OMG amazing! Will be making again!
Briana says
This is the best comment ever. We're so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for trying it and for the sweet comment Stephany! 🙂
MJB says
I am planning to try this, and I have a feeling it will be fantastic on corn on the cob!!
Briana says
That would be absolutely delicious!!
Doris says
This stuff is great ! Totally transformed my boring dinner into something fancy. It packs tons of flavor, and I didn’t even need to make a grocery run to pull it all together. I really appreciate the simple list of ingredients. Thank you thank you
Briana says
We are so thrilled!! Thank you for trying it, we hope it becomes a staple for transforming dinner. 😉
Shea says
Cannot wait to try this!!! Definitely going to be a staple this summer 😍
Briana says
Hope you love it, Shea!! 😀