This Tomato Butter is the perfect way to use up all those extra sun-ripened tomatoes pouring out of your summer garden. Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, this tangy, sweet, and deeply savory, buttery spread is wonderful on a piece of toast, added to a steak, veggies, with pasta, and so much more!
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While the world has moved on to all things pumpkin, some of us are busy trying to make use of all of the tomatoes that are still in season. We can eat a lot of tomato toast, BLT sandwiches, and the like, but sometimes we need some creative ways to use up extra tomatoes!
We have an affinity for butter. It really does make everything better! So we thought, why not roast up some tomatoes and blend them with softened butter? The result is something incredible!
If you love a fun and creative buttery spread, try our leek butter or roasted blueberry butter!
If you're in the mood for more summery tomato recipes, try this Sungold tomato pasta!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Made with simple ingredients. There's nothing fancy about this recipe, just basic, seasonal ingredients and a little time for them to roast!
- Easy to make. This recipe is very straightforward, and simple to follow!
- Elevates a variety of dishes. Toast, eggs, veggies, corn, potatoes, pasta, seafood, beef, chicken and more can be kicked up a notch with this seriously delicious butter!
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🍅Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information on substitutions below.
- Butter. Arguably the most important part of the recipe (barring the tomatoes), so go for the good stuff! We love to use a European-style butter (Plugrà has our heart these days) for the rich, creamy texture and flavor. YUM! We also opted for unsalted so we could control the salt level entirely, but you can use salted too, just cut back on any added salt.
- Tomatoes. Vine-ripe and SWEET! We've been growing some heirloom Black Prince tomatoes in our garden this year, and they have an incredible, distinct, rich, and fruity tomato flavor that is just delicious. Cherry tomatoes would be an excellent choice. Any tomato you choose will work just fine, just choose your favorite and make sure they're perfectly ripe!
- Oil. Anything that can handle the high heat when roasting works just fine.
- Red pepper flakes/hot chili peppers. This is optional, but we love the hint of spice it adds! We added a super spicy hot pepper that we have been growing in our garden, and it complemented the tangy richness of this butter wonderfully. Red pepper flakes work perfectly fine!
- Thyme or summer savory. If you've never had savory before, it tastes like a cross between thyme and oregano! Some people call it the "pizza spice," and we can see why. We've been growing it in our garden and it complements this dish just wonderfully. You can, of course, use thyme and/or oregano.
- Kosher salt. Our preferred salt is Diamond Crystal salt. It's less salty than other salts, and because of its shape, it dissolves better, too. It's our #1 salt in the kitchen. Add salt to taste, and make sure to add less if you're going to be using salted butter.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & Variations
- Brown butter. For extra depth of flavor, brown the butter and let it cool and re-solidify (while still remaining softened) for extra depth of flavor.
- Herbed. We added some savory to the tomatoes to roast, but if you want to go all the way and really ramp up the herby flavor, feel free to add basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme
- Dried spices. Feel free to replace fresh herbs with dried. If using dried, just use about ⅓ of the amount that you would if you were using fresh, because dried herbs have a much stronger flavor.
- Smoky flavor. For a bit of smoky flavor, add in smoked paprika to taste.
- Add more aromatics. Feel free to add garlic or roasted garlic (like in this roasted garlic butter) to the butter for even more flavor.
- Cheesy. Add grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese to the butter for more depth of savory deliciousness.
- Extra tomato-y! If you really want to ramp up the flavor, add in tomato paste. Start with 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Sauté it for a few minutes, then let it cool before adding it to the softened butter along with the other ingredients.
This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!
🔪Prep Work
- Soften butter by leaving it out at room temperature for a few hours.
- Wash and quarter or half the tomatoes.
- Wash and dry fresh herbs.
- Measure out remaining ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
How To Make Tomato Butter
Prepare tomatoes
Add tomatoes, chilis (or chili flakes), and herbs to a baking dish. Drizzle with oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Roast tomatoes
Roast the tomatoes until the edges begin to char, about 35-45 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly.
Pro Tip
Allow the tomatoes to cool down slightly before mixing with the butter to avoid melting the butter. The tomatoes can be warm, just not super hot.
Process until smooth
Food process the roasted tomatoes and butter together until smooth, and then serve!
Enjoy on toast, with a variety of proteins, on potatoes, pasta, veggies, corn (like these corn riblets), and more!
We made a summery corn board that featured corn in various forms with 5 different butters. Outside of the roasted tomato butter, we included whipped honey butter, bacon butter, pesto butter, and our cowboy butter.
Leftover tomatoes? Use them up!
Cherry Tomato Confit
If you have leftover tomatoes, add them to this delicious cherry tomato confit!
Storage
Fridge Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Allow it to sit out at room temperature for about 1 hour to soften if you plan to eat it soft and spreadable.
To make this a compound butter, roll it into a log using parchment or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until solid before slicing into disks and serving.
Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, gently in the microwave (at roughly 30% power) or in the fridge overnight.
We'd recommend slicing into individual servings before freezing so you can defrost as needed.
This butter will keep in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Make ahead
The butter can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
If you're looking to prep parts of the butter for later, roast the tomatoes and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, then proceed as usual with preparation!
Dinner idea!
Chicken Pomodoro
Add this tomato butter to this delicious chicken pomodoro for even more delicious and rich tomato flavor!
Expert Tips
- Use softened butter. Make sure the butter is nice and soft. This will ensure easy spreading and blending for a silky butter.
- Use high-quality butter. High-quality, European-style butter has a higher butterfat percentage than standard American-style butter. It makes this spread even more tasty!
- Use ripe tomatoes. Tomatoes are the star, so use the best you can find. Avoid any spoiled or overripe tomatoes, but juicy, ripe tomatoes are going to pack a TON of flavor that will only get intensified when roasting.
- Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly before blending. If you add the freshly roasted (and super hot!) tomatoes to the butter, the butter will melt. If you allow the tomatoes to cool down before adding them to the butter, you will maintain the nice, soft, and spreadable texture.
Add extra tomato flavor!
Salmon Bruschetta
Add this tomato butter overtop of the bread before assembling these tasty bites to kick the tomato flavor up a notch.
💬Common Questions
Technically, no, you could just blend up the tomatoes with the butter. We don't recommend that, however! If you skip roasting the tomatoes, you'll have a lot of extra water still in the tomatoes.
Roasting them helps evaporate that extra water. Roasting the tomatoes also helps concentrate that tomato flavor, making the butter taste even more "tomato-y"!
Certainly! After food processing the tomatoes and butter, add to parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll into a cylindrical shape. Place in the fridge to firm up for 1-2 hours until solid. Cut into rounds and serve.
More tomato goodness!
Soup season
Add a scoop of tomato butter when blending the soup for an extra rich and creamy tomato soup!
🍴Main Course Pairings
Enhance these main courses by serving with this butter.
🍴Side Dish Pairings
Anything from your morning eggs to pasta, potatoes, and more would be enhanced with this butter.
🌟Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, we'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment below with your rating for the recipe. Share with us by tagging us on Instagram! We love seeing your creations! 📸
📖 Recipe
Tomato Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup tomatoes roughly 150g, any ripe tomato, half or quarter them depending on the size
- 3 tablespoons oil any oil that can hold up to high-heat roasting
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste, use less if using salted butter
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional and to taste, can also use fresh chili pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5-6 sprigs thyme can use savory, oregano, or dried Italian seasoning* if using dried, use roughly ½ a teaspoon
Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 stick, scale back on added salt if using salted butter
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- roasted tomatoes from above
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Add tomatoes, chilis (or chili flakes), and herbs to a baking dish. Drizzle with oil, then season with salt and pepper.1 cup tomatoes, 3 tablespoons oil, ¼-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 5-6 sprigs thyme
- Roast the tomatoes until the edges begin to char, about 35-45 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly. Discard the herb stems. Allow the tomatoes to cool down slightly before mixing with the butter.
- Food process the roasted tomatoes and butter together until smooth, adjust seasonings to taste, and then serve!½ cup unsalted butter, softened, kosher salt and black pepper to taste, roasted tomatoes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze small portions of the butter for up to 3-6 months to preserve the butter for longer.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Use softened butter. Make sure the butter is nice and soft. This will ensure easy spreading and blending for a silky butter.
- Use high-quality butter. High-quality, European-style butter has a higher butterfat percentage than standard American-style butter. It makes this spread even more tasty!
- Use ripe tomatoes. Tomatoes are the star, so use the best you can find. Avoid any spoiled or overripe tomatoes, but juicy, ripe tomatoes are going to pack a TON of flavor that will only get intensified when roasting.
- Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly before blending. If you add the freshly roasted (and super hot!) tomatoes to the butter, the butter will melt. If you allow the tomatoes to cool down before adding them to the butter, you will maintain the nice, soft, and spreadable texture.
Briana says
Tangy and super savory. We LOVE this butter! My little brother even said he loved it and he "doesn't even like tomatoes" according to him! We're happy to have changed his mind!