Quick Summary: Sun-dried tomato butter is a compound butter made by blending rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes with softened butter, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Use it as a spread, a pasta sauce enhancer, a topping for fish or vegetables, or freeze it in logs for year-round use. Prep: 20 min | Makes: 8 servings
Jump to: RECIPE | What is Tomato Butter | How to Use Tomato Butter | Other Compound Butters to Try | FAQ
At Heathglen Farm, one of the heirloom tomato varieties I grow is called Principe Borghese and it is grown specifically for drying.
There are a ton of uses of these tomatoes once dried, and one of my favorite ways is by making tomato butter. It’s the perfect way to get concentrated tomato flavor in the middle of winter.
Blend rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes with softened butter, garlic, and herbs, then freeze in logs to slice off as needed. It makes pasta, vegetables, fish, and simple breads into something special.
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What is Tomato Butter?
Butters that have herbs or grated citrus whipped into them are referred to as compound butters. Most of these are herbal compound butters, but combining finely minced “sun-dried” tomatoes with softened butter is another delicious form of a compound butter.
The beauty of this tomato butter is that it is easily frozen and can be used all Winter to enhance just about any recipe or dish.
How to Use Sun-Dried Tomato Butter
The basic way to make this is to whip softened butter until smooth and fluffy and then to add minced or pureed sun-dried tomatoes. Often cooks will add minced garlic, fresh herbs, lemon juice, pepper and salt. See recipe below for my version.
Here are some further ideas for using this flavorful compound butter:
- Stirred into any Italian pasta sauce
- Melted over Romano beans or any other vegetable for that matter
- As a spread on crackers or rustic breads
- Stirred into scrambled eggs
- As a spread on a sandwich
- As a condiment on a cheese tray
If you want to make your own “sun-dried tomatoes”, this guide takes you through the “how-to” on drying tomatoes, whether you want to dry them in the oven or in a dehydrator. After drying you can use them in so many ways!
Other Compound Butters to Try
Sun-dried tomato butter is just one variation. You can use the same technique with almost any dried or fresh ingredient blended into softened butter.
Some of my favorites include herb butters with rosemary, thyme, or sage for roasted chicken, and citrus butters with lemon zest and dill for fish.
The key is balancing a concentrated flavor with enough butter to make it spreadable, and freezing in logs so you always have a coin ready to drop on a hot pan.
Compound butters are one of the most versatile ways to preserve seasonal flavors for winter cooking. For more preservation ideas from drying to fermenting to pickling, explore these 10 ways to preserve fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.
FAQ
Refrigerated, it keeps for up to two weeks. Frozen in logs, it lasts 3-6 months. Slice off coins as needed.
Yes. Drain them well and skip the rehydrating step. The butter will be slightly richer.
Thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary all work well. Use what you have or what matches your intended use.
Butter is not compliant on a strict Slow Carb Diet (dairy fat), but it works for low carb and keto plans. For a slow carb version, blend the rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes with olive oil instead of butter for a similar spread.
Yes, and that’s the best way to use it. Roll the butter into a log in wax paper or parchment, freeze, and slice off coins as needed. Frozen compound butter lasts 3-6 months.
Soak them in warm water for 20-30 minutes until soft and pliable. Drain well and pat dry before mincing, or the extra moisture will make the butter too loose. Save the soaking liquid for adding to soups or sauces.
Check out this collection of popular tomato recipes for a range of tomato recipes, from fresh salsas to slow cooked stews, to tomato martinis.
Sun-Dried Tomato Butter
Ingredients
- 2 Sticks Butter Salted or unsalted (add your own amount of salt if using unsalted); softened
- ⅓ Cup Sun-dried tomatoes rehydrated and minced
- 1 Tablespoon Thyme Or your favorite herb (basil, oregano, dill, etc.)
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Mined
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice Fresh
Instructions
- Unwrap butter and leave butter on counter until softened to room temperature.2 Sticks Butter
- Rehydrated dried tomatoes in warm water until soft and then mince with knife.1/3 Cup Sun-dried tomatoes
- Mince herbs and garlic1 Tablespoon Thyme, 1 Tablespoon Garlic
- Blend (or whip) all ingredients together (butter through lemon juice) and add salt if using unsalted butter.At this point you can either refrigerate and use as you go, or you can roll into logs, wrap in wax paper and freeze. Then slice off “coins” to use throughout the Winter to enhance dishes.1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
Notes
- 1-2 Tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1-2 Tablespoons fennel seeds
- 1-2 Tablespoons caraway seeds
- 1-2 teaspoons black peppercorns