How to Make a Butter Board

What is a Butter Board?

If you haven't heard of butter boards before, you are not alone. They have hit social media like lightning and for good reason.

Yes, I had to try out the new charcuterie-like trend & create one. And boy am I glad I did. This trending appetizer or first course takes bread and butter to a new gourmet level.

Butter boards are simply put, a board smeared with butter and topped with a variety of ingredients for a pretty and flavorful spread. Fresh bread, butter, & tasty condiments have always been something our family loved so we knew this was so our thing.

Ingredients for a Butter Board

For this homemade butter board recipe, you will need the following ingredients. Keep in mind, you want fresh good quality ingredients when making this. This is true for all recipes but even more, the case when you are eating the ingredients simply and without cooking like for this recipe.

Begin with the best quality butter you can afford. I recommend using salted butter even though we will be adding more as a topping. The butter will need to be softened to room temperature. It is also best to have the other ingredients at room temperature. For the sweet, salty, spicy, & fresh flavors that will be the toppings, here is what else you will need.

• Salted Butter - make sure it is good quality, soft, and at room-temperature.
• Flaky Sea Salt - the crunchy bits of salt add flavor & texture. (regular table salt will not do)
• Marinated Green & Black Olives - briney saltiness and color, make sure they are pitted.
• Hot Honey - sweet, sticky, & spicy.
• Chopped Fresh Parsley - the bright herb add freshness.
• Baguette - sliced and served on the side.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make a Butter Board

Here are the easy steps to making a butter board. It only takes a few minutes once the ingredients are ready. Follow these simple steps when making a butter board:

1. Prep Ingredients
2. Spread & Swirl the Butter
3. Sprinkle on the Toppings
4. Serve with Bread & Crackers

1 - Prep Ingredients

Begin by bringing the butter and other ingredients to room temperature. It should take about an hour for the butter to be soft enough to spread and swirl. (depending on the temperature of your home at the time).

My homemade Hot Honey is great on this. It is stored in the refrigerator so I bring this to room temperature too it can drizzle easily.

I am using marinated olives that come in a packet from Trader Joe's. I like to use these because they have so much flavor versus plain olives. I cut and remove the pits

Wash, chop, dice, etc whatever toppings you want to use. Remember to make them all small so they mix in with the butter when digging in.

2- Spread & Swirl the Butter

Once all the ingredients are ready it is time to spread and swirl the base of this recipe, the soft creamy butter. You will want a cutting board that is the right size for making a butter board. What size do you need?

For 2 sticks of butter, a board of about 8x10 in size is good. It can be another shape like a 17x7 long wooden board with a handle similar to what I am using. Round, square, oblong, or any shaped wooden board is good for making a butter board.

When smearing butter on your board, I like to use a spoon to do this. Why not a butter knife?

I tried both and found the spoon to be so much easier. It was great to use the back end of the spoon for pressing the butter down to spread. But it was also perfect for the swirling design you want for a butter board.

3 - Sprinkle on the Toppings

Now it is time for the fun and yummy toppings. Now begin layering each ingredient one by one. As this builds up the colors and smells will really get you ready for this amazing recipe.

Begin by sprinkling on the flaky sea salt. It will seem like a lot but you want that saltiness to enhance all the flavors. I use Maldon flaky sea salt.

After the salt is done, next comes the olive mixture. Sprinkle on the chopped marinated olives. Again, sprinkle them evenly spaced over the butter board.

Next, using a spoon drizzle the hot honey over the top of the olives. The amount in this recipe adds a bit of heat to the butter but is not overly spicy. If you like a lot of heat, add more. It is all about what you love and making it fantastic.

For the last topping, on goes the fresh chopped parsley. Just a little bit goes a long way. It adds freshness and the grassy flavor always pairs beautifully with butter.

What to Serve with a Butter Board

Keep in mind, a butter board is not a dip. The butter will be swirled relatively thinly so you can use your butter knife to scoop some up and then spread it onto your bread. Place the cutting board topped with butter out with one or more butter knives to make eating it easy.

You may see others dipping their bread in and smashing it around to get it coated, that is ok too but the original intent of the recipe is for it to be a gourmet spread.

Bread is a must to have with any butter board. Offer gluten-free & regular bread to guests if serving this at a party. Fresh sliced crusty loaves of bread like baguettes, sourdough, & my homemade ciabatta recipe are my personal favorites.

But you can also serve these other items along with your butter board.

• Toasted Crostini
• Rye Crisps
• Fancy Crackers
• Apple Slices
• Biscuits or Scones
• Keto Cornbread Chaffles or other cornbread
• Waffles cut into strips

Substitutions

This butter board is fantastic as is. I really recommend you enjoy this combination of sweet, spicy, salty, crunchy, creamy, tangy, & herbaceous. Use any ingredients that are both colorful & offer different textures. Using what is in season also makes it more amazing.

However, if you are missing an ingredient or need to adjust for dietary reasons, here are a few alternate ingredient ideas.

• Green & Black Olives - you can use canned black olives that are already pitted for an easier & more kid-friendly version
• Hot Honey - use plain honey & stir in some red chili flakes for the heat

This recipe is already vegetarian & gluten-free. It is not vegan due to the real dairy butter and the hot honey.

Other Ideas & Variations

Honestly, butter boards have an endless amount of variations that can be done with them. The ideas on what to top or mix into the butter are endless. I like to balance different flavors as I did with this one. Here are a few combinations of butter board ideas that are sure to be delicious.

• Italian Deluxe- stir in a bit of pesto along with the butter for a bit of color and basil flavor
• Nutty - add finely chopped pistachios for a crunchy nutty flavor
• Kid-friendly - omit the hot honey and use regular honey
• Fancy - add edible flowers for a pretty butter board perfect for wedding showers

Storing & Make Ahead Ideas

This recipe does not store well. You can make it about an hour before your guests arrive and let it sit at room temperature. The butter board will last for many hours during your party as long as it is in a cool location indoors or outdoors. If the weather or house is hot or too cold, it will be hard to spread the butter to serve it and enjoy it.

If you want to assemble it ahead of time you can. Store it spread and topped in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours (depends on what sort of toppings you used). Bring it to room temperature about 30-60 minutes before you wish to serve it so the butter is spreadable.