How to Make a Butter Board

Name: How to Make a Butter Board
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter (softened (one stick) salted or unsalted); 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley; 2 tablespoons Shallots (sliced thin); Edible Flowers (We used dried rose petals and lavender buds); 1 tablespoon Honey; ½ teaspoon Salt (Large chunky flakes); Crostini ((For serving)); 1 cup pumpkin puree; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg; ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 stem fresh oregano (for pumpkin stem); ¼ cup nuts (Optional); ¼ cup Craisins; 2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary (chopped); 1 teaspoon orange zest; 2 tablespoons nuts (for tree trunk, optional); 1 cheese star (white cheddar, cut out with cookie cutter)

10 minutes

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By: Julie BlannerLeave a Comment
Posted: 9/30/22

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Butter boards are such a fun, entertaining way to serve guests for a gathering. Learn how to make a butter board, what to serve with a butter board, and all the best seasonal variations.

If you love a traditional charcuterie board, you’re going to love this concept too. It’s such a fun, flexible way to create a delicious spread for friends and family!

Learn how to style your butter board along with delicious accompaniment ideas and so much more, in this complete guide.

A butter board, arranged on a wooden board, with a plate of bread nearby

Who doesn’t love a charcuterie board? They’ve taken the entertaining world by storm over the past couple years, and it’s such a fun way to serve delicious eats for a party.

Butter boards are similar in concept, but have burst onto the scene more recently. They are equally craveable, but a little more affordable and easier to put together on a whim.

Much like these cute jarcuterie appetizers, part of the fun is in the flexibility. We put together our butter boards with a few variations – one is for any time of the year, one is for fall, and one is for the holidays.

I hope this guide inspires you to create your own butter boards in the coming months. Take this concept and make it your own! Let’s learn how to make them together, with a few easy tips and tricks along the way.

Use the drop down Table of Contents menu to navigate this post. It’s jam-packed with information to help you get creative!

A butter board shaped into a Christmas tree, placed on a wooden board.

Table of Contents

What is a Butter Board?

First of all… what is it? Butter boards are simply a cutting board or platter, smeared with softened butter throughout the center. As you can see throughout this post, you can get creative with the shape of your butter, or keep it simple.

They are then topped with all the delicious toppings you can imagine – from savory to sweet, the options are endless. People are dipping and smearing everything from breads, to crackers, cookies, fruits and veggies in their butter boards.

The concept is simple and the flavors are on point. Who can argue with butter, right? Let’s dive in!

A butter board for fall, topped with pumpkin puree and spices

Why You’ll Love Them

Easy to Make
More Affordable than Traditional Charcuterie
Savory or Sweet
Vegetarian
Guests can Dip, Swirl, or Spread
Make it Ahead!

A Christmas butter board, placed on a wooden charcuterie board and shaped into a Christmas tree.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Butter – You can’t have a butter board without the butter, right? Salted or unsalted, because of course, you’ll add your own seasonings either way. Learn How to Make Homemade Butter, and How to Soften Butter Quickly.
Toppings – We’ll walk you through three easy variations, plus a variety of additional toppings below.

Traditional Butter Board Toppings

Parsley
Shallots
Lavender Buds – (ensure they are edible)
Rose Petals (ensure you choose an edible brand)
Honey
Big Salt Flakes
Serve this one with homemade Crostini

Fall Butter Board Toppings

Pureed Pumpkin
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Brown Sugar
Oregano (for stem)
Candied Nuts – optional
Serve this one with Vanilla Wafers

A butter board for fall, topped with pumpkin puree and spices, nilla wafers in the foreground

Holiday Butter Board Toppings

Craisins – Dried cranberries or anything similar
Rosemary – Fresh, chopped
Orange Zest
White Cheddar Cheese – (Or any favorite cheese.) Cut into a star for the tree topper with a cookie cutter!
Nuts – For the “trunk” – or get creative with pretzel sticks, etc

How to Make a Butter Board

Spread the softened butter on a wooden or marble cutting board.
Use a butter knife to swirl the butter into the pretty-looking pattern of your choosing.
- To spread butter into the shape of a pumpkin, create two ovals side by side and blend together.
- To create the Christmas tree shape, break your butter into tablespoons – use just one for the tip of the triangle, and three at the base.
Add your toppings.
- For the fall board, swirl the pumpkin and spices in an up and down motion to create the look of natural pumpkin ridges.

Tips

Softened butter is very important for the perfect spread!
Use an icing spreader or any type of wider, flat spreader to create smooth waves of butter on your board.
Starting with a flavored butter would be so much fun – see my list of homemade flavored butters below.
Let your imagination run wild with the toppings! There are so many fun ways to personalize these boards.
Keep in mind, the oil from the butter can soak into marble or wood, changing the finish long-term.

Flavored Butters

More Butter Board Topping Inspiration

Fresh Herbs – think chives, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano and more! Dried herbs work as well.
Fresh Flowers – edible flowers are available in the herb section of your grocer.
Pureed Pumpkin
Pie Filling
Spices and Seasonings – Check out all my best homemade seasoning blends.
Figs
Chocolate shavings
Seeds – pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame etc
Thinly Sliced Radishes or Onions
Berries- fresh or dried. Cranberries, Craisins, etc are great for these.
Chopped Nuts – Pecans, walnuts, almonds, and more!
Honey – Try hot honey for a fabulous addition.
Jams and Jellies
Roasted Garlic
Citrus Zest
Cheese – Because what could be better than butter and cheese combined?

What to Serve with a Butter Board

Easy Crostini
Warm Crusty Bread – try my Homemade Artisan Bread
Crackers
Crispy Cookies like Vanilla Wafers, etc

How to Store

Room Temperature – Butter can sit out at room temperature for up to two days.
Refrigerator – You can wrap your leftover butter airtight and store in the refrigerator for up to a week!