Easy Homemade Tomato Herb Butter Recipe For Bread

by Sarah Harper MS, RD, LDN | Aug 28, 2024 | Recipes, Sauces, Salad Dressings, & Vinaigrettes, Snack & Side Dishes | 0 comments

Tomato Herb Butter Recipe For Bread is fresh, creamy, and delicious. With fresh cherry tomatoes and other flavors you will love adding this to a variety of dishes.
Hi, I’m Sarah Harper, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist passionate about cooking, eating, and sharing all things food! At The Addy Bean, you’ll find a variety of flexitarian recipes designed to inspire and empower you to explore the delicious world of plant-based eating. My mission is to make plant-forward meals approachable, enjoyable, and part of your everyday life!

Easy Homemade Tomato Herb Butter Recipe For Bread

Do you want an Easy Homemade Tomato Herb Butter Recipe For Bread? Ever find yourself with lots and lots of cherry tomatoes?  Well, if you find yourself trying to think of creative ways to use up those herbs and a bunch of cherry tomatoes, this Tomato Herb Butter recipe is for you.

Tomato butter takes a pint of cherry tomatoes and combines it with unsalted butter, garlic, and fresh herbs to make fresh and flavorful compound butter for fresh bread. After reading this article you will want to make your own homemade butter all the time.

In this article, I will discuss why you will love making this easy recipe, the ingredients in this recipe, the simple steps to making this recipe, how to use it, and a bit more about why compound butter should be a kitchen staple.

Tomato herb butter smeared on a piece of crust sourdough bread placed on a speckled stoneware plate on a circular brown serving platter

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Flavorful: Tomato butter is a way to enhance the flavor of dishes. 
  • Quick: This recipe can be thrown together under 15 minutes. It just takes a little time for the flavors to meld together in the fridge or freezer.
  • Easy: Compound butters are easy to work with. Once prepared, keep it in the refrigerator or freezer and simply slice off a chunk. Add it to hot foods and watch it melt evenly over top.
  • Versatile: One of the magical things about compound butter, is its ability to be customized according to your flavor preferences. In this recipe, I add oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper but you can mix and match ingredients like thyme, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, and olives.
  • Seasonal: Summer and Autumn seasons are the best time to make tomato butter. Take that haul of farmer’s market tomatoes you gathered in August and make some tomato butter!

Tools

A Piece of parchment paper, plastic wrap, wax paper, or a small bowl

Measuring utensils

Baking Sheet

Food Processor

Rubber spatula

Ingredients

This homemade garlic herb butter comes together with just a few ingredients, making it a flavorful addition to your kitchen staples.

Besides a stick of butter, this homemade garlic herb butter requires just 5 ingredients.

  • Tomatoes
  • Fresh Garlic cloves – in a pinch you could use garlic powder
  • Dried herbs such as oregano – (or substitute with fresh herbs)
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper

Optional: red pepper flakes for a bit of heat

tomato butter wrapped in parchment paper with spilled yellow and red cherry tomatoes to the left

Step-By-Step Instructions for Tomato Garlic Herb Compound Butter

Step 1: Prep the Tomatoes

  1. Adjust your oven rack to the closest position under the broiler and preheat the broiler.
  2. Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and broil for 6-9 minutes, until the skins start to brown and wrinkle.
  3. Allow the broiled tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Step 2: Make the Herbed Butter

  1. Once the tomatoes have cooled, combine them with the softened butter, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
  2. Blend the mixture until smooth and well combined, about 30-60 seconds.
  3. For a touch of spice, add red pepper flakes and pulse a few more times.

Step 3: Shape and Store

  1. Transfer the soft butter mixture to a small bowl or shape it into a log using plastic wrap.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, then enjoy as desired.

How to Use This Compound Butter Recipe

This versatile compound butter can elevate a wide range of dishes. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is by spreading it generously over a slice of warm, crusty bread.

But don’t stop there—this flavorful butter can also be used as a delicious condiment for:

  • Roasted chicken or tofu: Add a rich, herbaceous finish.
  • Baked sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables: Infuse them with savory goodness.
  • Boiled corn: Turn simple corn into a mouthwatering side dish.
  • Cooked rice and grains: Stir in for a burst of flavor.

You can even incorporate this compound butter into your cooking process—use it to sauté, baste, or melt over your favorite dishes for an extra layer of flavor.

tomato butter smeared on sourdough bread with cherry tomatoes to the side

More Herb Butter Recipes

Compound butter is a mixture of butter and other ingredients like herbs, spices, seasonings, and at times even fruits or vegetables. Homemade Herb butter is versatile and used to enhance the flavors of dishes.

  • Garlic and Green Onion
  • Chive Butter
  • Lemon Herb – Use any combination of herbs you like. I love thyme, oregano, and tarragon. Use lemon zest for even more lemony flavor.
  • Fresh Herb Butter – I love picking herbs from my herb garden!
  • Truffle
  • Chili-Lime
  • Smokey Chipotle
  • Maple Cinnamon
  • Parmesan Cheese and Herb – my favorite on French Bread
  • Roasted Garlic Rosemary – Can you say fancy garlic bread?! Garnish with fresh rosemary to make it extra special.
  • Sundried Tomato and Fresh Basil
  • Honey lavender

How to Store This Recipe and Other Compound Butters

Store compound butter in the refrigerator or freezer. 

  • Refrigerator storage for up to 2 weeks 
  • Freezer storage for up to 6 month

Like This Recipe?

Below are a few others you may enjoy.

Cilantro Cashew Dressing

Garlic Sweet Soy Glaze

Check out my article 10 Things to Do with Cherry Tomatoes on the Hood River Eats Blog!

Tomato herb butter smeared on a piece of crust sourdough bread placed on a speckled stoneware plate on a circular brown serving platter

Tomato Herb Butter

Sarah Harper MS, RD, LDN
Tomato Herb Butter can be spread on bread, used as a topping for grilled meats or vegetables, or added to pasta dishes for an extra burst of flavor.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings
Calories 143 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 sticks
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional

Instructions
 

Step 1: Prep the Tomatoes

  • Adjust your oven rack to the closest position under the broiler and preheat the broiler.
  • Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and broil for 6-9 minutes, until the skins start to brown and wrinkle.
  • Allow the broiled tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Step 2: Make the Herbed Butter

  • Once the tomatoes have cooled, combine them with the softened butter, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
  • Blend the mixture until smooth and well combined, about 30-60 seconds.
  • For a touch of spice, add red pepper flakes and pulse a few more times.

Step 3: Shape and Store

  • Transfer the soft butter mixture to a small bowl or shape it into a log using plastic wrap.
  • Chill in the refrigerator until firm, then enjoy as desired.

Notes

Serve the tomato butter as is or place in the refrigerator. Tomato butter can last up to 1 week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. 

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 103mgPotassium: 93mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 668IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword 5-ingredient
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sarah Harper in her kitchen with a cutting board, broccoli, carrots, and a fruit bowl.
Registered Dietitian at Addy Bean LLC | Website | + posts

Hi, I’m Sarah Harper, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist passionate about cooking, eating, and sharing all things food! At The Addy Bean, you’ll find a variety of flexitarian recipes designed to inspire and empower you to explore the delicious world of plant-based eating. My mission is to make plant-forward meals approachable, enjoyable, and part of your everyday life!

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