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If you’ve got fresh garlic scapes on hand, this garlic scape butter is one of the easiest and most flavourful ways to use them. Once you taste it melting over steak, corn, or warm bread, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it.
Garlic scape butter is a simple compound butter made with fresh garlic scapes, butter, parsley, and a touch of lemon zest. The scapes add a mellow garlic flavour that’s bright, fresh, and less intense than raw garlic, while the butter melts into everything from grilled steaks and corn on the cob to roasted vegetables and warm, crusty bread. It’s an effortless way to add big flavour with very little work.
If your garden or farmers’ market haul left you with extra garlic scapes, don’t stop here. My garlic scape pesto and garlic scape salt are two more great ways to make the most of this short lived seasonal ingredient. And if you love keeping flavoured butter in the fridge, be sure to try my pesto butter or bold, smoky cajun butter next.
✳︎ Why You’ll Love This Garlic Scape Butter
- Ready in about 10 minutes with just a handful of fresh ingredients.
- The mild garlic flavour adds plenty of punch without overpowering your food.
- A great way to use seasonal garlic scapes while they’re fresh.
- Keeps beautifully in the fridge or freezer, so you can enjoy it anytime.
- Melts over steak, seafood, vegetables, potatoes, and bread for an instant flavour boost.
What Are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the long, curly green flower stalks that grow from hardneck garlic plants in late spring and early summer. Farmers trim them off so the plant can put more energy into growing larger garlic bulbs, which means they’re only available for a short time each year.
They have a fresh, mild garlic flavour that’s less sharp than raw garlic, with a hint of sweetness and a crisp texture. That makes them incredibly versatile in the kitchen, whether you’re blending them into pesto, stirring them into dips, or folding them into butter like this recipe.
What Do Garlic Scapes Taste Like?
If you’ve never cooked with garlic scapes before, think of them as a cross between fresh garlic, green onions, and chives. They have all the savoury flavour you’d expect from garlic, but with a softer bite that doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.
What Is Compound Butter?
Compound butter is simply softened butter that’s mixed with flavourful ingredients like fresh herbs, spices, citrus zest, or aromatics. Once chilled, it can be sliced into rounds and melted over everything from grilled meats and vegetables to seafood and bread.
This garlic scape compound butter keeps things simple by letting the fresh garlic scapes shine. A little parsley adds freshness, while lemon zest brightens the flavour without making the butter taste lemony. The result is a rich, flavourful butter that’s easy to make, easy to freeze, and an effortless way to elevate everyday meals.
Ingredient Notes
This garlic scape butter comes together with just a handful of fresh ingredients, so each one has a chance to shine.
- Garlic Scapes: Fresh garlic scapes are the star of the show. Look for firm, bright green scapes without any yellowing or soft spots. Finely chopping them helps distribute their fresh garlic flavour evenly throughout the butter, while a quick pulse in a food processor creates an even smoother texture if you prefer.
- Butter: Use good quality unsalted butter that’s been softened to room temperature. Soft butter mixes much more easily with the other ingredients, giving you a smooth, evenly blended compound butter without overworking it. If you’re using salted butter instead, simply reduce the added salt in the recipe.
- Fresh Parsley: A little chopped parsley adds a pop of colour and freshness without competing with the garlic scapes. Flat leaf parsley has the best flavour, but curly parsley works in a pinch if that’s what you have on hand.
- Lemon Zest: Don’t skip the lemon zest. It doesn’t make the butter taste lemony. Instead, it brightens the flavours and balances the richness of the butter, letting the fresh garlic scapes really stand out.
Find the full ingredient list and exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Use Garlic Scape Butter
Once you’ve got a log of garlic scape butter tucked away in the fridge or freezer, you’ll find plenty of excuses to use it. A simple slice is all it takes to add rich, buttery garlic flavour to everyday meals.
- On Steak: A pat of garlic scape butter melting over a hot steak is hard to beat. Try it on my reverse seared steak or pan seared ribeye steak, where it melts into a rich, buttery sauce that brings out every juicy bite.
- On Grilled Vegetables: Toss grilled asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, or bell peppers with a pat of garlic scape butter while they’re still warm. The butter melts into every nook and cranny, adding fresh garlic flavour without overpowering the vegetables.
- On Corn on the Cob: Swap plain butter for garlic scape butter the next time you’re serving grilled or boiled corn on the cob. It melts into the kernels, adding just the right amount of buttery richness with a fresh garlic twist.
- On Bread: Spread garlic scape butter over a thick slice of warm no knead bread and let it melt into every nook and cranny. You can also use it to make a quick batch of homemade garlic bread by spreading it over a sliced loaf and baking until golden and lightly crisp around the edges.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Garlic scape butter is a great make ahead recipe. Keep a batch on hand, and you’ll always have an easy way to add fresh garlic flavour to your favourite meals.
- Refrigerate: Wrap the butter tightly in parchment paper, plastic wrap, or store it in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Wrap the butter well and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze it as a whole log or as individual slices for added convenience.
- Slice from frozen: If you freeze the butter as a log, simply slice off rounds as needed. They’ll melt beautifully over hot steak, vegetables, seafood, or baked potatoes.
- Make ahead: This is the perfect recipe to prepare when garlic scapes are in season, so you can enjoy their fresh flavour long after they’re gone from the farmers’ market.
Helpful Variations
This garlic scape butter is wonderfully versatile, but a few small tweaks can change the flavour without taking away from the fresh garlic scapes.
- Add fresh herbs: Mix in a little chopped chives, basil, dill, or thyme for another layer of fresh flavour.
- Turn up the pepper: Add an extra pinch of freshly cracked black pepper for a little more bite.
- Stir in Parmesan: A tablespoon or two of finely grated Parmesan adds a savoury, nutty richness that’s especially good on bread and vegetables.
- Add a little heat: Sprinkle in a pinch of red pepper flakes for subtle warmth that complements the mild garlic flavour without overpowering it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Garlic Scape Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup (40 g) garlic scapes (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the softened butter, garlic scapes, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper.
- Mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Transfer the butter to a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap and shape it into a log about 1½ inches thick. Roll tightly and twist the ends to seal.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
- Slice into rounds and serve over steak, grilled vegetables, corn on the cob, seafood, baked potatoes, or warm bread.
Notes
Nutrition
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scroll up above the recipe card for ingredient notes, tips & tricks, and easy swaps/variations.Made it? Tell me everything.
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