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I'm officially declaring the summer of 2026 to be Butter Girl Summer. To celebrate, all you have to do is take one stick of softened butter, whip it with a hand mixer until it's light and airy, and add your favorite seasonal flavors, then suddenly your steaks, corn, grilled veggies, and desserts are having the best summer ever.
Compound butters aren't a brand-new concept, especially if you're already a fan of our ever-popular cowboy butter, but it's time to showcase all that this humble spread can do. To help get the ideas flowing, I came up with five flavor combinations that have everything I love about summer flavors and produce.
How To Make Butter Better
All of these summer butters come together in the same way. Let a couple of sticks of butter soften on the countertop or in the microwave, if you're in a pinch. Then add the butter to a large bowl and use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer to whip air into the butter until it's light and fluffy.
Elote Butter
Corn is my absolute favorite summer veggie, and there's no better way to eat it than on the cob, slathered with crema and sprinkled with cotija, chili powder, and lime juice. To replicate that flavor with this super-savory butter, I added charred corn, cotija, lime zest, and chili powder, then took things a step further with a little garlic and cilantro...because why not? It's basically street corn in spreadable form.
Cherry-Lime Butter
Cherries are synonymous with summer, and ever since my first brush with a cherry limeade slushy 15 years ago, I've been replicating the flavor combo whenever possible. Just add chopped cherries, lime zest, cardamom, and black pepper to the whipped butter for a sweet-tart combo that tastes incredible on literally everything. Sure, you can add it to biscuits and pancakes, but this combo can do double duty as a topping for your favorite proteins, like grilled chicken or pork chops.
Lemon-Berry Butter
Is it really summer if you aren't eating berries in every way possible? This lemon-berry butter is the perfect way to hit your berry quota for the season while turning brunch from just another meal into an event. Just fold fresh strawberries, blackberries, lemon zest, and honey into the whipped butter and end up with something that feels fancy but takes almost no effort. Dollop this on a stack of pancakes or waffles and thank me later.
Beach Butter
If you can't make it to a beach this summer, this butter will have you hearing ocean waves and seagulls. Mix chopped mango, chopped pineapple, toasted coconut, lime zest, and a little turbinado sugar into butter, and every single thing you put it on will taste like summer. The turbinado sugar is my favorite part of this flavor combo because it adds a little sandy crunch to the smooth butter for fun pops of texture in every bite.
Marry Me Butter
Don't act surprised! We give the Marry Me treatment to every food under the sun, and we'll never stop. This combination of sundried tomato, garlic, thyme, basil, and Parmesan is the peak of savory goodness, and fluffy whipped butter is the perfect vehicle for it. Add a big spoonful to the top of a grilled steak and a lobster tail for the most indulgent dinner ever.
