Tomato Butter

Use up your garden tomatoes with this budget-friendly Tomato Butter! It’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for meal prep.

The post Tomato Butter appeared first on Budget Bytes.

I can’t stress enough how delicious this Tomato Butter is. Especially now that it’s tomato season, I’m begging you to make it! Our team in the Budget Bytes studio ate WAY too much warm sourdough bread and butter during the making of this recipe, but I can tell you we have zero regrets. I’m absolutely certain this recipe for tomato butter will be your new favorite ingredient and/or condiment, and it honestly couldn’t be easier to make!

Overhead view of a jar of tomato butter, with some spread on a slice of bread.

Easy Recipe for Tomato Butter

This homemade tomato butter is a savory compound butter made by blending roasted tomatoes, garlic, and a few simple seasonings into butter. I always roast the tomatoes and garlic instead of using them raw, as it really concentrates the flavor and keeps the butter from getting watery. This easy tomato butter also freezes beautifully, so you can tuck a little taste of summer away for later! It’s one of my favorite recipes to make when tomatoes are at their peak (alongside my tomato relish, of course), and I always end up wishing I’d made a double batch.

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Use up your garden tomatoes with this budget-friendly Tomato Butter! It’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for meal prep.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Total Cost $3.58 recipe / $0.18 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings (1 Tbsp each)

Calories 85kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Food Processor
Ice Cube Tray

Ingredients

2 tomatoes vine ripe, $1.28
2 cloves garlic $0.06
¼ tsp sea salt $0.01
⅛ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.03
cooking spray $0.01
2 sticks salted butter room temperature, $1.98*
1 tsp Italian seasoning $0.21

Instructions

Gather ingredients. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Seed tomatoes by cutting them into quarters and scooping the seeds out. Carefully crush garlic cloves using the bottom of a cup.
Add tomatoes and garlic to a parchment-lined baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and lightly mist with cooking oil.
Bake until tomatoes and garlic have wilted and toasted, 15-20 minutes. Just enough to concentrate those flavors and give them a little more depth.
Add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, room temperature salted butter, and Italian herb mix to a food processor.
Run the food processor until the tomatoes and garlic have been broken down and blended into the butter and seasonings.
Portion out your tomato butter for future use by using an ice cube tray! Pop it in the freezer (covered with plastic wrap!) and then pop them out once hardened and store in a clean, dry container in the freezer or refrigerator.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You can easily make this recipe dairy-free by swapping the butter with your favorite salted vegan butter.

Nutrition

how to make Tomato Butter step-by-step photos

Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 375°F.

A deseeded tomato and garlic cloves on a wooden cutting board.

Prep the tomatoes and garlic: Slice 2 tomatoes into quarters and use a spoon to scoop the seeds out. Discard the seeds and crush 2 garlic cloves with the bottom of a cup or the side of your knife (carefully!)

A cut up deseeded tomato and crushed garlic cloves on a baking sheet.

Roast the tomatoes and garlic: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes and garlic onto the baking sheet, season with ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp black pepper, and lightly mist with cooking oil.

Roasted tomato flesh and crushed garlic cloves on a baking sheet.

Bake until the tomatoes and garlic have wilted and browned, about 15-20 minutes. This is just enough to concentrate those flavors and give them a little more depth.

The ingredients to make tomato butter in a food processor.

Make the tomato butter: Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic, 2 sticks room temperature salted butter, and 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning to a food processor.

Run the food processor until the tomatoes and garlic have broken down and combined with the butter and seasonings.

Tomato butter being divided into an ice cube tray,

Now, it’s ready to use! You can also portion out your homemade tomato butter for future use using an ice cube tray. Cover the tray well with plastic wrap and pop it into the freezer. Once hardened, pop the little butter cubes out of the tray and store them in a clean, dry container in the freezer or fridge.

Overhead view of a hand holding a slice of bread topped with tomato butter.

Cover your butter before putting it in the freezer. Butter absorbs surrounding smells over time (it’s called “aroma absorption” or “fat washing”), so make sure your tomato butter is tightly covered to keep it tasting fresh and not like the inside of your fridge/freezer!!
Don’t have any dried Italian herbs? Any dried herb or mix of your favorites will work just fine. Basil, oregano, thyme, or rosemary are all great options. Just avoid using more than 1 teaspoon total so you don’t overpower the tomato flavor. Dried herbs are much more potent than fresh, and their flavor will continue to develop as the butter sits. You can always add more later if you want a stronger herb flavor!

Serving Suggestions

Think of this tomato and garlic butter as a quick flavor booster that works on everything from toast to pasta! My favorite way is spreading it, while it’s still soft, onto a piece of warm sourdough. It melts right in and makes the simplest snack feel extra special. It’s also great melted over white rice with grilled shrimp, stirred through hot penne with a little Parmesan, or mixed into scrambled eggs. I’ve even rubbed it onto hot, grilled corn, but you could just as easily melt it over baked chicken (or any protein you like) for a fast and flavorful finish.

Storage Instructions

As I mentioned above, I like to portion my roasted tomato butter into an ice cube tray so I can freeze individual servings. Once they’re solid, I pop them out and store them in an airtight container in the freezer or fridge. Just make sure your butter is well-covered to keep it from picking up any freezer smells. This compound butter will keep in the fridge for up to 5–7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.