Homemade Soft Butter Spread with Olive Oil Recipe

This soft butter spread gets around a common problem: butter kept on the counter goes softer or firmer as the kitchen warms and cools, while butter from the refrigerator is too hard to spread on bread. Whipping butter with oil and water gives a spread that lives in the refrigerator yet spreads the way soft margarine does.

Only four ingredients are involved: room-temperature butter, room-temperature filtered water, olive oil (or another oil) and a little sea salt. A stand mixer or a hand mixer beats everything together until the butter has taken up all of the liquid, and the mixture is then chilled until firm, about 2 hours. The batch makes about 2 cups of buttery, creamy spread for toast and English muffins.

Because it contains water and oil, the spread keeps for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator and is meant for spreading and topping rather than for baking.

Homemade Soft Butter Spread with Olive Oil

Butter whipped with olive oil, water and sea salt into about 2 cups of creamy spread that stays soft enough to use straight from the refrigerator.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 2 cups

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (unsalted works well)
• 1/2 cup filtered water room temperature
• 1/2 cup olive oil or preferred oil of choice
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Method

 

1. With a stand mixer, or a hand mixer and a large bowl, whip the butter at medium speed until it turns creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop the mixer.
2. Add the water, oil and sea salt. Start mixing on low speed to limit splashing.
3. Raise the speed as the liquids begin to blend into the butter, and keep mixing until the butter has taken in every bit of the oil and water, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl once or twice.
4. Transfer the mixture to a lidded container and close it. Chill it in the refrigerator until it firms up, about 2 hours, or in the freezer for about 45 minutes.
5. Once the spread has solidified, keep it stored in the refrigerator.

Notes

Oil: any oil can replace the olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil gives a noticeable olive flavor; a light olive oil or a neutral oil such as canola or avocado keeps the taste closer to plain butter.

Salt: adjust the sea salt between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon to taste. With salted butter, leave the added salt out or use just a pinch.

Storage: keep the spread covered in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks. The added water means it does not keep as long as plain butter, and it softens quickly at room temperature, so put it back in the refrigerator after use.

Because it contains water and oil, use it for spreading and for topping vegetables, pancakes or toast, not as a stand-in for butter in baking.