Chive Blossom Butter Recipe

As an avid cook and organic gardener, I love that each season brings an amazing array of culinary delights. Every year I look forward to onion chives; the leaves and blossoms are among the first edible perennials to emerge in our kitchen garden each Spring. This Chive Blossom Butter recipe uses the edible flowers to make an outstanding compound butter that adds onion flavor to eggs, vegetables, pasta, potatoes, bread and more.

While chive leaves are a popular ingredient, many people don’t know the blossoms are edible, too. In our zone 7b garden, chives flower for about 8 weeks beginning in late April or early May. The pale purple, pom-pom blooms taste stronger than the leaves, and they are gorgeous in a wide variety of dishes.

Once our blooms start opening, we wait to harvest them until there are enough to leave some behind for the bees. Then, the feast begins. We usually start by making Chive Blossom Pasta, then move onto making Chive Blossom Vinegar and this Chive Blossom Butter recipe. You can use this compound butter in any savory dish that would benefit from the onion flavor. Try it with eggs, vegetables, potatoes, etc. It is absolutely exceptional when used to make Radish Toast with Chive Blossom Butter.

In our garden the chive blossoms are generally around the size of a golf ball, but occasionally we get a few smaller. The Chive Blossom Butter in my photos was made with 6 average size blooms and two tablespoons of chopped leaves. After I spread the butter mix into the white dish, I used a pastry brush to make a swirly design on the top.

Only use organic chives and blossoms so that you don’t ingest pesticides or other harmful chemicals. Before you use them in any recipe, wash and dry them in a salad spinner. If you don’t have a spinner you can use a drying screen or the cooling racks you use for baking.

When making this recipe, be sure to use good butter. I put a pinch of Kosher salt in the mix when I initially blend the Chive Blossom Butter. Then, when I serve it, I finish it with an additional sprinkle of salt. Depending on my mood, I use more Kosher salt, fleur de sel or Maldon. Or, I use something new in my salt collection (I am obsessed with salt). Of course, you also have the option to make this compound butter salt-free. There are no wrong choices, do what YOU like.

Onion Chives vs Garlic Chives

Onion Chives bloom in the spring, but they have an equally delicious counterpart that blooms in the fall: Garlic Chives. In our region (zone 7b) Garlic Chives bloom from late-August through the end of September, sometimes a little longer. Garlic chive flowers look like a ball of tiny white stars.

There is a difference in taste – onion vs garlic – but garlic chive flowers can be used in any of my onion chive flower recipes.

For growing information, read the Glamorosi Cooks post titled How to Grow, Harvest and Divide Chives.

Yield

I set this Chive Blossom Butter recipe at 32 servings, 1 tablespoon each. But, as I wrote in my Chocolate Hummus recipe post, my husband and I eat like giant monsters. So, we get about half that. Please adjust the portions according to your diet and health needs.

If you enjoyed this recipe, stop by the Glamorosi Cooks home page to see all of our recipes in one place.

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Chive Blossom Butter Recipe

This Chive Blossom Butter recipe makes an outstanding compound butter that adds onion flavor to vegetables, eggs, pasta, potatoes, bread and more.

Recipe by~ Reese Amorosi

Votes: 19
Rating: 4.37
You:

Rate this recipe!

Course

Condiments, Dips and Spreads

Cuisine

Vegetarian

Keyword

Compound Butter, Condiments, Dips and Spreads, Edible Flowers, Herbs and Spices, Vegetarian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Passive Time

3 hours

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 lb unsalted butter good, softened
• 4-6 chive blossoms washed, dried, separated
• 2 tb chive leaves washed, dried, chopped
• 1 pinch Kosher salt

Course Condiments, Dips and Spreads Cuisine Vegetarian Keyword Compound Butter, Condiments, Dips and Spreads, Edible Flowers, Herbs and Spices, Vegetarian Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 0 minutes Passive Time 3 hours Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 lb unsalted butter good, softened 4-6 chive blossoms washed, dried, separated 2 tb chive leaves washed, dried, chopped 1 pinch Kosher salt

Votes: 19 Rating: 4.37 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Place butter in bowl, stir in chive blossoms, chopped chives and salt.

   
2. Spread butter mix into small serving dish or molds, or roll into log in parchment paper. If you use a crock or bowl that is a little deeper, you can use a melon baller to make individual portions, or a deep spoon to make lovely butter rochers.
3. Seal finished butter in plastic wrap to keep it fresh, chill for several hours or more until set.
4. Optional: just before serving, sprinkle a pinch of finishing salt over the butter. If you have additional chive blossoms or leaves, you can use them to garnish the butter.

Recipe Notes

Store in refrigerator, use in 7 days. Can be frozen.

To make this dairy-free, use a vegan spread. You can also substitute avocado for the butter: use 2 avocados and 3-4 chive blossoms. It is different, of course, but equally delicious.