One of my favorite things to take to a pot-luck is a big basket of rolls or cornbread and a bowl of sweet, fluffy honey butter. And not to get all braggy braggy, but I don’t think I’ve ever taken it without at least half of the people there asking what my “secret” is! You’d think honey butter would be pretty self-explanatory: honey + butter, right? Well I’m going to teach you a few tricks today that will take your honey butter from yum, to WOW.
My secret actually comes from my sister, and that’s to make less of a lightly sweetened butter, and more of a honey-flavored buttercream. The best honey butter starts out with butter, obviously. Not all butter is created equal.
Ingredients Needed
- butter – use good, real butter, and absolutely no substitutions here. It also needs to be room temperature, which means you need to plan ahead a little. Trying to soften it in the microwave will most likely result in uneven temperatures, and will affect the overall end result.
- honey
- powdered sugar
- salt
How to Make Honey Butter
- Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Whipping your butter incorporates air, which gives it a soft, fluffy texture.
- Add powdered sugar and beat for another minute.
- Add honey and continue beating until smooth and fluffy.
- Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Serve at room temperature.
Storage & Other Tips
- Plan Ahead: remember to pull your butter out in time for it to soften before preparing.
- Storage: honey butter stores well in the fridge, just bring to room temperature until serving. Put any leftovers back in the fridge, in an airtight container.
- Serving Tip: if I’m taking this to a party or gathering, I usually drizzle a little honey on top so people realize what it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use whatever you have! Adjust the salt to taste if you feel it needs it.
Yes, of course! The base recipe is powdered sugar and honey, but feel free to add cinnamon, vanilla, or a citrus zest to add some more unique flavors.
Regular sugar will be too gritty, and using it will change how it spreads. Powdered sugar will keep the texture light and fluffy.
It freezes well, but there may be some changes to texture when thawed. However, it still is delicious, no need to shy away from trying it!
Really, you can use it anywhere you’d use butter and want a warm, sweeter, fluffy upgrade. Warm rolls, cornbread, pancakes, waffles, toast are a great starting point, but I also love to toss some on my sweet potatoes, muffins, quick breads, and crepes!
Honey Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup honey
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar and beat for another minute.
- Add honey and continue beating for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy.
- Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve at room temperature, store in fridge.
Questions & Reviews
Delicious! I whipped this up and took it to our Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone enjoyed it.
OMG! I made this exact recipe for Thanksgiving for the rolls and my pop's pumpkin bread and WOW is all I have to say. I found myself dipping my finger in the butter often for a little taste (of course washing my hands first)…
Great recipe, I am going to share this on my recipe blog and of course crediting you and referring my readers to you! I am so glad I found your blog!!
Missy- use salted if you have it, but unsalted would work fine too in a pinch.
salted or unsalted butter?
Add some cinnamon and you get the wonderful butter from Texas RoadHouse. It's AWESOME!!
Honey butter is a great idea!
I never knew about the powdered sugar. Thanks!
mmm i made cornbread and honey butter tonight for dinner, it is one of my favorites!
ok thanks ….never heard of stick of butter referred to as cubes. I assume it’s unsalted butter right?
Hi, Donna! A cube=1 stick of butter. I guess it’s not technically a cube, huh?