Fresh & Delicious Garlic Scape Compound Butter

For those few weeks in June and early July, local gardeners and farmer’s market visitors will get the chance to eat fresh garlic scapes! These delicious treats don’t last long so it’s important to preserve their flavor for future use! This garlic scape compound butter recipe is an easy way to add delicious garlic scape flavor to steaks, bread, sandwiches, eggs, and more.

Love garlic? Don’t miss this spicy garlic sauerkraut that adds a dose of garlicky goodness in every bite!

What are garlic scapes?

The first thing people usually ask me about garlic scapes is “what are those things?!”

These curly green stalks come from hardneck garlic plants. These garlic plants want to flower and go to seed in early summer. So, they send up these long skinny flower stalks to form a flower bud.

However, if the garlic scapes are allowed to flower, the plant will direct all its energy to the flower. Since we want the bulb of the garlic plant, we need to remove the scapes to make the plant focus on just growing the bulb.

The farmer will simply snap the scape off the plant to use in recipes. Fortunately, this bonus harvest is absolutely delicious!

You’ll likely find some at your local farmers market, but it’s a short-season item so don’t expect to see it for more than a couple of weeks.

What do garlic scapes taste like?

Garlic scapes have a delicious, milder garlic taste than the bulbs. I often compare them to garlicky green beans or garlicky asparagus. In this recipe, they give the butter an herby, garlicky flavor that just tastes so good. You’ll end up going back for more and more!

How do I use garlic scape compound butter?

Think of this as a garlic herb butter. Where would you like a kick of garlicky herby deliciousness?

• Serve over a perfectly grilled steak
• Melt on top of a delicious baked potato
• Spread on fresh bread, top with parmesan cheese, and bake for the best garlic bread
• Melt in your skillet before making scrambled eggs
• Rub on the outside of your grilled cheese sandwich before griddling
• Serve over your next fresh pasta dish with wilted greens
• Place under the skin for your next roast chicken

My favorite way to use this is to spread it on the sides of a slice of honey wheat sourdough and toast it up until brown! Top with an over-easy egg and a sprinkle of goat cheese. Absolutely delicious!

What do you need to make garlic scape compound butter

Equipment

Food processor
Knife
Skillet
Stand or hand mixer
Parchment or wax paper

Ingredients for Garlic Scape Butter

1 pound of high-quality room temperature butter
1 bunch of garlic scapes (usually about 6-8 scapes)
2 TBS of fresh parsley
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Garlic Scape Compound Butter Recipe

1. Set out your butter at room temperature until completely soft.
2. Rinse and dry your garlic scapes. Then, cut them into 2-3 inch pieces directly into the bowl of a food processor.
3. Pulse the scapes until they are small pieces. It may take a moment; just keep going.
4. Heat up a skillet over medium heat and add a little knob of butter or olive oil. When the oil is warmed up, add your garlic scapes.
5. Allow the minced garlic scapes to cook gently for 3-5 minutes. Add a little salt to bring out flavor.
6. Add the garlic scapes to the bowl of your stand mixer and allow them to cool completely. You can place them in the fridge, too. If they are not cool, they will melt your butter.
7. While the scapes are cooling, chop up 1-2 tablespoons of fresh parsley.
8. Once the scapes are cooled down, combine butter and chopped parsley to the scapes in your mixer. Using a paddle attachment, run the mixer on low to fully integrate the scapes and herbs.
9. If you’re using unsalted butter, add a sprinkle of salt while the butter is mixing. If you’re using salted butter, skip this step.
10. Once the butter is fully mixed, portion out half of the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or parchment. Carefully tuck the edge closest to you over the log. Roll the log of butter up until you’ve used the whole sheet of parchment paper. Twist the ends of the roll of butter like candy. Follow this step again with the remaining butter.
11. Allow to cool in the fridge. Eat fresh within a week or store in the freezer in an airtight container like a freezer bag for 6 months or longer.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I make a smaller portion of this garlic scape butter?

Yes! Try making this with half a pound of butter and simply halve the other ingredients (3-4 scapes, 1 tablespoon of herbs).

Can I substitute other herbs for the parsley?

Absolutely. This recipe would be wonderful with fresh basil! Feel free to add some chopped green onion if you have some around. You could even add some lemon zest, too!

Why do you recommend high-quality butter?

Think of this butter as a treat or a luxury item. It’s a very simple recipe, so you want each component to be the best it can be.

Those delicious garlic scapes and fresh herbs from the garden deserve the best butter you can find.

Plus, you’ll be eating this butter like a garnish. Because you’re using it sparingly, this high-quality butter will last a while.

My favorite butter is this one from Azure Standard. It is the butteriest butter I have ever had!

We were out of that pastured butter from California, so I used unsalted Kerrygold grass-fed butter from Costco.

Can I use plastic wrap to roll the garlic scape butter?

Technically, yes. However, we do not own or use plastic wrap due to its environmental issues. Parchment or wax paper are a better alternative.

If you’re looking for a totally zero waste solution, you can scoop the butter onto your silicone baking sheet and place it in the fridge to cool in little half mounds. Once firm, remove to your silicone bag to store in the freezer or store in a glass storage container in the fridge.

5 from 15 votes

Garlic Scape Compound Butter

Print Recipe

Preserve the delicious flavor of garlic scapes for later by making this easy garlic scape compound butter! Perfect over steaks, pasta, baked potatoes, and plenty more.

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Cooling:1 hr

Total Time:1 hr 20 mins

Equipment

• Food processor
• Knife
• Skillet
• Stand or hand mixer
• Parchment or wax paper

Ingredients

• 1 pound of high-quality room temperature butter
• 1 bunch of garlic scapes usually about 6-8 scapes
• 2 TBS fresh parsley
• Kosher or sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Set out your butter at room temperature until completely soft.
• Rinse and dry your garlic scapes. Then, cut them into 2-3 inch pieces directly into the bowl of a food processor.
• Pulse the scapes until they are small pieces. It may take a moment; just keep going.
• Heat up a skillet over medium heat and add a little knob of butter or olive oil. When the oil is warmed up, add your garlic scapes.
• Allow the minced garlic scapes to cook gently for 3-5 minutes. Add a little salt to bring out flavor.
• Add the garlic scapes to the bowl of your stand mixer and allow them to cool completely. You can place them in the fridge, too. If they are not cool, they will melt your butter.
• While the scapes are cooling, chop up 1-2 tablespoons of fresh parsley.
• Once the scapes are cooled down, combine butter and chopped herbs to the scapes in your mixer. Using a paddle attachment, run the mixer on low to fully integrate the scapes and herbs.
• If you’re using unsalted butter, add a sprinkle of salt while the butter is mixing. If you’re using salted butter, skip this step.
• Once the butter is fully mixed, portion out half of the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or parchment. Carefully tuck the edge closest to you over the log. Roll the log of butter up until you’ve used the whole sheet of parchment paper. Twist the ends of the roll of butter like candy. Follow this step again with the remaining butter.
• Allow to cool in the fridge. Eat fresh within a week or store in the freezer in an airtight container like freezer bag for 6 months or longer.

Notes

Store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 6 months or longer.

Feel free to cut this recipe in half!

Course: Appetizer, Food preservation

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: garlic scape butter, garlic scape compound butter, garlic scapes, scape compound butter

Servings: 1 lb

Cost: $10

What do you think of this garlic scape compound butter?

How do you like to use this flavorful compound butter? What are your favorite garlic scape recipes? Share your thoughts in the comments below!