This harissa butter is so easy to make and is delicious on top of a steak, with chicken, stirred into scrambled eggs, or so many other ways! Use it in place of regular butter to elevate any savory dish.
I'm having a love affair with harissa. I love the bold, spicy flavor. It's become one of my favorite condiments. Lately I've made this creamy harissa pasta, this harissa tahini cauliflower, and now this harissa butter.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you'll use harissa paste, butter, and lemon zest. Don't have harissa paste? Find out how to make harissa paste from harissa powder.
What is harissa?
Harissa is a spicy condiment originating in North Africa. It's made with peppers and you can get different spice levels. For this recipe I used spicy harissa, but you could easily use a medium spice.
How to use harissa butter
There are so many uses for harissa butter! You can use it in place of regular butter anywhere you want a punch of flavor. Here's a few ideas.
- On top of a sliced steak for delicious flavor
- For cooking something like salmon or shrimp
- Stirred into scrambled eggs
- In a sweet potato (with mint!)
How to make harissa butter
First, make sure your butter is softened and room temperature. Put into a bowl and mash with a fork to make sure it is softened.
Add the harissa and mash to combine.
Add the lemon zest and mash together.
Serve however you like!
How to store
The harissa butter can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. To save, shape into a log and store in cling wrap.
Other recipes using harissa
- Harissa roasted acorn squash
- Harissa honey chicken
- Harissa vinaigrette
- Harissa roasted tomatoes
- Air fryer harissa salmon
- Harissa scrambled eggs
- Harissa cauliflower with tahini
- Creamy harissa pasta
Harissa Butter
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 lemon zested
Instructions
- Take the butter and add to a bowl. Mash with a fork.
- Add the harissa and mash together.
- Zest the lemon with a microplane, and then add the lemon zest to the bowl. Mash together until combined.
- Use as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
Sharon
I'd like to try this but only have harissa powder, not paste. How can I make the paste out of my powder
foodbanjo
Great question! You should be able to soften the butter, then mix in the harissa powder instead of paste. While some places say you can substitute using a 1:1 ratio, I'd start with 2 teaspoons harissa powder to 4 tablespoons butter to make sure it's not too strong. Take a slight taste, and see if you want to add more.
You can also make your own harissa paste using a 1:1:1 ratio of powder:oil:water, but I wouldn't recommend it here, because I am not sure how well that would incorporate with the butter.
I hope that is helpful!
laura
AMAZING! I love compound butter!
Sherry Ronning
This Harissa Butter took my sweet potato to the next level!!
Sachi
Nice bit of spice. I love to spread this on saltines.
Jenn
I'm going to put this flavorful butter on everything! So simple but so delicious!