Sweet Onion Butter

Three ingredients, no cooking, five minutes of work. This compound butter blends melted butter with finely grated Vidalia onion and a touch of garlic powder for a spread that’s savory, sweet, and absurdly versatile.

Vidalia onions are the key here. Their natural sugar content is so high they taste almost fruity when raw, which is exactly what you want in a butter you’re not cooking down. Grating the onion finely is a must so it disappears into the butter rather than leaving chunky bits. A microplane or the fine side of a box grater works best.

Melt the butter, stir everything together, then let it resolidify in the fridge. Once it firms back up, you’ve got a spreadable compound butter that goes on warm rolls, grilled corn, baked potatoes, or slathered over a seared steak. It keeps in the fridge for several days, and the onion flavor actually mellows and sweetens as it sits.

Chef Tips

• Grate the onion as finely as possible. You want onion juice and pulp, not pieces. This creates a smooth, uniform spread.
• Stir while the butter is still warm so the onion distributes evenly before it sets.
• Shape it into a log in plastic wrap before chilling. You can slice off rounds as needed, which looks polished when serving at the table.