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You only need four ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make flavorful avocado butter—perfect for topping toast, proteins, roasted veggies, and more! It can also be made dairy-free!
Over two years ago, I first shared my method for homemade butter (just ONE ingredient needed), and shortly after that, I delved into making homemade garlic herb compound butter (aka flavored butter). I’ve fiddled with various flavor combinations over the years, but when I tried this avocado butter, I knew I had to share it.
Avocado butter is creamy, rich, and packed with nutrients and healthy fats. Thanks to the avocado, you can adapt the herby green compound butter to your liking and use it in tons of ways—just check out the ingredients list below for several optional add-ins.
As compound butter goes, this avocado version has it all: it’s super creamy, filled with buttery goodness, and packed with flavor too. And you might wonder, why bother adding the butter when you could slather the mashed avocado (or guacamole) over items instead – you’ll get it when you try it. The combination of avocado and butter is – *chef’s kiss*!
Plus, you can use the avocado butter when it’s soft and ‘whippy’ at room temperature or roll it into a log and firm in the refrigerator for slices. Serve it in all the same ways you’d use butter, too—slathered over toast, mixed into sauces, melted over proteins and veg, etc.
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The Ingredients
- Avocado—Make sure to use fresh, ripe avocados. If your avocados are already browning, this will affect the color of your avocado butter, too.
- Butter – I use unsalted homemade butter. You could also use ghee. Use it at room temperature.
- Lemon – use fresh lemon juice if possible. If you don’t have a lemon, you could sub with a lime. This is there to keep the avocado green, not just for flavor, so DON’T omit it.
- Seasonings – I used a combination of salt & pepper and garlic powder.
Optional Add-ins
- Cilantro – add around 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro.
- Parsley – same as above – add around 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley.
- Cumin – add between 1-2 tsp depending on how strong you wish the flavor to be
- Chili flakes – add as much as you’d like – I usually add a big pinch.
How To Make Avocado Butter
I always like to start by making my homemade unsalted butter. You can follow the steps to make butter yourself. Of course, you can also just use your favorite store-bought butter and skip this step.
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or high-speed processor and blend until super smooth. Scrape down the sides as you go to ensure the mixture is consistent.
You can use the mixture immediately for a whipped soft consistency.
Alternatively, spoon the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper or cling film. Carefully shape it into a log, avoiding air bubbles. Then, wrap it at the ends like a Christmas cracker.
You can also scoop it into an airtight container. If doing so, add a layer of clingfilm over the top, touching the surface of the avocado butter—this will help to stop it from browning for longer.
Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours until set and then slice and use.
How To Store
Store the avocado butter covered tightly in the refrigerator and aim to use it within 3-4 days. It will usually last up to a week but will begin to brown before then (it’s still okay to use at this point, it’s just not as “pretty”).
You can also freeze the butter. I haven’t done this before, but I imagine it would be okay for up to 1 month at least.
How To Use Avocado Butter
You can use this compound butter in many of the same ways you would use any other compound butter.
- Spread it over toast or bagels. I love to spread mine over multigrain bread, top it with a sliced semi-soft-boiled egg, and sprinkle with chili flakes.
- Slathered over burgers and sandwiches.
- In and over potatoes, like mashed potatoes, microwave baked potatoes, or Super Crispy Smashed Potatoes, etc.
- Over your favorite protein – like steaks, chicken, fish, or tofu/your favorite meat alternative.
- In wraps – like this veggie burrito, or use this Viral Tortilla Hack (20+ Global Filling Ideas). It’ll also work well as a guac replacement in several Mexican dishes like tacos.
- Mixed into pasta – like this Greek Pasta Salad or this Tiktok Pasta.
Recipe Notes
- For a dairy-free alternative, you could use olive oil or coconut oil, which harden in the fridge and thus provide the same melty effect as butter. Alternatively, you could use vegan margarine or butter instead and adjust the salt accordingly.
- Buy ready-to-eat ripe avocados if you plan on making this avocado butter on the same day. Alternatively, buy ripen-at-home avos and wait until they ripen. If you’re not ready to use them immediately when ripened, place them in the fridge to slow down the ripening process, but try to use them in the next day or two to avoid too much browning or becoming overripe.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash this avocado butter by hand. It won’t have quite the same whipped consistency, but it will work.
Related Recipes
If you try this avocado butter recipe, then let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments. I’d also really appreciate a recipe rating and would love to see your recreations – just tag @AlphaFoodie.
How To Make Avocado butter
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe avocados pit and skin removed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice or lime
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or high-speed processor and blend until super smooth. Scrape down the sides as you go to ensure the mixture is consistent.
- You can use the mixture immediately for a whipped soft consistency. Alternatively, spoon the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper or cling film. Carefully shape into a log, making sure there are no air bubbles. Then wrap at the ends like a Christmas cracker.You can also scoop it into an airtight container. If doing so, add a layer of clingfilm over the top, touching the surface of the avocado butter – this will help to stop it browning for longer.
- Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours until set and then slice and use.
How To Store
- Store the avocado butter covered tightly in the refrigerator and aim to use it within 3-4 days. It will usually last up to a week but will begin to brown before then (it's still okay to use at this point, it's just not as "pretty").You can also freeze the butter. I haven't done this before, but I imagine it would be okay for up to 1-month at-least.
Notes
- For a dairy-free alternative, you could use olive oil or coconut oil, which harden in the fridge, thus providing the same melty effect as butter. Alternatively, use a vegan margarine/butter instead and adjust the salt accordingly.
- Buy ready-to-eat ripe avocados if you plan on making this avocado butter on the same day. Alternatively, buy ripen-at-home avos and wait until they ripen. If you’re not ready to use them immediately when ripened, place them in the fridge to slow down the ripening process but try to use them in the next day or two to avoid too much browning or it becoming overripe.
- If you don’t have a food processor, then you can mash this avocado butter by hand. It won’t have quite the same whipped consistency but will work.
- Optional add-ins: chili flakes, cilantro, cumin or anything else.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
After compressing into an airtight container, could I cover the butter with some water to keep it from oxidizing? Pour off the water before using?
Hi Jim,
You’ll probably be better off freezing the butter if you want to keep it for longer.