Tomato Butter

We already discussed what to do if you have a surplus of basil from you garden (Basil Infused Oil!). But what about tomatoes?? When we grew tomatoes at our old house, most of them never made it into the house because I had a habit of eating them directly off the vine. Oooops. If I was lucky, some made it into salads like this one and a delicious goat cheese pasta dish like this one.

And then there was tomato butter…

It’s sweet from the tomatoes and super buttery from….the butter!

It’s delicious on toasted bread and grilled fish/shrimp, and  I imagine it would be amazing stirred into a pot of fresh pasta.

It’s basically an excuse to smear a whole lot of butter onto something. It’s full of tomatoes!

And we’re off!

Three ingredients.

Tomato, butter & basil. Use good butter! My butter is totally dented.  In real life I drop things… A LOT.

Tomatoes go onto a baking sheet.

They get broiled under the broiler.

See the juice that comes out of those blistered skins? Righteous!

Now we bring the tomatoes over to food processor land. They get whirred up.

Add a little basil while you’re at it.

Tomato Basil puree meets butter.

And look! We have tomato butter in real life!

I smeared it on sourdough toast, placed cheddar on top with arugula & scrambled eggs.

My open faced sandwich got SOOOO fancy pants.

Just the way I like it.

Tomato Butter

makes about 2 1/2 cups
recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

  • 1 pint (about 2 cups) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves

Place tomatoes on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 8-10 minutes until tomato skins slightly brown and start releasing their juice. Let tomatoes cool and then place in a mini food processor. Pulse until well chopped. Add the basil and continue pulsing until tomatoes are finely chopped. In a large bowl, mix the tomato/basil puree with the butter.

  • Cristina

    Oh my goodness what a GREAT idea!! I was just thinking that I need more butter in my life.

  • michelle @ The Village Cook

    Oh my goodness… can I come over and have that for breakfast? Looks so good with the eggs. 🙂 Happy chomps!

  • Fiona

    Kerrygold?! Irish me says yes!

  • Ashley

    Tomato butter spread with cheese and eggs? Am I dreaming? Amazing!

  • Bev @ Bev Cooks

    I’m completely dying right now.

  • Clara

    You just sparked SO many ideas in my food brain. Brilliant, Tracy!

  • Elizabeth @ The Bare Midriff

    Wow, this looks amazing! And a great way to get veggies (fruits?) into something as delicious as butter and bread!

  • Diane

    I do this with corn sometimes. Corn butter + tomato butter = concentrated summer + god’s gold.

  • Erin

    Wow! That looks fantastic. Any idea how long this will keep in the fridge?
    Any idea or suggestions on subs for the butter to make it vegan?

  • jen @ the baked life

    I have all of these things in my house/garden right now. NEED THIS.

    ps. I don’t grow butter, but if that were possible, it would be totally awesome.

  • Amber

    Is it just me or does everyone always think of the sea turtle from Finding Nemo when they hear/see the word ‘Righteous’? Just me? Annnywayys, that sandwich NEEDS to be on my breakfast plate every morning. It’s gestational diabetes approved!

    • Tracy

      I think my head always goes to the Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure realm!! But I totally know what you mean. Those turtles are like Bill & Ted.

  • Nicole

    Oh man! I want that open faced sandwich so much! Arugula, cheese, TOMATO BUTTER and perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs…yum. I bet it tastes like Marcella Hazan’s buttery tomato sauce. The one that I couldn’t help dipping bread into as it cooked 🙂

  • brandi

    get outta my FACE with that! i’m a super sucker for tomatoes & basil…add butter and it’s just scandalous. i wanna take a bath in it.

  • jenny

    I made your basil oil a week or two ago and have been smearing it on seedy bread, pan-crisping those suckers, and then topping them with your herbed ricotta. but now the ricotta is gone, and the oil is near its end (I halved the recipe and have been using it on arugula & avocado salads, too, so I’m not a total pig)…which can only mean one thing: TOMATO BUTTER. p.s. I am also totally making this sandwich. my heavens. YUM.

  • Becca @ The Dabblist

    Tomato Butter, omg omg! Brilliant, I’m doing this asap. Can it preserve for gifting during the holidays?

  • Eileen

    My tomato surplus generally gets made into sauce and canned, but this butter looks amazing! I can just taste in slathered on crispy sourdough toast with those beautiful scrambled eggs. Now I really can’t wait for my cherry sungolds to ripen. 🙂

  • Mal @ The Chic Geek

    This looks so good! I think I’ll have to try this soon.

  • ann

    i am so going to make this like ASAP…. would you mind if i shared on our blog and linked back to this post after I make it.

  • Dixie

    This looks amazing! I love fancy breakfast sandwiches, especially with a fancy spread. Yum!!!

  • Elise @YumFoodieFoodie

    hello.
    you’re a genius.
    This looks delicious.
    I’m making some asap.
    that is all.

  • Beth {local milk}

    Frack. So hungry. Tons of tomatoes. Loaves of fresh baked bread. I have to make this. God, I love the hell out of butter. Just sayin.

  • Julie @ Outtakes on the Outskirts

    I have some tomatoes I roasted with basil and garlic that would be perfect for this! I’m lovin’ the tomato butter with the noodles idea.

    Maybe I missed it – but how long will this keep? Any ideas?

  • Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking

    Why you gotta go and do this to me right before a three day juice cleanse? I want nothing more than to go slather this on to everything I eat. I will have to wait though. Womp, Womp!

  • Jen W

    I couldn’t not make this today. Almost took off work early to do it. And it was so, so good. (I considered not adding the eggs. Glad I did in the end. Totes amaze.)

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out

    Holy. Balls. I want that in mah belly right now.

    Genius, you are.

  • Ashley // Our Little Apartment

    Tomato + Butter?! Who would have guessed?

    Clearly, you are genius. MOAR BUTTA.

  • Nicole @ The Dirty Oven

    Would it be wrong to dip a pretzel in it. Serious talk!

  • Jayne

    I’d probably just ate all the tomatoes when they came out of the oven. With a bit of salt and pepper, I’m a happy girl.

  • Catalina @ Cake with Love

    I LOVE tomatoes, and I love butter, why I have never thought of tomato – butter? Such a great idea, with aggs, cheese and arugula it should be outstanding!

  • Nealey @ Dixie Caviar

    I have Bon Ap’s recipe for this pinned, and after seeing your photos it needs to happen pronto!

  • Amy

    Sucha a good idea! I want all of this, right now, on bread or pasta or with eggs. Good choice btw!

  • Bev Martin

    Saw this link on Fig&Fauna! Do you have to cook the tomatoes? Has anyone tried it with fresh tomatoes pureed without the oven treatment? Yummy!! I can just imagine spaghetti squash spread with this and topped with cheese or chopped almonds.

  • Rachel (De Ma Cuisine)

    Oh boy! Great idea!!

    I think tomatoes taste best right off the vine – still kinda warm from the sun.. reminds me of my childhood… and adulthood, since I still do that with the tomatoes I grow. 🙂 Happy memories.

  • Jaime aka The Tomato Snob

    Gorgeous photos! Delicious sounding recipe. I will definitely be giving this a try.

  • Stacie @OneHungryMama

    Genius! I was recently in Barcelona where I was reminded of tomato bread (that delicious toasty, crust bread rubbed with olive oil and tomato)… this is like a buttery, summery version. Yum, yum, yum!

  • Monique

    Interesting. I’ve had tomatoes on the brain lately and this last weekend took a jar of sun-dried tomatoes along with 2 sticks of butter, cumin, cayenne and the juice and zest of a lemon for a whirl in the handy old food processor and served it with crusty bread then took it to a pool party – even the kids ate it.

  • Beth

    I have to admit that I am skeptical of the tomato butter. However, most recipes that I’m skeptical of become favorites when I finally make them. Kale chips pop to mind as a good example. That said, I think we will probably eat all our tomatoes right off the vine before they even make it into the house. Now zucchini butter… there’s a vegetable that’s outproducing my ability to eat it 🙂

  • aida mollenkamp

    What? That open face sandwich got super fancified from the tomato butter — I need some of that in my life pronto!

  • Samantha

    OMG it’s so good! I spread it on grilled zucchini and it was amazing (it was also good just eating it with a spoon! LOL)

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  • Jess

    This sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it.

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  • T

    this is bananas! must make this happen on sunday, farmers market day, aka tomato day.

    bonkers.

  • amanda

    this stuff is DEElicious. I had it stirring in my head every since you posted it, and finally threw it together last night, roasting the tomatoes with a few garlic cloves as well.

    And my final addition? A handful of pecorino romano. Yes. Amazing. / After it was done, I slathered it on a piece of sourdough, and returned it to the oven to produce the best tomato-butter-cheese-garlic bread ever.

  • daphne

    So easy YEY! can’t help to try it. .really want to know the combination of butter and tomatoes, I think its heaven. LOVE! LOVE!

  • Denise

    Da*n you! =) Just ran across your site through FB…amazing photos and recipes. This one is a must try with the black cherry tomatoes and basil from the garden and my homemade butter. YUM!!

  • Sohni kitchen

    I have to try this… looks yummy

  • Dona Gomez

    Just made this for the first time. Amazing on a slice of Arizmendi City loaf (sourdough). Thank you!

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