Miso Butter

This magical concoction is a flavorful compound butter that achieves a rich, cheesy taste thanks to the creamy goodness of butter with the umami-packed flavor of white miso paste. It brings that same salty, savory kick of cheese but with an even greater depth of flavor. Because it melts readily, it’s easy to use as an ingredient in everything from stir-fries to pasta, but it can also be a mouthwatering condiment to finish off dishes like steamed corn or grilled salmon or meat. It can even transform a simple piece of toast into something extraordinary. 

This versatility makes this miso butter recipe useful beyond Japanese cooking. The best part? It’s ridiculously easy to make and keeps well in the fridge, ready to jazz up any meal at a moment’s notice.

Why This Recipe Works

A 50:50 ratio of miso to butter ensures this miso butter has enough flavor, making it versatile enough to use as both a seasoning and a condiment.

A small amount of sugar provides a balancing sweetness to the salty flavor of white miso.

Miso butter can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container to add flavor to dishes such as poultry, meat, seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, or pasta.   

Ingredients for Miso Butter

Miso – Miso is a fermented soybean paste that’s a staple Japanese seasoning. White miso paste, with its light color, mild nutty flavor, and subtle sweetness, is the perfect complement to rich, creamy butter, but other types of miso will work in this recipe. 

Butter – Since miso contains a lot of salt, it’s important to use unsalted butter.   If you can find cultured butter (a.k.a. European butter) in your area, this will make your miso butter even more flavorful as it contains a higher concentration of the compound that makes it taste buttery. To make this plant-based, you can substitute vegan butter. 

Sugar – Adding some sweetness balances out the salt in the miso. You can also use other sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup.

How to Make Miso Butter

Remove the cold butter from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Planning ahead and allowing enough time for the butter to soften will make the next step much easier. You can also gently heat it in a microwave oven set to a low wattage to soften it, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t melt. 

Mash the room-temperature butter, white miso paste, and sugar in a bowl until the ingredients combine to form a smooth, uniform paste. 

Transfer the miso butter mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. Alternatively, you can roll it up into a log using a sheet of parchment paper. Once refrigerated, it can be sliced.

How to Use Miso Butter

This versatile miso mixture is a great way to add a burst of flavor to any dish. It can be used as an ingredient to season a dish or as a condiment to finish your favorite recipe.

Pasta – Boil your favorite noodles or pasta for 1 minute less than the package instructions, and then transfer it directly to a frying pan over medium-high heat using tongs or a slotted spoon. Add a ladle of pasta water to the pan and continue cooking the pasta while stirring constantly, adding more pasta water if you run out of liquid. The goal is to finish cooking the pasta while creating some starchy liquid at the bottom of the pan. When the pasta is almost fully cooked, add the miso butter, some parmesan cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper and quickly stir it into the pasta to emulsify the ingredients into a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust with more miso butter as needed. 

Salmon – Make miso butter salmon by spreading a layer of this onto salmon fillets before steaming them, or use it as a delicious sauce to serve with grilled or pan-fried salmon steaks along with a bowl of brown rice.

Steak – Season your favorite cut of steak with salt and black pepper and grill it on a skillet before topping it with a spoonful of rich miso butter to take your steak to the next level.

Corn – Butter your corn with this flavorful condiment or use it as a topping for steamed vegetables such as carrots, spinach, or green beans. A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds will make the nutty flavor pop. 

Mushrooms – Boost the flavor of sauteed mushrooms by adding a spoonful of this versatile seasoning before serving them over a bowl of your favorite grains.

Potatoes – Add a bit of miso butter and cream to some boiled potatoes and mash them together to make creamy and flavorful mashed potatoes. Load a baked potato with this magic sauce and your favorite toppings. Miso butter is also a delicious seasoning for oven roasted sweet potatoes.