Butter Candle · I’m a food blog

Move over butter boards, the butter candle is here!

They add light, ambiance and, of course, butter to any table, making serving bread, steak or whatever you like to butter a fun and interactive experience. If you like warm butter and fresh bread, or you like butter boards, you’ll love the butter candle.

What is a butter candle?

It’s exactly what it sounds like: a candle made of butter. A food fuse is lit on the table and the butter is slowly softened, causing the butter to melt, sink or pour. Butter candles are usually served with bread, but you can also serve them with anything you like with butter. For dipping you can go with: seafood, vegetables or meat. And for toppings, think: mashed potatoes, rice, popcorn—the list goes on and on. Is there anything that doesn’t taste better with butter?

Who invented butter candles?

To be honest, butter candles are a modern take on the cool retro candles, which are candles made from beef fat. Tallow candles have been around for a long time, since ancient Rome in fact. Lately, adventurous restaurants have started serving steak with edible candles in many flavors. The resulting rendered, warm beef fat is poured over steak or served alongside potatoes. It really isn’t that big of a leap to make homemade butter candles for bread. The first version I saw on Tiktok was from Soozie the Foodie who serves hers with bread. Another one I see on repeat is the Steak Butter Candle from SAMO. These two Tiktoks are perfect examples of two different ways you can make butter candles.

How to make a butter candle

There are two ways to make a butter candle: hand shaping and pouring. Both work well, but the hand shaping seems a bit simpler and unless you have food safe gloves, I recommend going the casting route.

For hand pour a butter candle

This is definitely the easiest way to make a butter candle. Melt the butter, make a wick from food safe twine, pour the butter into a container and wait for it to harden. That’s it!

1. Melt the butter. You can do this in a small saucepan over low heat on the stove, or in 20-second increments in the microwave, stirring each time you reset the microwave.
2. Make the fuse. Cut a food safe thread and dip in melted butter to create a food safe wick.
3. Place the wick in the mold. Tie the buttered string around a stick or stick and place the stick on top of your butter candle mold, making sure the string touches the bottom of the mold.
4. Pour in the butter. Pour the melted butter into the mold, making sure the wick is in the center of the candle.
5. Let the candle settle. Refrigerate the butter candle until nice and firm, at least 1 hour.
6. Light your butter candle on fire and enjoy. When it’s time to taste, remove the stick and trim the wick so it’s about 1/4 – 1/2 inch above the candle. Use a match or lighter to light the wick and let the butter melt. Enjoy melted butter by dipping or pouring!

To form a butter candle by hand

Start with a little softened butter. Ideally, take your butter out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and place your stick of butter in the middle. Use your hands or a rolling pin to lightly flatten the butter and place a piece of kitchen string in the middle for a fuse. Use plastic wrap to roll and shape the butter into a candle. Place in the refrigerator to set.

Butter candle wick

It doesn’t matter if you hand shape or pour, either way, you’ll need a food safe wick. My suggestion is 100% cotton food-safe twine, the kind you tie roast and chicken with. You can find it near the meat section of the grocery store or you can order it online. Because the food is safe, it will be safe when you light your candle. All you have to do to make your twine food into a wick is to coat it in melted butter so it will hold the flame better.

Butter candle molds

Here you can go store bought or homemade. Your shape really depends on whether you want to have a loose (deformed) candle or a candle in a container. Generally, you want a loose or shallow candle for dipping and a container candle for pouring.

Dipped Butter Candle Mold

Depending on whether you want to demold your candle or not, you’ll want a disposable or reusable mold. If you are going to unmold your candle, you can use a paper cup that you can cut and then unmold from the butter. You can also make a cardboard tube, line it with parchment paper and glue to the bottom. If you’re looking for a dipped candle to leave in the mold, choose a shallow container you already have at home like a ramekin or small plate. This butter dish would work wonderfully for a dipping butter candle.

Pouring Butter Candle Mold

These can be anything small with a nozzle. We use a small cream pitcher, which worked really well and is super cute. Anything small and loose is usable. Small creme caps or espresso pours are great and there are so many out there. These mini glass espresso cups with wooden handles are super cute.

Salted or unsalted butter

Most people will tell you to go with salted butter because that’s what you serve with the bread, but it also works without salt, just serve your candle along with some salty sea salt. Really, use any butter you like.

What should we serve with butter candles?

You can really serve anything. If you’re going to start, a nice selection of crusty bread works well. On the other hand, if you want to serve a butter candle for breakfast or brunch, pancakes, waffles or freshly baked muffins come to mind. If you’re serving it with dinner, melted butter tastes amazing on rice, noodles, vegetables, seafood and meat. Classic is a herb butter with steak frites, you can’t go wrong with this one!

Scents of butter candles

Any compound butter (flavored butter) can be a butter candle. To make it, simply mix the ingredients into the melted butter.

• garlic butter: 1/2 cup butter plus 4 finely minced garlic cloves or 4 roasted garlic cloves
• herb butter: 1/2 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of choice such as mint, cilantro, green onions, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, basil, fennel, tarragon, chives
• jalapeño butter: 1/2 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño
• pepper butter: 1/2 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon smoked pepper and 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• onion butter: 1/2 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion, 2 finely minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• red wine butter: 1/2 cup butter, 2 tablespoons red wine, 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• lemon butter: 1/2 cup butter, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Pro tip

1. Make sure the butter candle is strong before you light it, otherwise you’ll just have a pool of butter as opposed to a candle.
2. If you are plucking out your candle, place the candle in a shallow dish with a rim so that as it melts it will not overflow and cause the butter to spill.
3. Start small! Yes, you can make a butter candle with 1 pound of butter, but that is too much, even at this time. All you really need is a stick of butter (which is 1/2 cup).
4. Super smooth butter candles. If you’re a purist and want a very clean and beautiful candle, make sure you clean and strain your butter. Because butter has water and milk solids content, a cloudy butter candle will splatter a bit due to the milk solids. This is definitely an optional thoughtful step and I don’t think it’s necessary.

Have fun! There is nothing more delicious than really good butter and really good bread. There’s a reason bread and butter is a classic. For me, there is no perfect starter. Some of you may wonder why or shake your head at the ridiculousness of this, but it’s 2022 going into 2023 and this is our life now. I’m here for the whole way! Butter candles are festive and they make a delicious centerpiece. What’s not to love?

Happy butter candle!
xoxo steph

How to make a butter candle

Move over butter boards, the butter candle is here!

It serves 4

Preparation Time 10 minutes min

Setting the time 1 hour hour

Total time 1 hour hour 10 minutes min

• 1/2 CUP butter
• 1 baguette slicesto serve, optional

• Spingo Food Safe Kitchen

• Small ramekin

Nutrition facts

How to make a butter candle

Amount per service

Calories 203
Calories from fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23 g35%

Saturated fat 14.6 g91%

cholesterol 61 mg20%

Sodium 3 mg0%

potassium 7 mg0%

Carbohydrates 0.01 g0%

Fiber 0.01 g0%

Sugar 0.01g0%

Protein 0.2 g0%

* Percent Daily Values ​​are based on a 2000 calorie diet.