Cranberry Butter
This cranberry butter is sweet, creamy, buttery, and packed with festive cranberry flavor. Just like my hot honey butter, this one's an incredibly easy compound butter that takes just a few minutes to make.
The spread is rich and tart, and has a subtle warmth from the vanilla that makes it feel extra special. It's perfect for spreading over warm toast, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, or freshly baked bread.
Flavored and compound butters are my favorite thing to make, because they're such an easy way to transform simple ingredients into something that feels a little fancy. This cranberry version is inspired by my spiced Christmas jam, and is especially lovely around the holidays.
The best part? You can make this ahead of time and keep it refrigerated, ready to slice- like I do whenever I make my jalapeno compound butter.
Quick Look: Cranberry Butter
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 mins.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 0 mins.
- 👪 Servings: About 12.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Butter, cranberry sauce, honey, vanilla.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Mix → shape → refrigerate.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Spread on toast, bread, biscuits, pancakes or waffles- like classic blueberry sauce.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's make-ahead friendly. You can shape it into a log and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
- It's great for the holiday breakfasts- like my stewed apples! The beautiful cranberry color makes it perfect for festive breakfasts and gatherings.
- It's super quick and easy to make, and a fantastic way to use up extra cranberries- just like honey fermented cranberries.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter: Use softened unsalted butter for a smooth and creamy base. I always do this whenever I make cafe de Paris butter too.
Cranberry sauce: Adds fruity, tart cranberry flavor and a beautiful color to the butter.
Honey: For that natural sweetness and to balance the tartness of the cranberry.
Vanilla: For a subtle warmth that rounds out the flavors.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can use maple syrup instead of honey for a deeper sweetness.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon for a warm, festive flavor, or mix in a little orange zest for a classic cranberry-orange combination.
- Add finely chopped pecans or walnuts for some crunch.
How to Make Cranberry Butter
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter, cranberry sauce, vanilla and honey.
Step 2: Mix well using a spatula.
Step 3: Transfer to a cling wrap.
Step 4: Roll into a log and refrigerate.
💭Top Tip
Make sure the butter is properly softened before mixing. This makes it much easier to incorporate the cranberry sauce evenly and gives you a smooth, creamy cranberry butter.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Use softened butter rather than melted butter. This will help things get less messy. I realized this when I made homemade avocado butter spread.
- Mix thoroughly so the cranberry sauce is evenly distributed.
- Don't use cranberry sauce that's too watery. Excess moisture can make the butter difficult to shape.
- Wrap the butter tightly to prevent it from absorbing odors from the refrigerator and chill until firm before slicing.
How to Use Cranberry Butter
Cranberry butter is delicious spread over warm toast, freshly baked bread, biscuits, English muffins, and cornbread- like my apple cider caramel sauce.
It also makes a wonderful topping for pancakes, waffles, French toast, and muffins. For a festive breakfast or brunch, serve it alongside warm rolls or scones, some gingerbread syrup or spiced pear butter.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Keep the cranberry butter tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Yes. If you're using salted butter, you may want to skip adding any additional salt.
Yes. Wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
More Flavorful Spreads
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this cranberry butter or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Cranberry Butter
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the softened butter, cranberry sauce, honey, and vanilla to a bowl.
- Mix until smooth and completely uniform.
- Transfer the mixture onto a sheet of cling wrap.
- Roll into a log and wrap tightly.
- Refrigerate until firm.
- Slice and serve whenever ready.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is softened but not melted.
- Use a thick cranberry sauce for the best texture.
- Add orange zest or cinnamon for a festive variation.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
