Easy Sriracha Butter

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Sriracha butter is a quick spicy compound butter: you mash softened unsalted butter with sriracha, grated garlic, sesame oil, and fresh cilantro until smooth. It takes about 5 minutes, no cooking required, and turns into a creamy, garlicky, gently spicy spread for corn, steak, seafood, or warm bread.

Full disclosure: the bottle I used isn’t real Sriracha. It’s the imposter kind I panic-bought during the great Sriracha shortage, and I’ve been trying to use it up ever since. Turning it into a spicy, garlicky butter turned out to be the best decision that bottle has ever been part of.

I first tried this as a riff on the gochujang butter all over my feed, swapping in sriracha for a brighter, slightly hotter kick and folding in chopped cilantro. My first batch had a little brown sugar in it (you might spot it in the video), but I’ve since gone fully savory, and that’s the version I’m sharing here. It comes together even faster than the garlic butter salmon, and you can smear it on just about anything.

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What is sriracha butter?

Sriracha butter is a compound butter, which just means softened butter mixed with flavorings until smooth, then chilled back to firm. This one blends sriracha, garlic, sesame oil, and cilantro into the butter so every bite carries heat, richness, and a little nuttiness. It is an instant flavor upgrade you keep in the fridge. The Kitchn has a great compound butter template if you want to riff on the idea further.

Can you mix sriracha and butter?

Absolutely, and they’re a perfect match. Butter’s richness rounds out sriracha’s vinegary heat, while the garlic and sesame oil tie the two together. The trick is starting with softened (not melted) butter so the sriracha emulsifies smoothly instead of separating into watery streaks. Mash and stir until the color is even and the butter looks pale orange throughout.

Sriracha butter vs gochujang butter

This started as a spin on gochujang butter, and the two are close cousins. Gochujang butter is deeper, funkier, and a touch sweet, while sriracha butter is brighter, tangier, and a little spicier. Sriracha itself is made from chili peppers, garlic, sugar, vinegar, and salt, so it brings built-in garlic and acidity to the mix. If you want the full breakdown, PepperScale has a solid gochujang vs sriracha comparison.

Tips for the best sriracha butter

1. Soften the butter all the way

Leave the butter out until it is soft enough to dent with a finger. Fully softened butter blends with the sriracha into a smooth, even spread. Melted butter won’t hold the sauce and can separate into greasy streaks.

2. Grate the garlic, do not chop it

Grating the garlic on a microplane turns it into a paste that melts into the butter, so you get garlic flavor in every bite without biting into a raw chunk.

3. Taste and adjust the heat

Sriracha brands vary in spice. Start with 1 1/2 tablespoons, then taste and add more for heat or a pinch of salt to round it out (unsalted butter gives you full control here).

4. Sweet or savory, your call

For a gochujang-butter vibe, stir in a teaspoon of brown sugar. I prefer it fully savory now, which lets the garlic and sesame oil come forward, so I leave the sugar out.

5. Make it ahead

This butter actually tastes better after an hour in the fridge, once the garlic and sriracha have time to mingle. It’s a perfect make-ahead.

How to use sriracha butter

This is where it earns its place in your fridge. Melt a pat over grilled corn, a steak, or seafood, or let it sink into a stack of my air fryer Korean short ribs. Stir a spoonful into spicy ramen for extra richness, or melt it over a savory Kimchi Fried Rice Waffle. It is also unreal on warm bread or a baked potato.

Storage and leftovers

Roll the sriracha butter into a log in parchment paper and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks, or freeze it for up to 3 months and slice off coins as needed. Because it is mostly butter, it keeps beautifully, which makes it a great thing to have on hand alongside another fridge staple like chili oil for those nights when plain food needs a fast upgrade. If you froze it, let a slice sit at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading.

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Microplane

Ingredients

• 1 stick Unsalted Butter (8 tbsp), softened
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha (more or less to taste)
• 2 Garlic Cloves, grated
• 1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 1 to 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Soften the butter. Let 1 stick unsalted butter come to room temperature until soft and spreadable.
2. Prep the aromatics. Finely chop the cilantro and grate the garlic cloves on a microplane.
3. Mix. Add the butter, sriracha, grated garlic, sesame oil, and cilantro to a small mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until smooth and evenly colored.
4. Chill or use. Spread it soft right away, or roll it into a log in parchment paper and chill until firm.

If you whip up this sriracha butter, leave a star rating on the recipe card below and drop a comment to tell me what you slathered it on. I want to hear your best use (and whether you went sweet or savory).

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