Steak Butter Recipe (Restaurant Style Compound Butter for Steak)
If you’ve ever wondered why steak tastes better at restaurants, this is one of the biggest reasons. Compound butter.
At restaurants, especially old-school American kitchens and steakhouses, there was almost always some kind of flavored butter sitting in the lowboy ready to melt over steaks. You could tell what season it was based on the butter. In Seattle at places like Palace Kitchen, spring usually meant herbs, grilled onions, fresh green flavors, and something bright enough to cut through rich beef fat.
This spring onion steak butter is exactly that.
Charred spring onions get folded into whipped butter with tarragon, spinach, and neutral oil for a bright green butter that melts into steak like a sauce. Then everything gets finished with a quick mushroom pan sauce built directly in the steak pan.
This works on New York strip, ribeye, tri-tip, toast, chicken, roasted potatoes, pasta, or honestly anything that needs a punch of flavor.
The best part is you can keep it in the fridge all week like a restaurant prep cook.
Best Steak for Compound Butter
For the short-form video, I used a New York strip steak.
For the long-form YouTube version, I used tri-tip steak because it’s one of the best affordable cuts for feeding multiple people while still getting incredible beef flavor.
Both work great here because the butter melts into all the browned crust and mixes with the steak juices.
Why Restaurant Compound Butter Tastes Better
Most home cooks just mix herbs into butter and call it done.
Restaurants layer flavor.
The onions are grilled until smoky and sweet. The greens are blanched to keep the color vibrant. The butter gets whipped so it melts smoother. The tarragon adds freshness and a subtle anise flavor that cuts through the richness of the steak.
It’s not complicated. It’s just intentional.
And honestly, once you start making compound butter at home, regular butter starts feeling boring.
Ingredients
Spring Onion Butter
- 2 lbs unsalted butter, room temperature (907g)
- 8 to 10 spring onions or cebolla onions, split between tops and bottoms (about 500g total)
- 2 cups spring onion tops, chopped (about 120g)
- 1 cup grilled spring onion bottoms, finely chopped (about 150g)
- 1 cup spinach (30g)
- 2 to 3 tbsp neutral oil or algae oil (30 to 45g)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh tarragon, finely chopped (10 to 20g)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Neutral oil for grilling onions (about 1 tbsp / 15g)
Steak
- 2 to 3 lbs steak of choice such as tri-tip, New York strip, or ribeye (900g to 1.3kg)
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Neutral oil, as needed
Mushroom Pan Sauce
- 2 cups maitake mushrooms, torn into pieces (150g)
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (30g)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (15g)
- 1 cup beef stock (240g)
- 1 tbsp butter (14g)
- Steak drippings from pan, optional
- Salt, to taste
How to Make Spring Onion Butter
1. Prep the Spring Onions
Split the spring onion tops from the bottoms.
Slice the onion bottoms in half lengthwise and toss them with a little neutral oil and salt.
The tops will be used for the green butter base.
2. Grill the Onions
Place the onion bottoms on a hot grill or grill pan and cook until deeply charred and soft all the way through.
You want real color here. That char is what gives the butter depth and steakhouse flavor.
Once cooked, let them cool slightly and finely chop them. You should end up with about 1 cup.
3. Blanch the Greens
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the spring onion tops and spinach and cook for about 30 seconds until softened and bright green.
Drain and blend immediately with spinach. Add neutral oil and a pinch of salt until smooth and vibrant green.
4. Make the Compound Butter
Add the room temperature butter to a large bowl.
Mix in:
- The chopped grilled onions
- The green onion-spinach puree
- Fresh chopped tarragon
- Salt and black pepper
Whip until light and fully combined.
You can do this by hand like I did, or use a stand mixer if you want it extra fluffy.
The final butter should look bright green and smell smoky, grassy, buttery, and fresh all at once.
5. Store the Butter
Transfer the butter to a container.
- Fridge: up to 1 week
- Freezer: up to 1 year
This is the kind of thing restaurants keep around because one spoonful instantly upgrades almost any dish.
How to Cook the Best Steak
Season your steak generously with salt and black pepper.
For tri-tip, I like to salt it ahead of time and let it sit uncovered in the fridge so the exterior dries slightly. That helps build a stronger crust.
Sear the steak in a hot pan or grill until deeply browned.
Rest before slicing.
Save the pan drippings because they become the base for the mushroom sauce.
Mushroom Pan Sauce
1. Cook the Mushrooms
In the same pan used for the steak, add the maitake mushrooms.
Cook until deeply golden brown and caramelized.
Do not rush this step. Mushrooms need time to release moisture before they brown.
2. Deglaze the Pan
Add the rice wine vinegar and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Reduce until nearly dry.
3. Finish the Sauce
Stir in:
- Dijon mustard
- Beef stock
- Steak drippings if using
Reduce until glossy and slightly thickened.
Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter while shaking the pan.
This emulsifies the sauce and gives it that silky restaurant texture.
Season with salt to taste.
How to Serve
Slice the steak and spoon the mushroom sauce over the top.
Add a large spoonful of the spring onion butter directly onto the hot steak so it slowly melts into everything.
Serve with grilled onions, roasted potatoes, toast, or honestly just eat it straight off the cutting board like a line cook after service.
Chef Tips for Better Steak Butter
Blend Longer Than You Think
Restaurants blend herb mixtures much longer than most home cooks. That’s how you get smooth, vibrant butter instead of chunky herb butter.
Salt the Blanching Water Aggressively
This helps keep the greens bright and seasoned from the inside out.
Let the Butter Fully Soften
Cold butter will break and mix unevenly. Room temperature butter whips cleaner and smoother.
Compound Butter Is a Secret Weapon
This same butter works on:
- Grilled chicken
- Roasted vegetables
- Toast
- Pasta
- Eggs
- Seafood
- Rice bowls
- Corn
Once you make it once, you start finding excuses to put it on everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is compound butter?
Compound butter is softened butter mixed with herbs, aromatics, spices, or other flavorings.
Restaurants use it constantly because it melts into sauces instantly and adds richness fast.
Can I freeze compound butter?
Yes. Wrap tightly or store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 year.
What steak works best with this butter?
Tri-tip, ribeye, New York strip, hanger steak, and filet all work great.
Can I use green onions instead of spring onions?
Yes, but spring onions or cebolla onions have a sweeter, deeper flavor once grilled.
What does tarragon taste like?
Tarragon has a subtle licorice or anise flavor that pairs incredibly well with beef and butter.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those restaurant tricks that completely changes home cooking once you start doing it.
A spoonful of compound butter melting into hot steak creates an instant sauce without extra work. Add grilled onions and mushroom pan sauce, and suddenly a simple steak dinner feels like something from a Seattle restaurant kitchen in the middle of spring service.
And honestly, that’s the beauty of compound butter. It turns leftovers and simple ingredients into something that feels expensive.
Steak Butter Recipe (Restaurant Style Compound Butter for Steak)
Ingredients
Spring Onion Butter
- 2 lb unsalted butter room temperature, 907 g
- 8 to 10 spring onions or cebolla onions tops and bottoms separated, about 500 g total
- 2 cups spring onion tops chopped, about 120 g
- 1 cup grilled spring onion bottoms finely chopped, about 150 g
- 1 cup spinach 30 g
- 2 to 3 tbsp neutral oil or algae oil 30 to 45 g
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh tarragon finely chopped, 10 to 20 g
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Neutral oil for grilling onions, about 1 tbsp
Steak
- 2 to 3 lb steak of choice such as tri-tip, New York strip, or ribeye, 900 g to 1.3 kg
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Neutral oil as needed
Mushroom Pan Sauce
- 2 cups maitake mushrooms torn into pieces, 150 g
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 30 g
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 15 g
- 1 cup beef stock 240 g
- 1 tbsp butter 14 g
- Steak drippings from the pan optional
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Separate the spring onion tops from the bottoms. Slice the onion bottoms in half lengthwise, then toss with a little neutral oil and kosher salt.
- Place the spring onion bottoms on a hot grill or grill pan and cook until deeply charred, softened, and caramelized. Let cool slightly, then finely chop. You should have about 1 cup of grilled spring onion bottoms.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spring onion tops and spinach, then blanch for about 30 seconds, until softened and bright green. Drain well.
- Blend the blanched spring onion tops and spinach with neutral oil and a pinch of salt until smooth and vibrant green.
- Add the room temperature butter to a large bowl. Mix in the chopped grilled spring onions, green onion spinach puree, fresh tarragon, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Whip the spring onion compound butter until light, fluffy, and fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Transfer the spring onion butter to a container. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 year.
- Season the steak generously with kosher salt and black pepper. For tri-tip, salt ahead of time and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator to help dry the surface and build a better crust.
- Heat a pan or grill over high heat with a little neutral oil. Sear the steak until deeply browned and cooked to your preferred doneness. Rest before slicing, and reserve the pan drippings for the mushroom sauce.
- Add the maitake mushrooms to the same pan used for the steak. Cook until the mushrooms release their moisture, then continue cooking until deeply golden brown and caramelized.
- Add the rice wine vinegar and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce until nearly dry.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard, beef stock, and reserved steak drippings if using. Simmer until the mushroom pan sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter while shaking the pan to emulsify the sauce. Season with kosher salt to taste.
- Slice the steak and spoon the mushroom pan sauce over the top. Add a generous spoonful of spring onion steak butter directly onto the hot steak so it melts into the meat.
- Serve with grilled onions, roasted potatoes, toast, or vegetables.
