If you haven’t already jumped on the miso bandwagon, you’re sorely missing out. Miso paste isn’t just for soup; there are countless unique ways for you to use it. From radically upgrading your instant mashed potatoes to being an umami-packed addition to mix into ice cream, miso paste is a flexible star in the kitchen. And the best news: You can make it even more versatile by using it to create an easy two to three ingredient miso butter.
Honestly, you can just add some miso paste to your favorite butter and call it a day, but consider drizzling sesame oil into the mix for an even more savory punch. The ratio is also totally up to your own taste, but for a starter, try 2 tablespoons of miso and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil for every stick of butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter; miso itself has some salt to it already, though. As for the miso paste, try going for shiro miso (white or light miso) rather than aka miso (red or dark miso). Shiro miso isn’t fermented as long, so it has a lighter flavor that’s better suited to a simple compound butter. But really, the world is your oyster here. If you feel like adding in some umami-packed aka miso, go ahead and try it out. Just consider adding unsalted butter in this case, since aka miso already has a bold, strong, savory-salty taste.
What to use your miso butter on
So, you have your miso butter mixture. Now what? Well, what you have here is a compound butter. It’s easy to build your own compound butter by mixing any ingredients into softened butter, and you can use it for basically anything you’d use normal butter for. Slap some into a skillet while pan-frying veggies, toss it into a pan while oven-baking fish, or add some to your next soup for an infusion of savory soybean flavor. It’s great atop a fresh ear of steamed corn and a perfect addition to skillet-popped popcorn. If you’re making smash burgers on your stovetop, a little miso butter can really bump your patty up to the next level, too.
But don’t think you’re limited to savory recipes. You can use miso butter to make sweet treats, too. Roast up some Japanese sweet potatoes and add maple syrup and miso butter for a salty-sweet and hearty wintertime snack. Add a tablespoon of honey to your miso butter instead of sesame oil for an even sweeter and more decadent compound butter that’s great with biscuits, waffles, pancakes, or toast. With only a few ingredients, you’ll find yourself making your own miso butter over and over again, and experiencing the true delights that only savory-sweet miso butter can provide.
