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If there’s one thing I love keeping in my pantry, it’s a homemade seasoning mix that makes cooking from scratch easier. This cowboy butter seasoning mix is exactly that. Mix up a jar once, and you have the base for a delicious buttery sauce whenever you need it.

We originally made this cowboy butter as a dipping sauce, and it was a huge hit with the kids. They absolutely loved dipping pieces of homemade sourdough bread into it. But after tasting it, we quickly realized it could be used for so much more.

Toss it with pasta, drizzle it over vegetables, serve it with steak, or add chicken or shrimp for an easy dinner. And here’s my favorite part: any leftover prepared cowboy butter can be frozen in small portions to use later.

It’s essentially a way to turn leftover sauce into ready-to-use finishing butter without making a separate batch of compound butter.

Glass jar of cowboy butter seasoning with a wooden scoop, a bowl of melted cowboy butter, sourdough bread, half a lemon and parsley on a wooden board

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Why Make Cowboy Butter Seasoning in Bulk?

I make a lot of our seasonings from scratch because it’s easier to combine everything once instead of measuring out individual spices every time I cook.

This cowboy butter mix is especially useful because it starts with shelf-stable dry ingredients. There’s no need to keep a prepared sauce in the refrigerator just in case you want some.

Here are a few reasons I love keeping this mix ready:

It’s convenient. Just measure out the seasoning, add melted butter and fresh lemon juice, and you’re ready to go.
It’s versatile. The same seasoning can be used for dipping sauce, pasta, vegetables, and meat.
You control the ingredients. There are no unnecessary fillers, added sugar, or salt in the dry mix.
It makes a generous batch. One jar provides seasoning for multiple batches of cowboy butter.
Leftovers don’t have to go to waste. Freeze the prepared butter in small portions for future meals.

The ability to make something once and use it in several different ways is one of my favorite ways to simplify cooking for our family.

Ingredients for Homemade Cowboy Butter Seasoning Mix

This recipe uses dried herbs and seasonings that you can keep in your pantry.

For the bulk dry mix:

6 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons onion powder
6 tablespoons dried parsley
6 tablespoons dried chives
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

I intentionally leave salt out of the dry seasoning mix. This allows you to control the salt depending on whether you’re using salted or unsalted butter and what you’re serving it with.

I also prefer using fresh lemon juice instead of dried lemon in the seasoning. It adds a bright, fresh flavor to the finished sauce without affecting the dry mix’s pantry storage.

Wooden scoop spilling cowboy butter seasoning onto a wooden board, with the jar, lemon and parsley behind it

How to Make Bulk Cowboy Butter Seasoning

Making this seasoning couldn’t be easier.

Measure all of the dried herbs and spices into a pint Mason jar.
Put the lid on the jar.
Shake thoroughly to distribute the smaller spices evenly throughout the herbs.
Store in a cool, dry pantry away from direct sunlight.

Dry seasonings layered in a Mason jar under a stainless steel funnel

This recipe makes approximately 1¾ cups of seasoning, which fits nicely into a pint-sized Mason jar.

Give the jar a shake before using, since some of the finer seasonings may settle toward the bottom.

Hand holding a Mason jar of layered cowboy butter mix labeled with marker

How to Turn the Seasoning into Cowboy Butter Sauce

Once your bulk mix is prepared, making the finished cowboy butter takes just a few minutes.

For one batch of cowboy butter:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon homemade cowboy butter seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste, if needed

Instructions:

Melt the butter gently in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl.
Stir in the cowboy butter seasoning and fresh lemon juice.
Allow the mixture to rest for 1–2 minutes so the dried herbs can soften and release their flavor.
Taste and adjust the lemon juice or salt as desired.

Lemon juice pouring from a spoon into a white bowl of butter topped with cowboy butter seasoning

Serve warm as a dipping sauce, or use it to finish your favorite dishes.

The combination of garlic, herbs, smoked paprika, mustard, and fresh lemon makes a flavorful butter sauce with just a little heat from the red pepper flakes.

Overhead view of cowboy butter seasoning in a glass jar with a wooden scoop, beside a bowl of melted butter sauce, lemon and parsley

Our Favorite Ways to Use Cowboy Butter

What started as a simple dipping sauce has turned into something I can see us using regularly in the kitchen.

1. Dipping Homemade Sourdough Bread

This was the immediate favorite in our house.

The kids loved dipping pieces of sourdough bread into the warm cowboy butter. The bread soaks up the buttery sauce, and the garlic and herbs give it so much flavor.

If you already make your own sourdough, this is an easy way to turn a loaf into something special without any additional preparation.

Hand holding a piece of sourdough bread dipped in cowboy butter over a white bowl of the herb butter sauce

2. An Easy Cowboy Butter Pasta Sauce

After trying the finished sauce, we realized how delicious it would be tossed with pasta.

Simply prepare the cowboy butter, toss it with hot cooked pasta, and add a splash of reserved pasta water as needed to help coat the noodles.

You could easily turn this into a complete dinner by adding cooked chicken or sautéed shrimp.

It’s a great option for those nights when you want something flavorful without making a complicated sauce from scratch.

3. Steak, Chicken, and Seafood

Cowboy butter is also a delicious finishing sauce for grilled or pan-seared meat.

Drizzle it over steak, spoon it over chicken, or serve it alongside shrimp.

The garlic and herb combination works beautifully with all three.

4. Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables

A little cowboy butter can add a lot of flavor to simple vegetables.

Try it over roasted potatoes, green beans, carrots, or broccoli.

You can also use a teaspoon or two of the dry mix to season a pound of vegetables before roasting, adding oil or butter as desired.

How to Freeze Leftover Cowboy Butter

One of my favorite discoveries with this recipe was how easy it is to save the leftover prepared butter.

After we finished using ours as a dipping sauce, I poured the extra into my 2-tablespoon Souper Cubes molds and froze it.

Instead of making a separate batch of compound butter, I now have small portions of seasoned butter ready for another meal.

To freeze leftover cowboy butter:

Allow the prepared butter to cool slightly.
Pour it into small silicone freezer molds. I used 2-tablespoon portions.
Freeze until completely solid.
Remove the cubes from the molds and transfer them to a labeled freezer-safe bag or container.
Store frozen and use as needed.

For the best flavor, I recommend using the frozen portions within approximately 3 months.

When you’re ready to use them, add a cube to a warm skillet, melt it over cooked vegetables, or stir it into hot pasta.

The butter may separate slightly when reheated, so give it a good stir.

This is a simple way to get another meal out of something you’ve already prepared, without taking the time to make compound butter separately.

How to Store the Dry Cowboy Butter Seasoning

The dry seasoning mix should be kept in an airtight jar in a cool, dark pantry.

Because all the ingredients are dried, there’s no need to refrigerate the mix. For the best flavor, I recommend using it within 3–6 months, depending on the freshness of your herbs and spices.

Always use a clean, dry spoon when measuring from the jar.

Overhead close-up of cowboy butter seasoning in an open glass jar with lemon and parsley

Important: Don’t add fresh lemon juice or butter directly to your storage jar. Those ingredients should only be added when you’re ready to prepare the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cowboy butter spicy?

This recipe has a little warmth from the red pepper flakes, but it isn’t intended to be overwhelmingly spicy. If your family prefers mild seasonings, you can reduce the red pepper flakes when making the bulk mix.

Can I use unsalted butter?

Absolutely. Both salted and unsalted butter work well. Since there’s no salt in the dry seasoning mix, you can adjust the finished sauce to your preference.

Can I make compound butter with this seasoning?

Yes! Instead of melting the butter, combine 1 tablespoon of the dry mix with ½ cup softened butter. Shape it into a log or press it into a small container, then refrigerate until firm.

You can also freeze portions for later.

Can I use the dry mix without butter?

Definitely. The combination of garlic, onion, herbs, and spices makes it a useful all-purpose seasoning for vegetables, potatoes, chicken, and more.

A Simple Homemade Mix Worth Keeping in the Pantry

Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to mean starting every meal from zero.

Keeping homemade seasoning mixes ready to go makes it easier to prepare flavorful meals with ingredients you already have.

This cowboy butter mix is a perfect example. One jar can become a warm dipping sauce for sourdough, a quick pasta dinner, a finishing butter for meat, or a seasoning for roasted vegetables.

And when there’s leftover sauce, freezing it in small portions means it’s already prepared for the next time we need it.

That’s the kind of pantry staple I love having on hand.

A Few Things I Use

Magnetic measuring spoons: For measuring the dried herbs and spices.
Canning funnel: For layering the seasonings into the jar.
Souper Cubes 2-tablespoon trays: For freezing leftover cowboy butter in small portions.
The Spice Way smoked paprika: The smoked paprika I use in the mix.