Simple and Delicious Compound Butter with Garlic Scapes and Lemon Zest in 5 Minutes

Garlic scape compound butter is so easy to make, and adds an incredible mild garlic flavor to any dish.

What is a Garlic Scape?

Garlic scapes are the edible stem and flower head that grows on hard-neck garlic varieties that can be cut and enjoyed a couple of weeks before the garlic is harvested. They have a milder flavor than garlic, and their tender shoots make them a delicacy for various recipes.

How to Grow Garlic and Garlic Scapes

If you are interested in growing your own garlic to harvest scapes, you should go for it! Garlic is one of my very favorite things to grow because it’s super easy and we use it in so much of our cooking. It’s an easy food to store and has so many purposes from flavoring dishes to a natural medicinal.

You can read my full post on how to grow garlic here:

You can read my full post on how to harvest garlic scapes here:

When and How to Harvest Garlic Scapes

A couple of weeks before your garlic is ready to harvest, you will notice a single stalk growing from the center of the plant. Garlic scapes are ready to harvest when they begin to curl. Simply cut them at their base where they begin to emerge from the leaves, but do not cut any leaves or lower part of the stalk. Removing the scapes allows the plant to put more energy into growing large bulbs, and the bonus is that you can eat them!

What is Compound Butter

Compound butter is just a fancy name for butter with some goodies mixed in. You can add sweet or savory ingredients to enhance the flavor of any dish through this fancy butter concoction.

How to Make Garlic Scape Compound Butter

This recipe could not be more simple. You simply chop your ingredients and mix them into softened butter. You can do this with a bowl with a hand mixer, in a stand mixer, or just stir it in by hand.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic scapes
• zest of one lemon
• pinch of sea salt if using unsalted butter

Directions

1. Whip the butter by hand or with your appliance of choice
2. Add your chopped ingredients
3. Mix until combined
4. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week, or roll in a piece of parchment paper and place in a ziploc bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for several months

Watch Me Make Garlic Scape Compound Butter

Garlic Scape Compound Butter Printable Recipe