Violet Honey Butter

This violet honey butter is a lightly sweet and aromatic compound butter made with honey and crème de violette. Smooth, rich, and delicately floral, it is an easy way to turn simple butter into something a little more special.

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Hey folks – I hope you all are doing well!

Today I’m sharing another recipe featuring one of my favourite floral ingredients – crème de violette. And while this beautiful liqueur is mostly associated with cocktails, there are plenty of other delicious ways to use it.

This time, I combined it with butter and honey to make a simple crème de violette honey butter. It requires just a few ingredients and a couple of minutes of active preparation, yet the result is wonderfully elegant. So, let’s dive into this recipe!

What Is Compound Butter?

Compound butter sounds rather fancy, but the concept could hardly be simpler. Essentially, it is butter combined with one or more flavouring ingredients.

Classic compound butter is usually made by blending softened butter with herbs, garlic, spices, citrus zest, or other savoury ingredients. It is often shaped into a log, refrigerated until firm, and sliced as needed.

Herb and garlic butters are probably the most familiar examples. They can be served with bread, melted over vegetables, added to pasta, or used as a finishing butter for meat and seafood.

However, neither savoury ingredients nor the traditional log shape define compound butter. The important idea is simply combining butter with other ingredients to create additional flavour.

• Lavender Chive Thyme Butter – Elegant Floral Herb Butter
• Chive Blossom Butter – Easy Homemade Compound Butter
• Anchovy Butter (Easy Compound Butter with Dill and Lemon Zest)
• Saffron Compound Butter for Fish, Meat, Bread and Beyond
• Garlic Chive Butter – Flavourful Roasted Garlic Compound Butter
• Lemon Chive Compound Butter (Fresh and Versatile)
• Chive Honey Compound Butter (Easy Homemade Recipe)
• Chive Blossom Butter with Honey and Lemon

What Is Sweet or Dessert Compound Butter?

The same concept works beautifully with sweet ingredients. A sweet compound butter can include honey, maple syrup, fruit preserves, vanilla, citrus zest, warming spices, floral ingredients, or even a small amount of liqueur.

Some combinations are distinctly dessert-like, while others remain only lightly sweet and can be served at breakfast or brunch as well as with desserts.

This violet honey butter falls somewhere in between. Honey provides gentle sweetness, while crème de violette contributes aroma and complexity. In other words, it is essentially a honey compound butter with an elegant floral twist.

And because it isn’t excessively sweet, you can use it much like regular butter wherever a little honey and floral flavour would be welcome.

• Rose Compound Butter with Rose Petal Jam
• Lavender Lemon Honey Butter – Sweet Floral Compound Butter

What Makes This Violet Honey Butter Special?

There are many ways to make homemade honey butter, but adding crème de violette (violet liqueur) creates a particularly interesting flavour profile. It doesn’t make the butter intensely violet-flavoured. Instead, the liqueur enhances the floral qualities already naturally present in honey.

Honey-Forward with a Delicate Violet Note

The flavour of this violet honey butter is primarily buttery and honey-forward. With one tablespoon of crème de violette, the violet remains a supporting note rather than taking over.

In fact, I find that the combination tastes almost as though you had used a particularly aromatic floral honey.

• Butter provides a rich, creamy base and softens the sharper floral nuances of the liqueur.
• Honey is the predominant flavour as well as the only additional sweetener.
• Crème de violette adds a subtle floral and fruity dimension, making the honey taste more complex.
• Lemon zest adds a little brightness and helps lift both the honey and violet notes.

The finished floral honey butter is smooth, rich, and only lightly sweet. Straight from the refrigerator, it will naturally be firm, but once slightly softened, it becomes creamy and easily spreadable.

An Unexpected Way to Use Crème de Violette

Crème de violette is best known as a cocktail ingredient, particularly for its role in the classic Aviation. However, its sweet, floral character also makes it an interesting ingredient for desserts.

Rich dairy ingredients work especially well because they mellow floral flavours that could otherwise become too perfumed. That’s exactly what happens in this crème de violette honey butter: butter rounds out the violet while honey connects naturally with its floral character.

If you have a bottle sitting in your cabinet after making cocktails, this is also an easy crème de violette recipe that uses the liqueur in a completely different way. And if you enjoy experimenting with floral flavours, there are many other recipes with crème de violette where the liqueur can add aroma without necessarily adding a strong alcoholic character.

Quick and Easy with No Shaping Required

Many compound butters are made with softened butter, shaped into logs, wrapped, and refrigerated before being sliced. For this violet honey butter, I use a slightly different and particularly easy method.

The butter is gently melted, combined with honey and liqueur, and then briefly blended with an immersion blender. This helps emulsify everything into a smooth mixture.

• No mixer is required. An immersion blender does the job in seconds.
• No shaping is necessary. Simply transfer the mixture directly into a small serving dish or container.
• Minimal preparation is involved. The active work takes only a few minutes.
• The texture develops while chilling. Once the butter resets, it becomes smooth and spreadable again.

This method is particularly convenient for a sweet flavoured butter because it is intended for spreading rather than slicing into rounds.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Violet Honey Butter with Crème de Violette

You only need three main ingredients for this flavoured honey violet compound butter, plus a couple of optional finishing touches.

• Unsalted butter provides the rich base. Unsalted butter is preferable because it allows you to control the flavour, although a tiny pinch of salt can be added if desired.
• Honey is both the sweetener and the predominant flavour. A good-quality honey you enjoy on its own is the best choice.
• Crème de violette adds subtle violet aroma and floral complexity. One tablespoon creates a delicate flavour without overpowering the honey.
• Lemon zest is optional but highly recommended for serving. A little freshly grated zest brightens the rich butter and floral notes.
• Candied violet petals are also optional, but a few crushed petals make a lovely finishing touch and reinforce the violet theme.

Dried violet petals are not necessarily a substitute for candied violets. Depending on the product, dried petals may contribute little floral flavour and can have a somewhat grassy or herbal aroma.

Possible Additions and Variations

The original combination is intentionally simple, but there are a few easy ways to adjust this honey violet compound butter without losing its character.

• Add more lemon zest. Mix a little directly into the butter rather than using it only as a garnish for a brighter citrus note.
• Try orange zest. Orange and violet are also lovely together and create a slightly sweeter aromatic profile.
• Add vanilla. A small amount of vanilla can soften and round out the floral notes even further.
• Experiment with honey. Because honey is prominent, changing the variety can noticeably alter the finished flavour. Mild floral varieties are particularly suitable.
• Adjust the violet. Use slightly less crème de violette for an extremely subtle result or a little more for a stronger floral note, keeping in mind that additional liqueur also means additional liquid.
• Make it lighter. Once partially chilled and thickened, the butter can be briefly whipped for a softer, airier consistency.

How to Make Violet Honey Butter

Making this honey butter with violet liqueur is exceptionally easy. Gently melt the butter in the microwave, keeping it warm rather than hot. Add the honey and crème de violette, then briefly blend with an immersion blender until the mixture looks smooth and evenly emulsified.

Transfer the violet honey butter to a small container or serving dish and refrigerate until the butter has reset. Before serving, allow it to soften slightly if necessary, then finish with finely grated lemon zest and a few crushed candied violet petals.

The immersion blender is useful here because butter is primarily fat while the honey and liqueur introduce water-soluble components. Brief blending helps everything come together evenly. Avoid adding a large amount of additional liqueur, however, as too much liquid can eventually interfere with the texture.

What to Serve With Violet Honey Butter

This violet honey butter is versatile because it is aromatic and lightly sweet rather than sugary. Think of it as an alternative to serving plain butter with a drizzle of honey.

• Scones and biscuits are particularly good choices, especially when served slightly warm.
• Croissants and brioche pair beautifully with the rich butter and delicate floral notes.
• Toast makes the simplest option and lets the honey and violet flavours stand out.
• Pancakes and waffles benefit from the butter melting slowly over their warm surface.
• Crêpes are another excellent pairing, particularly with fresh berries or citrus.
• Muffins and quick breads work well when their flavours aren’t excessively sweet or heavily spiced.
• Pound cake and tea cakes can be served with a small amount of softened butter for an easy dessert.

You can also use this violet honey butter anywhere you would normally combine butter and honey, particularly when you want a subtle floral element without adding another strongly flavoured ingredient.

Storage and Make Ahead

Keep the violet honey butter refrigerated in a covered container. Since it becomes quite firm when cold, take out the amount you need ahead of serving and let it soften until comfortably spreadable.

It is also a convenient make-ahead recipe because the flavour has time to settle while the butter chills. For the freshest lemon aroma and prettiest presentation, however, I prefer adding the lemon zest and crushed candied violets shortly before serving rather than before storage.

More Crème de Violette Recipes

Do you enjoy floral flavours and have some crème de violette left in your bottle? Be sure to check out more crème de violette recipes on the blog. This floral liqueur works beautifully not only in cocktails but also in creamy desserts, curds, ice creams, and other sweet treats.

• Crème de Violette Martini with Gin – Elegant Floral Cocktail
• Violet Shortbread Cookies with Candied Violets
• Violet Iced Coffee with Ice Cream and Crème de Violette
• Crêpes Suzette with Crème de Violette and Lemon
• Violet Tiramisu with Crème de Violette and Lemon
• Strawberry French 75 with Crème de Violette
• Violet Affogato with Crème de Violette
• Violet Truffles with Lemon, Cashews and Vanilla Wafers

I’d love for you to try this dessert violet honey butter with Crème de Violette. If you give it a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts.

Cheers!