Tomato butter with the Thermomix® is ready in 10 minutes. The trick: 50 g of tomato puree on top of the 3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil. That adds an umami depth that plain tomato butter made with cream or cream cheese simply cannot match.
We have been making this tomato butter at barbecues for years, and the recipe settled after three rounds of tweaking. Less butter than usual (150 g instead of 250 g), a higher proportion of flavouring, plus fresh basil. That gives the butter depth rather than just colour.
Tomato Butter with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 8 ✓
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 sprig basil
- 150 g butter
- 50 g tomato puree
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 pinch sugar
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Chop the garlic.
Peel the garlic and place it in the mixing bowl.
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2
Tomatoes and oil.
Drain the tomatoes, pat off the excess oil with kitchen paper and place them in the mixing bowl.
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3
Chop the herbs.
Wash the basil, shake dry, pull off the leaves, add them to the mixing bowl, chop everything for 4 seconds / speed 8 and scrape down with the spatula.
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4
Mix the butter.
Add the butter in pieces, tomato puree, salt, pepper and sugar, then mix for 20 seconds / speed 4. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until needed.
Tip: If you prefer more heat, add half a dried chilli in step 1.
Nutrition per serving
Tomato puree makes the umami difference
Classic tomato butter recipes use only sun-dried tomatoes. That gives a sweet note but not much depth. We add 50 g of tomato puree on top of that. Tomato puree is concentrated tomato paste (28 to 30 per cent dry tomato solids) and brings natural glutamate with it. That is the compound that triggers the fifth taste, umami, and makes the overall flavour feel rounded and satisfying.
Without tomato puree the butter tastes sweet rather than savoury. With tomato puree it becomes a spread that turns a snack into a proper meal. That single addition is what sets this version apart from most Thermomix® recipes.
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil: what matters
We always use sun-dried tomatoes in oil, not dry tomatoes from a bag. The reason: tomatoes packed in oil are soft enough for the Thermomix® to chop them into a smooth paste in 4 seconds at speed 8. Dry tomatoes without oil stay fibrous even with longer blending and would need soaking in hot water for 30 minutes first.
Important before blending: drain the tomatoes and pat off the excess oil with kitchen paper. Otherwise the butter turns oily instead of creamy. Three medium-sized tomatoes are enough for our 4 servings.
150 g butter instead of 250 g: a deliberate reduction
Most recipes use 250 g of butter with comparable amounts of flavouring. We use 150 g and get a more intense butter with a higher flavour-to-fat ratio per serving. If you prefer a softer, milder version, increase the butter to 200 g. More than 250 g dilutes the tomato flavour too much.
The butter must be soft, not melted. One hour at room temperature is enough. Melted butter separates as it cools and gives a grainy texture.
Italian variation with Parmesan and oregano
For a distinctly Italian version, swap the basil for 1 tsp of dried oregano and add 30 g of freshly grated Parmesan. The Parmesan boosts the umami even further and turns the butter into a great Bruschetta base. Chop the Parmesan together with the garlic and tomatoes in step 1, then process with the rest.
With this variation we reduce the salt to a pinch, as Parmesan is already quite salty. If you want to make Bruschetta straight away: toast the bread, spread the tomato butter on top, then drizzle with halved cherry tomatoes and olive oil.
What goes well with tomato butter?
We use it mainly in five situations. On fresh Ciabatta as a snack, that is the classic. At a barbecue, placed straight onto the finished steak or corn on the cob, it melts on top and replaces any herb butter. Stirred into warm pasta, 50 g of tomato butter per 250 g of pasta makes a sauce in 30 seconds. As a Bruschetta base on toasted baguette. And as a spread under ham or salami on an open sandwich.
If you are looking for a softer spread using cream cheese instead of butter, we explain the basic spread technique in our carrot spread recipe. For pasta, our tomato cream soup with the Thermomix® works well as a starter alongside it.
Storage and shelf life
Tomato butter keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. Important: always use a clean spoon to scoop it out. Bread crumbs in the jar reduce the shelf life to 2 days.
For longer storage, freeze in portions. We use ice-cube trays: 30 g per cube gives one portion for 250 g of pasta. Frozen, it keeps for 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then leave at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften.
Also goes well with: Baguette.
You might also like: Flower butter with the Thermomix®.
