Ají Amarillo Butter: The Peruvian Compound Butter for Steak, Corn, and Bread

There's a reason chefs finish a hot steak with a pat of compound butter instead of another drizzle of oil: butter carries flavor differently. It melts into the meat's juices, coats every bite, and delivers whatever you've mixed into it in a way that a sauce poured on top never quite matches. Ají amarillo butter takes that classic technique and runs it through Peru's most important pepper — the bright, fruity, golden ají amarillo — instead of the usual herb-and-garlic blend.

The result is a compound butter that's equal parts steakhouse and Lima market stall. It's built on real Aji Amarillo Sauce, so you get the pepper's signature tropical, passion-fruit-and-mango brightness and moderate heat folded into softened butter, with nothing else doing the flavor work. Keep a log of it in the freezer and you've got an instant upgrade for steak, grilled corn, or a warm piece of bread — no extra cooking required.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 tablespoons Aji Amarillo Sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced or grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Make sure the butter is fully softened — it should hold a fingerprint easily but not be melted or greasy. Cold butter won't incorporate the sauce evenly, and melted butter will separate.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, Aji Amarillo Sauce, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and black pepper.
3. Using a fork or a hand mixer on low speed, mash and beat the mixture until the color turns a uniform golden-orange and every streak of plain butter disappears. This takes about 2–3 minutes by hand.
4. Taste and adjust — add a pinch more salt if needed, or an extra teaspoon of Aji Amarillo Sauce if you want more heat and fruitiness up front.
5. Spoon the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Shape it into a log about 1.5 inches in diameter, then roll it up tightly, twisting the ends closed like a piece of candy.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up before slicing into coins, or freeze the log for longer storage (up to 3 months).
7. To serve, slice off a 1/4-inch coin and place it directly on hot grilled steak, warm grilled corn, or a split piece of crusty bread. Let it melt in for a minute before eating.

Tips and Variations

For steak: Add the butter coin in the last 30 seconds the steak rests, not while it's still on the grill — high heat will just cook off the pepper's brightness instead of letting it melt slowly into the meat.

For corn: Brush the butter onto hot grilled or boiled corn while it's still steaming. The heat softens the butter instantly and the ají amarillo's fruity notes pair naturally with the corn's sweetness — a very Peruvian pairing, since corn (choclo) shows up constantly alongside ají-based sauces in Peruvian cooking.

For bread: Let a coin soften at room temperature for 10 minutes before spreading on warm bread, rolls, or grilled sourdough. It also works beautifully swirled into mashed potatoes.

Make it richer: Stir in a tablespoon of grated Parmesan for a version closer to a steakhouse compound butter.

Make it milder: Cut the Aji Amarillo Sauce back to 2 tablespoons and add an extra tablespoon of butter — you'll keep the color and fruitiness with less heat.

Storage: The butter keeps well wrapped tightly in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Slice what you need and keep the rest frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this butter on something other than steak, corn, or bread? Yes. It works well melted over roasted vegetables, stirred into rice or mashed potatoes, or spread on a grilled chicken breast right off the grill. Anywhere a plain pat of butter would work, this version adds Peruvian flavor instead.

Does ají amarillo butter taste very spicy? No. Ají amarillo sits at roughly 30,000–50,000 Scoville Heat Units — hotter than a jalapeño but well below a habanero — and its defining trait is fruity, tropical flavor rather than aggressive heat. Cut with a full cup of butter, the result is warm and flavorful, not fiery.

Can I make this ahead for a dinner party? Yes, and you should. Compound butter is a make-ahead ingredient by design. Roll it into a log up to a week in advance, refrigerate, and slice off coins as needed when you're ready to serve.

What can I substitute for fresh cilantro? Fresh parsley works if you prefer a milder herb note, though cilantro is more traditional alongside ají amarillo in Peruvian cooking. Leaving the herb out entirely is also fine — the sauce carries most of the flavor.

Why use Aji Amarillo Sauce instead of ají amarillo paste? A ready-to-use sauce made with real ají peppers blends into softened butter far more evenly than a thick paste, and it's more accessible than sourcing fresh or frozen ají amarillo in most U.S. grocery stores. Aji Amarillo Sauce is built specifically to carry that fruity, moderate-heat flavor into everyday cooking.

Is this recipe vegan or dairy-free? No — this specific recipe relies on dairy butter for its texture. If you want a dairy-free version, a high-quality vegan butter substitute can work, though the texture and melt will differ somewhat from real butter.

More Ways to Cook with Ají Amarillo

If you like the idea of building pepper flavor directly into a fat rather than pouring on a sauce, try the Aji Verde Seafood Butter for shellfish, or check out Aji Amarillo Grilled Chicken Thighs for another backyard-grilling use of the same sauce. For the full story on the pepper behind this recipe, read Ají Amarillo: The Complete Guide to Peru's Most Important Pepper.

Ready to make a batch? Grab a bottle of Aji Amarillo Sauce directly, or find it on Amazon.