This insanely creative butter candle idea has been going nuts on social media, especially TikTok. Homemade compound butter with roasted garlic and chives gets packed into a disposable cup with an edible candle wick. As the wick burns, the butter melts and can be scooped up with a knife or pieces of bread.
If you love serving bread and butter before a meal, this is the most impressive presentation you'll ever see! Imaging sitting a beautiful loaf of bread in front of your guests and then literally lighting the butter on fire.
You have to try it just once. Just for fun. (and man, it is SO much fun!)
Ingredients
Here's what you need to grab to make your own butter candle!
- roasted head of garlic
- unsalted butter
- chives, dried or fresh
- food-safe candle wick
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
There are no special skills needed to make this impressive appetizer. Here's what you need to do.
- Step 1: Remove cloves from roasted head of garlic and make sure you discard all the papery wrappings.
- Step 2: Mash up the cloves with a fork and combine with softened butter and chives.
- Step 3: Use a plastic or paper cup and poke a hole in the bottom. Thread wick through the hole and leave plenty of room above the top of the cup. Cut wick an inch or two below the hole in the bottom of the cup.
- Step 5: Carefully cut into the cup and work the plastic or paper back and forth until the firm butter releases. Trim wick to ½-inch.
- Step 4: Press butter mixture into the cup, adjusting the wick to keep it centered. Use a small spoon to compact butter. If you notice any air spots, smack the cup against the counter top several times. Refrigerate for several hours.
- Step 6: Cut a hole in a loaf of bread and place candle in the center. Light candle 15-20 minutes before serving to soften butter.
Remember: Never, ever leave your butter candle burning unattended.
Variations
If you're not a fan of the roasted garlic and chive combination in this recipe, you can add your own flavor variations. Here are some ideas:
- Ground cinnamon and brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon and honey
- Caramelized onion and chopped parsley
- Rosemary and Thyme
If you're not a fan of flavored butters at all, you can use plain butter!
Storage
Store leftover butter candles in the refrigerator to keep the add-ins fresh. Uncovered butter likes to absorb other odors from the inside of your fridge, so I recommend putting it in an airtight storage container.
Make sure you keep the wick trimmed to no more than ½" and keep the butter around the wick cleaned off so that it burns more cleanly. If you don't want to burn the candle anymore, you can cut the butter away from the wick and use it as you would any other butter.
Top tip
Standard candle wicks may use materials which are not safe to consume. Make sure you're purchasing an edible food grade candle wick - most often made from hemp and coated with beeswax.
FAQ
This is a safe project as long as you follow the instructions in the recipe card, including using a food-safe hemp and beeswax candle wick and never leaving the burning candle unattended.
Burn hours will vary wildly depending on the diameter of your candle and the add-ins included.
Viral TikTok Butter Candle
A show-stopping appetizer. Wow your guests when you literally light the butter on fire!
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 head roasted garlic
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped chives, fresh or dried
Instructions
- Remove garlic cloves from papery wrappings and mash with a fork in a medium bowl. Add butter and drives and mix until well combined.
- Poke a small hole in the bottom of a paper or plastic drinking cup. Feed a long length of candle wick into the cup, leaving several inches on the open end and at least 2 inches on the end that goes through the hole in the cup.
- Pack the butter into the bottom of the cup, adjusting the wick to keep it centered. Smack the cup on the counter to remove any air pockets. Refrigerate several hours until firm.
- Once butter has chilled, cut a hole in a loaf of bread roughly the size of the bottom of the cup (you don't have to do this - you can just serve your candle with slices of bread as well).
- Use kitchen shears to carefully cut away the cup. Trim wick to ½" and place onto the loaf of bread.
- Light candle 15-20 minutes before consuming to give the butter time to start to soften and melt. You can dip pieces of bread into the softened butter or use a knife to scoop it out.
- NEVER EVER leave the butter candle unattended while lit, for any reason.
Notes
I used a plastic drinking cup to test this recipe. Paper would work as well. I don't recommend using styrofoam.
You need a food grade candle wick like this hemp candle wick coated with beeswax.
To roast a raw head of garlic, Slice one end off and coat the whole thing in olive oil. Place in a small round cake pan, or similar, cover with foil, and roast in 400F for 30-45 minutes, or until golden and when the cloves are shrinking and pulling away from the wrappings.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: N/A
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No Bake/No Cook
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ candle
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 147mg
- Fat: 21g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 2.2g
- Cholesterol: 54mg
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