And you can apply this to scallions, spring garlic, and herbs as well!
These two recipes are together because they go together, meaning without one, you’re wasting a bit of what you would need for the other. And don’t we all want Ramp Oil and Ramp Butter living in our fridge at the same time? I know I would. I know I DO, because I use it for countless recipes, some of which are coming to you later this week!
But also, if you’re feeling FOMO or just in general left out of the ramp party, this works wonderfully with scallions, chives, spring garlic, spring onions, or any other herb that you might like an oil + compound butter for. It’s worth the try!
Table of contents
- What are ramps?
- A common misconception about ramps
- The ingredients you will need for the ramp butter AND ramp oil
- How we are using the rest of the ramps to make a ramp butter
- Why do we blanch herbs before turning them into herb oil?
- How to make the ramp oil
- How to make the ramp butter
- Storage tips for the ramp butter and ramp oil
- Watch the recipe here
What are ramps?
I found this article to be the most scientific and insightful when talking about ramps, especially if you’re curious!
But in a nutshell, ramps are an allium and a native wild flower that pops up in the spring in North America. Their season is incredibly short, which is why people tend to go a little nuts for them. They are also called wild leeks, spring onion, and ramson, and they impart a sweet, garlicky flavor on whatever you cook. They are truly delicious, and well worth the hype!
A common misconception about ramps
Now, since we’ve shared that ramps are alliums, I think it’s an important time to talk about a common misconception around these well-loved plants. I’ve met a ton of people who don’t understand the hype, or who think they are eating ramps “wrong,” and I think that’s because we feel a lot of pressure to cook and eat them whole, when really they should be a flavor additive like any other allium.
Sure, you can eat roasted garlic on its own, but it’s so much better used with other things. Same with onions, leeks, and all other alliums, and I think ramps should be treated the same! While they can be amazing on their own (I’ll never turn down a grilled onion), they are equally valuable as flavor additions, which is why I love making them into butters and oils so much.
Plus, if you are new to ramps, making them into a butter and oil is a great way to go. You can use the ramp flavor throughout the week in different applications, so you’ll really feel like you are getting your ramp fix!
The ingredients you will need for the ramp butter AND ramp oil
Now that we’ve covered ramps, you’ll see that I want them to shine in this recipe. We really don’t use much else besides them. Here’s everything you will need:
- 1/2 pound (or two bunches) ramps, or scallions, spring onion, spring garlic, or any tender herb also works here!
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups avocado oil
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
How we are using the rest of the ramps to make a ramp butter
The green ramp tops are reserved for the bright green, extra pretty ramp oil. But the ramp bottoms should not be forgotten! Just like the super sweet and flavorful bottom of a leek, the bottoms of ramps also have an oniony, earthy, sweet flavor that is too good to pass up.
You can toss the ramp bottoms into the compound butter without cooking them, but I that keeps them a little sharp in flavor. I like to cook them in a touch of oil first to mellow them out, then keep them as the base of the compound butter. So there’s no waste, and a ton of extra flavor.
Why do we blanch herbs before turning them into herb oil?
Now with the greens of the ramps, we first blanch them before blending them in oil. This is for two main reasons:
- Blanching keeps herbs (or ramps, in this case!) extremely green – when you blanch any vegetable, it makes it so that it can maintain its color over time, and in certain contexts. Most of the time when you have an herb sauce and you expose it to heat, that herb sauce dulls in color almost immediately. Blanching the herb, AKA shocking it in boiling water and then an ice bath, helps prevent this process.
- It helps the herb blend smoothly with the oil – while you’ll never get a full emulsion, blanching an herb helps soften it so that it blends smoother with oil. It makes it so that you get more herb flavor in your oil, while still getting that amazing color.
How to make the ramp oil
I like to blanch my ramp leaves first, then squeeze out any excess moisture before transferring the leaves to a small blender.
You can use a big blender of course, but I’ve found small, single serving blenders (like a. Nutribullet) work much better for batches of herb oils like this!
After I’ve blended the oil for a minute or so (you want it as opaque as possible), then I strain it through a sieve so that the green oil goes into a bowl.
Some people strain their ramp oil twice to get it extra clear, but I’ve found that one strain does the trick for me!
Make sure to save the green remainder of the ramp, it’s crucial to the ramp butter! Or at least….your ramp butter would feel VERY LONELY without it.
How to make the ramp butter
With the cooked ramp bottoms and the leftover ramp discard from the oil, it’s now time to make the ramp butter. See what I said? No waste!
The key to this is to make sure your butter is VERY SOFTENED.
You’ll add the butter directly to the ramps, and then whisk vigorously. It will want to separate at first, but keep whisking and it will turn light green, slightly fluffy, and smooth.
Keep this in the fridge and it will solidify into a whipped butter texture.
Storage tips for the ramp butter and ramp oil
Both of these condiments should be stored in the fridge. It will help them keep for 7-10 days, which is a decent amount of time to use them to make all sorts of things! Think: Eggs fried in ramp oil, Ramp Butter Clams, Ramp Butter Pasta – the options are endless!
Just make sure to pack them in airtight containers, mark the date they were made, and you should be good to go!
And that’s it for how to make ramp butter and ramp oil!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Equipment
- 1 small blender
- 1 sieve
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (or two bunches) ramps , or scallions, spring onion, spring garlic, or any tender herb also works here!
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups avocado oil
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
Instructions
- Clean the ramps very well and remove the bottom roots.
- Cut the green leaves from the white bottoms of the ramps. Finely chop the white bottoms and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath next to it. Salt the boiling water with a few large pinches of salt.
- Add the ramp leaves directly to the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, then transfer directly to the ice bath.
- Remove the pot and place a small pan over medium heat. Add just a drizzle of olive oil and the chopped ramp bottoms. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the ramp bottoms are softened and taking on a bit of color. Transfer them to a medium sized bowl and season with salt.
- Pull the ramp leaves out of the ice bath, squeeze out any excess moisture and add them to a blender with the avocado oil. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is an opaque, dark green.
- Set a sieve over a bowl and strain the ramp oil through it. Use a spoon to help ease out the oil as it goes through the sieve. Season the oil with salt to taste.
- You should be left with some green ramp discard in the sieve, add this in with the cooked ramp bottoms. Add in the softened butter and whisk vigorously until you get a light green, smooth mixture. It will feel a bit wet for a butter, but it will firm up in the fridge. Taste and season with salt to taste.
- Add both the oil and butter to separate storage containers and keep them in the fridge. They will keep for 7-10 days.
Comments
Hello, I love your site and recipes. I find that they stop my doom scolling and inspire me to get in the kitchen! So thanks for that.
However, please do not encourage people to buy or forage ramps with the bulbs still intact. It’s ecological harmful. Ramps are a threatened species, and the bulbs need to be left behind to continue growth. I appreciate that you want to use the whole thing, which I get! But perhaps you can add to this recipe that the bulbs are optional/not necessary and encourage folks in general to not use them or buy them. Collecting just the leaves has a wonderful flavor profile. 🙂
But thanks again for the recipes and content.
Hi! Ok so first, thank you for this kind and respectful message. I really appreciate it! I’m always learning, and with this message I plan to do an updated video clarifying my ramp sourcing! I made a video last year talking about their endangerment, and transparently, I felt a little clowned in the comments because everyone was telling me how ramps in their area were…well…rampant! This year, I found areas of the Northeast where harvesting was encouraged because of wild ramp overgrowth. That’s where mine were sourced from, but I do agree that encouraging people to race to Whole Foods for them is not ~the vibe~. I appreciate your message and will use my platform (hi commenters as well!) to clarify.
Looking forward to trying this! Would olive oil, or something more neutral like canola, work in place of avocado oil?
Absolutely! It will just have a bit of a yellower tinge and a slightly more peppery taste if you use olive oil, but I prefer that to canola oil!
I live in a big forest in southern Ontario amidst literally millions of ramps. Each year I make ramp butter, roll it into logs, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap (the only reason I keep some around) and freeze it for my use over the year. I use it mostly for starting off some cooking in a hot pan ( e.g., making omelettes) and tossing onto steamed veggies. It’s the best!
I’m excited to make ramp oil. Any way I can preserve it for use throughout the year?
Hi there! I haven’t personally preserved it for that long (it’s usually gone long before then haha), but leaving out the salt will greatly increase its shelf life. Store it in the fridge and as long as the color is still verdant, it’s still good to use.
Loved this!!! Thank you for such a thoughtful recipe.
This was delicious and easy! I was (extra) lazy and made the butter in the mini food processor after wiping out the ramp oil, and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe and inspiration!
Were your ramps farmed or foraged. Its my understanding that foraged ramps should not be pulled out with the roots but clipped close to the ground. This leaves the bulbs to divide and multiply for next years crop.
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