Turn bread and butter into a fun and interactive experience with this easy recipe and instructions for making a Butter Candle!

I first learned about this trend in a TikTok video, and I think it’s the perfect cozy, spooky, moody appetizer for a Halloween party.

a hand holding a piece of bread into a lit butter candle that is standing up inside of a loaf of crusty bread.

How fun is this Butter Candle Recipe! I’m showing you how to make a delicious, edible candle made of softened butter seasoned with roasted garlic and herbs.

Place your butter candle in a big, round loaf of crust bread, and light the wick! The butter will melt slowly, creating a gorgeous interactive appetizer that everyone will rave about!

I really like this appetizer for Halloween. The candle reminds me of Hocus Pocus (just like my Hocus Pocus Cookies do!), but it’s on theme for any other night-time get-together too.

For a classy appetizer spread, pair this with bacon wrapped water chestnuts and classic spinach puffs.

a candle made of herbed butter is inside of a bread bowl. Around the bread are slices of baguette.

Butter Candle Recipe Highlights

Amazing Flavor – Roasted garlic is the star of this recipe! It gives the butter an irresistible savory flavor and pairs wonderfully with fresh herbs.
Easy to Make – This appetizer might look complicated, but it’s really very simple to put together. Aside from the ingredients, all you need is an empty Pringles can to use as a mold and a food-safe , which is easy to order online or find at your local craft store.
Beautiful Presentation – Your guests are going to love this! It’s fun to dip slices or hunks of bread into the candle as it burns, and it makes a gorgeous centerpiece for a charcuterie table.

Key Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make edible candles from butter!

ingredients for making a butter candle for halloween on a dark counter.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Salted Butter: Let your butter sit out at room temperature until it’s soft and ready for whipping.
Roasted Garlic: Make this first! Cut the top off of a whole bulb of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Wrap it in aluminum foil and roast in a 400°F/200°C oven for 30-40 minutes. Let the garlic cool before using.
Fresh Herbs: Any combination of fresh herbs will work here. I’m using thyme, parsley, and rosemary.
Salt and Pepper: For the best flavor, use freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to season your butter candle.
Bread: Grab a large, round, crusty loaf of bread for the candle to sit in. I like this with sourdough, Italian bread, or homemade no-knead bread. You’ll also want a fresh baguette for serving.

How To Make A Butter Candle

chopped herbs on a dark cutting board. — 1. **Chop the Herbs:** Remove the stems from the herbs and chop them finely.

softened butter in a bowl with roasted garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. — 2. **Combine the Ingredients:** Add the herbs to a mixing bowl along with softened butter, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper.

whipped herb garlic butter in a mixing bowl. — 3. **Whip:** Use an electric mixer to whip the butter until it’s soft and fluffy.

herb garlic butter in a pringles can, viewed from overhead. A wick is next to the can. — 4. **Start Filling the Mold:** Press about half an inch of the butter mixture into a clean and dry Pringles can.

a chopstick holding a foodsafe candle wick over a butter candle that is molded in a pringles can. — 5. **Add the Wick and Chill:** Press the wick into the bottom of the mold and tie the other end to a chopstick or a butter knife. Fill up the rest of the mold with the garlic butter, keeping the wick in the center. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

a round loaf of bread with a round whole cut from the middle of it. — 6. **Prepare the Bread:** When you’re ready to serve, cut a circle out of a loaf of bread that is the same size as your candle, about 3/4 of the way down.

a pringles sour cream and onion can, grab and go size, filled with garlic herb butter. The can is cut down the side to open it. — 7. **Open the Mold:** Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut down the side of the Pringles can at an angle.

unwrapping a butter candle from a pringles can mold. — 8. **Unmold the Candle:** Peel away the rest of the can and carefully remove the candle from its mold. Trim the wick to half an inch, and place it into the bread loaf.

a hand lighting a butter candle wick with a match. — 9. **Light and Serve!** Use a match or lighter to light the wick just before your guests arrive. Let the butter melt for a bit (maybe 15-20 minutes)before digging in.

Tip!

A “grab and go” sized Pringles can works perfectly as a mold for butter candles, but you can use other things too. A clean soup can lined with plastic wrap or a paper cup would be the next bert mold options.

Recipe Tips

Start with soft butter. Other recipes might call for melting the butter, but I don’t care for that texture. Instead, use very soft butter that can easily be molded.
Use fresh herbs. Dried herbs won’t have the chance to hydrate in the butter, and just won’t taste as good.
Use a cotton wick. Avoid using a wick that has a wax coating, as the wax will end up on the butter as it burns.
Avoid air bubbles. As you layer the whipped butter into the mold, press it down with a spoon and tap it against the counter to work out any pockets of air.
Chill overnight if you can. Give the butter time for the flavors to meld together.
Try other flavors! For brunch, make a sweet edible candle with cinnamon and honey added. Switch up the herbs if you like too. I think adding basil and some parmesan cheese would be lovely.

a butter candle in a bread bowl. Around and behind the appetizer are skeleton hands and plastic spiders.

What To Serve With a Butter Candle

You absolutely need to serve this with bread. Aside from the loaf of bread, I added lightly toasted baguette slices for those who didn’t want to dig in with their hands.

You could also bake up a batch of homemade Witch Finger Breadsticks!

To make the platter extra pretty, I included a pepperoni rose and some fresh berries and greenery. Have fun with your presentation!

a candle made of herbed butter is inside of a bread bowl. Around the bread are slices of baguette and plastic spiders.

Recipe FAQs

How long will the butter candle burn?

This can depend on the size of your wick, the temperature of your butter, and how quickly people are eating it. Plan to light the candle about 20 minutes before your guests arrive. It should burn for at least two hours.

What should I do with leftovers?

If there is leftover butter after the party has ended, store it in the fridge. The garlic herb butter can be used to make garlic bread, dip seafood into, or as a gourmet topping for grilled steaks or chicken.

This herbed butter is so delicious, you can really enjoy it in or on anything!

What if I want the butter candle to burn faster?

Make a thicker wick! You can braid three pieces of the cotton wick together to create a larger one, which will burn hotter and faster than a single strand.

Where do I find an edible candle wick?

Your wick doesn’t need to be edible, and you definitely shouldn’t eat it! Instead, look for a food-grade wick, or one that is made from only cotton or hemp, without any wax or chemical coatings.

a hand dipping a slice of bread into a lit butter candle.

More Halloween Recipes

Halloween Spaghetti (Vegetarian)

Halloween Buffalo Chicken Bombs

Halloween Vampire Float

Halloween Taco Dip

All Halloween →

The coolest appetizer recipe ever is this Butter Candle! Serve this at Halloween, on Christmas Eve, or at your New Year’s Eve dinner party. People will be talking about it all year.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

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Butter Candle

Prep Time: 15

Chill Time: 1

Total Time: 1 15

Author: Diana

Print Rate Recipe

Make an edible Butter Candle with this delicious recipe featuring roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and a real candle wick! This recipe is perfect for Halloween, Christmas Eve, or New Years.

24 Servings

Make an edible Butter Candle with this delicious recipe featuring roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and a real candle wick! This recipe is perfect for Halloween, Christmas Eve, or New Years.

Equipment

Cotton Wick
Empty 2.5 oz Pringles can
Knife
cutting board
Chopstick or butter knife
Lighter or Matches

Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ cups (310 g) salted butter softened
▢ 4 cloves roasted garlic
▢ 2 sprigs fresh thyme
▢ 2 sprigs fresh parsley
▢ 1 sprig fresh rosemary
▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
▢ 1 loaf crusty bread
▢ Baguettes sliced and toasted, for serving

Instructions

Make sure that your Pringles can has been cleaned and dried thoroughly.
Prep all of the herbs by removing the stems and chopping finely.
In a bowl whip together the softened butter with the roasted garlic, finely chopped herbs, pepper and salt. The butter should be very soft but not melted.
Spoon about half an inch layer of the butter mixture into the bottom of the Pringles can and spread evenly. Firmly tap the can against the countertop to release any air bubbles and level the butter.
Take the candle wick and press the very bottom of the wick into the center of the butter, lay the top of the wick over the edge of the can.
Take a chopstick or butter knife and tie it to the loose end of the wick. Gently roll the chopstick down until it is resting on the top of the Pringles can.
Working around the wick, spoon in another layer of butter about an inch thick, again, tap the can against the counter firmly to release bubbles. Continue this process of adding about an inch of butter, then tapping the can until you have used all of the butter. As you are working, make sure that the wick stays in the middle of the candle.
Once you reach the last of the butter, smooth the top. Then cover the top of the Pringles can with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but ideally overnight.
When you are ready to serve, cut a hole the size of the Pringles can in the top of the loaf of bread. Only cut about 3/4 the way down into the bread leaving the crust on the bottom of the bread intact. Remove the cut portion of the bread to make a hole as deep as desired for the candle.
Place the bread on a large serving platter surrounded by your toasted baguette pieces. Garnish if desired with fresh berries and herbs.
When you are ready to unmold your butter candle, use a sharp knife or pair of scissors to carefully slice into the Pringles can, just enough to allow you to remove it from the butter candle.
Trim the wick to be about a half of an inch.
Light the wick and allow the butter to melt. Enjoy!

Notes:

A “grab and go” sized Pringles can works perfectly as a mold for butter candles, but you can use other things too. A clean soup can lined with plastic wrap would be my second option.
Start with soft butter. Other recipes might call for melting the butter, but I don’t care for that texture. Instead, use very soft butter that can easily be molded.
Use fresh herbs. Dried herbs won’t have the chance to hydrate in the butter, and just won’t taste as good.
Use a cotton wick. Avoid using a wick that has a wax coating, as the wax will end up on the butter as it burns.
Avoid air bubbles. As you layer the whipped butter into the mold, press it down with a spoon and tap it against the counter to work out any pockets of air.
Chill overnight if you can. Give the butter time for the flavors to meld together.
Light the wick about 20 minutes before your guests arrive. The candle will burn for 1-3 hours, depending on how quickly it’s being eaten and the size of your wick.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1tablespoon, Calories: 148kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 216mg, Potassium: 26mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 366IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.