Butter Candles Are Back, and They’re Still Weird

Just when you thought TikTok had finally moved on to new ways of wasting food for visual presentation, the butter candle trend has returned. Yes, the internet is once again telling us to freeze a stick of butter with a wick in it, jam it into a loaf of bread, light it on fire, and call it “entertaining.”

It is what it sounds like: You cut a hole in a sourdough loaf, drop in your frozen butter candle, light it, and watch the butter drip down onto your bread like some kind of greasy, dairy-based volcano. Supposedly it’s “fancy” for dinner parties. In reality, it’s just one wick away from setting off your smoke alarm.

Couple quick pro tips, because people always freak out about this:

• You need a food-grade wick… the kind made from things like hemp coated in beeswax. You can grab them on Amazon. And no, you’re not supposed to chew on the wick like it’s beef jerky.
• Despite looking amazing on TikTok, the eating part is… underwhelming. Think less “classy charcuterie experience” and more “your bread is crying butter tears all over the table.”

Naturally, the comments are better than the trend itself. One person said, “Maybe I’ll try this instead of drugs.” Another added, “You never know what someone’s doing in their house, bruh.” (Imagine explaining to your neighbors why your kitchen smells like scorched bread and melted Land O’Lakes.)

So if you’re looking for a fall centerpiece that’s equal parts quirky, messy, and vaguely heart-clogging, the butter candle is back on the menu. Just don’t be shocked when your guests say, “Cool… so do you also have chips and salsa?”

(If you’re still not getting it, here’s a video of this “butter candle.” And here’s a recipe to make it.)