Garlic Herb Butter is a rich and creamy compound butter that adds flavor to steak, chicken, pasta, vegetables, and more. Simply mix roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and lemon zest in softened butter, then spread it or store it for later!
Once you try this butter, you'll never want to have butter any other way! We love this garlic butter on our Cast Iron Chicken, Buttery Fish with Crispy Skin, Bavette Steak or veggies like our Elotes Style Corn, 10-Minute Sautéed Broccolini (Broccoletti), Pan Fried Potatoes with Herbs, and Asparagus. The key is to use high-quality butter and roast the garlic to give the butter a rich, nutty flavor.
The best part is that it requires minimal ingredients and effort. All you need to do is follow our simple steps then use it whenever you want to elevate the flavor of your dishes. Enjoy on your table or gift in parchment paper to family and friends with a fresh loaf of bread!
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About Homemade Garlic Herb Butter
- Taste - This garlic garlic butter is a robustly flavored topping.
- Texture - The compound butter is creamy and melts perfectly.
- Effort - All you need to do is roast the garlic then mix it with butter and herbs.
- Time - It takes about 45 minutes to roast the garlic then a few minutes to mix everything together.
Ingredients
- Garlic bulb - Garlic provides the classic herbaceous aroma.
- Olive oil - Olive oil is a delicious fat to roast the garlic in.
- Salted butter - Salted butter is the rich base of the garlic butter.
- Freshly ground black pepper - Pepper adds a little spice.
- Fresh herbs of choice - Italian flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, and chives are all great choices for extra flavor.
- Lemon zest - Lemon zest adds brightness.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Spicy - Add a little paprika or red pepper flakes to make the butter spicy.
- Miso Garlic Butter - Add miso for a unique umami flavored compound butter.
- Dried herbs - Use dried herbs if you don't have fresh herbs.
- Unsalted butter - You can also use unsalted butter for this recipe if you want to better control the level of salt.
- Caramelized onions - Replace roasted garlic with caramelized onions for burgers, vegetables, and more.
- Cheese - Add a tablespoon of grated cheese, like Parmigiano-Reggiano, to the butter mixture for a cheesy twist.
Instructions
- Prepare oven - Heat oven to 400°F. Tear off a square of aluminum foil that is large enough to wrap a whole bulb of garlic.
- Prepare garlic - Remove the paper on the outside of the garlic bulb to reveal the individually-wrapped cloves. Then slice off about a quarter inch off the top off the garlic bulb so the raw cloves are exposed. (Photo 1, 2, and 3)
- Wrap - Place the garlic cut side up on the aluminum foil and drizzle the cloves with olive oil. Wrap the garlic tightly in the aluminum foil. (Photo 4)
- Roast - Place the aluminum foil-wrapped garlic on a baking sheet and place it on the middle rack in the oven. Then roast for 40-45 minutes.
- Remove roasted garlic - Allow the garlic to cool then use a small fork, chopsticks, or your hands to remove the cloves. To use your hands, pinch the bottom of the bulb with your fingers and squeeze in an upward motion to push out the garlic. (Photo 5 and 6)
- Mix ingredients - Add the room temperature softened butter and roasted garlic to a bowl. Then use a fork to mash the ingredients together until smooth. Alternatively, use a mixer with a paddle or a food processor until smooth. Fold in freshly cracked pepper, finely chopped herbs, and lemon zest, if desired. (Photo 7 and 8)
- Roll butter - Transfer butter to a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. (Photo 9)
- Form butter - Form the butter into a log, wrap tightly, and twist the ends. (Photo 10 and 11)
- Enjoy - Refrigerate until chilled, then use to serve or cook with. (Photo 12)
Pro tip - Be sure to thoroughly mash the garlic and finely mince the herbs so they are evenly dispersed throughout the butter.
What to Serve with Garlic Herb Butter
Garlic herb butter perfectly compliments so many different dishes! We love it with a main course like steak, fish, or chicken. But we also love it spread across toast or to make garlic bread. Finally, you can add it to corn on the cob, like our Elotes Style Corn, or toss it with other veggies like Brussel sprouts, asparagus, onions, and carrots.
Storage
Refrigerate this garlic herb compound butter in parchment, wax paper, or in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze this butter in a freezer safe air tight container for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
All you need for this recipe is garlic, olive oil, salted butter, pepper, your choice of herbs, and lemon zest for a little kick.
Yes, you can use either salted or unsalted butter. Salted butter is more richly flavored, but unsalted butter lets you control the saltiness of the butter (you can just add salt to taste).
No, we wouldn't consider this recipe healthy due to the saturated fat in the butter. However, the garlic and herbs are more nutritious.
Wrapping the garlic in foil helps to maintain the garlic's moisture and prevent it from burning.
Garlic will turn bitter if it is overcooked. Make sure to set a timer and check on the garlic.
Cooking Tips
- Be sure to use room temperature butter so it will mash easily and blend well with the other ingredients.
- Make the garlic butter the night before you want to use it to streamline your recipes.
- Experiment with different herbs - We love a combination of Italian flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, and chives. However, you can create your own unique flavor combinations, it is hard to go wrong!
- If rolling into a log, use a large enough sheet of parchment paper to make forming the log easier.
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Garlic Herb Butter (For Steak, Veggies, and More)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup high-quality salted butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs of choice chopped (Italian flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, chives)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Prepare oven - Heat oven to 400°F. Tear off a square of aluminum foil that is large enough to wrap a whole bulb of garlic.
- Prepare garlic - Remove the paper on the outside of the garlic bulb to reveal the individually-wrapped cloves. Slice off about a quarter inch off the top of the garlic bulb so the raw cloves are exposed. Place the garlic cut side up on the aluminum foil and drizzle the cloves with olive oil. Wrap the garlic tightly in the aluminum foil.1 garlic bulb, 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Roast - Place the aluminum foil-wrapped garlic on a baking sheet and place it on the middle rack in the oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes.
- Remove roasted garlic - Allow the garlic to cool then use a small fork, chopsticks, or your hands to remove the cloves. To use your hands, pinch the bottom of the bulb with your fingers and squeeze in an upward motion to push out the garlic.
- Mix ingredients - Add the butter and roasted garlic to a bowl. Use a fork to mash the ingredients together until smooth. Alternatively, use a mixer with a paddle or a food processor until smooth. Fold in freshly cracked pepper, finely chopped herbs, and lemon zest, if desired.½ cup high-quality salted butter, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs of choice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Roll butter - Set the butter aside. This is step is optional, but you can transfer butter to a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. Form the butter into a log, wrap tightly, and twist the ends for future use.
Video
Notes
- Thoroughly mash the garlic and finely mince the herbs so they evenly disperse throughout the butter.
- Use room temperature butter so it will mash easily and blend well with the other ingredients.
- Make the garlic butter the night before you want to use it to streamline your recipe the following day.
- Experiment with different herbs - We love Italian flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, and chives. However, you can create your own unique flavor combinations, it is hard to go wrong!
- If rolling the butter into a log, use a large enough sheet of parchment paper to make forming the log easy.
- Refrigerate the garlic butter in parchment paper or an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze garlic herb butter in a freezer safe air tight container for up to 2 months.
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