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Our Garlic Butter Sauce recipe is the key to making a good recipe amazing!
Make this easy sauce recipe with just 3 ingredients, all in one bowl. Garlic herb butter is the perfect complement to bread, vegetables, meat, pizza, seafood… well, everything!
You’ll want to try all of your favorite recipes with flavored garlic butter sauce. It’s that good!
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🧈 What ingredients do I need to make Garlic Butter?
Garlicky, herby butter. Does it really get any better than a good homemade garlic butter? You will want to add it to EVERYTHING, trust me!
This recipe is so simple, but adds a special touch to any meal no matter what protein you’re cooking. It’s even perfect if you’re just making garlic butter for bread or vegetables.
The best part about making homemade butter with garlic is that it really is as simple as it sounds – it only uses three easy ingredients!
- Butter: We use salted butter in this recipe but if you prefer, you can use unsalted butter and add salt to taste.
- Garlic: The garlic is what gives the butter its amazing flavor! Chop it up finely by hand or put it in a garlic press.
- Herbs: We use parsley for this recipe because it complements so many foods. But, feel free to experiment with additional herbs of your choosing, like thyme or rosemary!
Try mixing your butter garlic recipe up by using your favorite herbs! For example, you could try adding a little thyme to make steak butter.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Yes! We use 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley in this recipe, which you can substitute directly for 2 tsp. dried parsley.
If you’re using a different ratio, use 1 tsp. dried herbs for every 1 Tbsp. fresh herbs.
🥣 How do you Make Garlic Butter Sauce from Scratch
Making flavored butter takes just a few minutes. Here’s all you have to do:
- Let your butter reach room temperature before you get started. When it’s nice and soft, add it to a bowl.
- Chop or press garlic and finely chop parsley. Add them to the bowl with the butter.
- Mix well until combined. That’s it! Perfect homemade garlic butter!
Optional step: If you’re making garlic butter sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes.
For exact ingredient measurements and recipe tips, keep scrolling to the recipe card below!
🧄 What can I do with Garlic Butter?
We use garlic butter for everything from our best Thanksgiving turkey recipe, to Juicy Garlic Butter Steak Bites, to garlic butter for bread.
Our garlic butter recipe is going to change the way you cook! You can elevate almost any dish, including:
Steak Butter Sauce
This recipe makes the perfect butter garlic steak sauce!
You’ll want it with all of your favorite steak dinner recipes, like our Grilled Chuck Steak or Grilled Picanha Steak.
It’s perfect with tender roast beef recipes like Boneless Prime Rib Roast or Beef Tenderloin, too!
Garlic Butter Turkey
This garlic butter recipe is fabulous slathered on turkey for the best Thanksgiving Turkey recipe ever.
Compound butter for turkey is an absolute must-try. You won’t believe how crispy the skin gets and how much flavor it adds!
Garlic Butter for Bread
This is the best garlic butter spread for bread! The secret to great a garlic bread recipe is to keep it simple – which is exactly what this recipe is!
- Follow the recipe to make our garlic butter, but do not melt it. Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Spread butter on your favorite bread (baguette or french bread works great) at room temperature. For cheesy garlic bread, sprinkle ¼ cup of mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top.
- Place bread on a baking sheet and bake until bread is toasted and lightly brown, approximately 5 minutes.
Butter Garlic Sauce for Pasta
Do you want to know our secret to the easiest and best-tasting pasta? You know it, it’s by adding this compound butter recipe!
We love using our garlic butter sauce for pasta. Add it to your favorite pasta, like angel hair, ziti, or linguine, and it will feel like a gourmet meal! Here’s how you can make garlic pasta sauce:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tbsp. of salt.
- Add your favorite pasta and cook, stirring often, until pasta is almost done.
- While the pasta is cooking, place a large pan over medium heat. Add ½ cup of garlic butter and let it melt. Be careful not to overheat and burn the butter.
- When done cooking, drain the pasta, making sure to reserve ¼ cup of the water. Add the pasta to the pan and toss the garlic butter sauce with the pasta and ¼ cup reserved pasta water.
- If desired, top with Parmesan, parsley, and additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
As a Dip for Pizza
When melted, this butter makes the perfect garlic sauce dip for pairing with pizza! In fact, this is one of our favorite ways to enjoy this garlic spread.
One of our favorite easy appetizers to serve is our pizza twists with garlic dip. Give it a try for game day!
With Shrimp
You can even melt our butter garlic sauce with herbs over seafood for an incredible dinner! Seriously, you can’t get any better than garlic herb butter for seafood.
Garlic butter for shrimp is our favorite. Try it with a Shrimp Foil Pack or the Shrimp Scampi Linguine above, and we guarantee you will want to make it all of the time.
On Crab Legs
DEFINITELY try dipping garlic butter sauce for your Grilled Crab Legs or Steamed Crab Legs.
You will not even believe how delicious this combination is. The first time we tried garlic butter crab legs, we were totally blown away by the flavor!
Spread on Burgers
You can even use this recipe on your favorite burgers! Try our Garlic Butter air fryer burger with garlic butter spread for an easy to make treat the whole family is going to love.
Paired with Surf & Turf
If you have yet to try our air fried steak and fried lobster tails, you HAVE to try it with our garlic butter sauce.
It is simply delicious and takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook! It is even better with air fryer asparagus fries.
Butter Garlic Mushrooms
Have we mentioned our garlic butter mushrooms yet? There are no words to describe how amazing they are, and they only take 10 minutes to make!
Garlic Roasted Small Potatoes
Garlic Roasted Small Potatoes are a perfect fit for this delicious herb butter recipe. Give them a try!
⏲ How long does garlic butter last?
Garlic butter will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge and about 2 to 3 months in the freezer. That is, if you don’t enjoy it all before then!
🥫 How to Store
You can store garlic herb butter for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, or even freeze it to bring out as needed.
Store garlic butter in the fridge rolled in plastic wrap as a log, or in an air-tight container or baggie.
❄ Can you freeze butter?
Yes, you can freeze garlic butter spread. Just as if you were storing it in the refrigerator, add it to an airtight container and store it in the freezer.
We recommend freezing for no more than 2 months, but can guarantee you will enjoy it all before then.
You can take it straight out of the freezer and toss it in with whatever meal you’re making for quick & easy flavor!
If you’re taking garlic butter spread out of the freezer for bread, we recommend microwaving it on the lowest power setting for 15 seconds.
Love this recipe? Try our Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe! It’s creamy and made with lemon garlic butter, perfect for putting on seafood, chicken, beef, and more.
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📋 Recipe
Garlic Butter Recipe
🍳 Equipment
🥘 Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, salted (at room temperature)
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
- ⅛ cup parsley finely chopped
🔪 Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well-combined.
- If you are using the recipe as a Butter spread, it will be ready to use. If you are using it as a Garlic Butter Sauce, add to a saucepan and heat on low for 3 minutes or until melted. Serve with everything from garlic butter steak bites to grilled crab legs, and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Photo Credit: Kristen King
Anita says
I don’t like buying fresh herbs as the rest would get wasted. How much dried parsley would you suggest? Thanks.
Em Beitel says
Hi Anita! Use 2 tsp. dried parsley in place of fresh parsley if you’re following the recipe exactly. If you’re making a different amount, you want to use 1 tsp. of dried per 1 Tbsp. you would use for fresh. Thank you for your question, and enjoy!