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Soft, savoury garlic butter takes about 10 minutes to make with four simple ingredient and it is so versatile! Use to top steak, make your own garlic bread, or even stir into cooked pasta with a pinch of chilli flakes. Easy to make, plus it keeps for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, so you can make enough garlic butter for multiple meals.
“This stuff is awesome on steaks and hamburgers!! I’ve made it several times. If you’re looking for a great garlic butter, this is it!! Highly recommended for all red meats.”
Nicky’s Notes
This simple garlic butter recipe is great to have in the fridge and is so versatile. My favourite way to use it is on a good steak. Pop a slice on while the steak rests, and it melts down into its own little garlicky sauce.
It gets used for plenty more than steak in our house, though. The kids started dunking dough balls and pizza crusts in it, and it’s lovely spread over corn on the cob too.
I use dried parsley here, because it has less moisture than fresh, so the butter keeps longer in the fridge. If you don’t have any, finely chopped fresh parsley works too. Rolling it into a log is the bit that makes it so handy. You can slice off exactly what you need, straight from the fridge.
Trust me if you have ten minutes to spare, this will be a game changer to have in your fridge.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Garlic Butter
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
- Butter I’ve used unsalted butter but you can use salted butter and just reduce the amount of salt by half. Make sure it’s properly soft before you start.
- Parsley If you don’t have dried parsley, fresh parsley finely chopped would work too.
- Garlic Garlic is king in this recipe so you want plump firm cloves.
- Salt Brings out the garlic. Taste and adjust if your butter is salted.
Variations
- Chilli flakes, try adding some chilli flakes for a bit of a kick
- Curry Powder, a teaspoon added to the butter along with some cumin would be so good on potatoes or chicken.
- Roasted garlic butter. For a sweeter, mellower flavour, mash in soft roasted garlic instead of raw.
- Smoked butter, if you have a smoking gun you can cold smoke the butter to add a seriously chefy touch.
- Herb and lemon butter. Swap the dried parsley for fresh parsley, chives or dill, plus a little lemon zest. Good with fish and seafood.
👩🍳 Abbreviated recipe
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
To make this simple garlic butter, Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Use right away if you want the butter to be soft, or, If making ahead, cover the bowl in clingfilm and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Pro Tip
- You don’t have to use regular unsalted butter – Use your favourite butter! If you’re using salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt you’re adding by half or eliminate the salt all together if the butter is already to your taste.
- Soften the butter, don’t melt it. It needs to be soft enough to mix smoothly. Melted butter goes greasy and won’t set back into a neat log.
- Mince the garlic really finely. Small pieces spread evenly through the butter, so every slice tastes the same and you don’t bite into a sharp chunk.
Unwrap and slice into discs when ready to serve.
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Pin ItHow to use garlic butter
Garlic butter for steak
Cook your steak, then lay a cold disc of garlic butter on top while it rests. As it melts, it mixes with the steak juices into a quick, glossy sauce. My guide to how to cook the perfect steak covers timings for every doneness.
Garlic butter for bread
Use it soft, straight after mixing, so it spreads easily. Slice into a baguette, spread generously and bake. My easy homemade garlic bread recipe takes you through it step by step. It’s also lovely brushed over warm garlic naan, dough balls or pizza crusts.
As a quick garlic butter sauce
Stir a spoonful through hot, freshly drained pasta with a pinch of chilli flakes. Or melt a little over green vegetables, such as these garlic green beans with Parmesan.
More ideas
- Rubbed over hot corn on the cob
- Melted over baked potatoes or new potatoes
- On top of fish or salmon, like this honey garlic butter baked salmon
- Dotted over chicken before it goes in the oven
Make ahead & freezer instructions
If you’re making ahead, and would those lovely little rounds of garlic butter, then simply spoon the mixed butter out into a fat sausage shape (2.5cm or 1” in diameter) on a long piece of clingfilm (plastic wrap). Then roll it into a sausage shape, tying off the ends, then place in the refrigerator until firm.
Freezing
In the freezer. Wrap the log tightly, label it with the date and freeze for up to 3 months. Slicing it into discs before freezing makes it easy to take out one at a time. Defrost in the fridge, or lay a frozen disc straight onto a hot steak.
📺 Watch how to make it
Easy Garlic Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 120 g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter softened , or use salted butter, but just add ½ tsp salt instead of 1 tsp
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.120 g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, 1 tsp salt, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp dried parsley
- Alternatively, spoon the mixed butter out into a fat sausage shape (2.5cm or 1” in diameter) on a long piece of clingfilm.
- Wrap the butter in the clingfilm and roll it on the countertop to get an even sausage shape. Place in the refrigerator to firm up.
- Unwrap and slice into discs when ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This simple garlic butter recipe was first published in Sept 2021. Updated since with improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍽️ More Steak Toppings/Sauces
FAQ’s
How much garlic should I use per stick of butter?
This recipe uses 3 cloves of garlic to 120g (8 tablespoons, or 1 US stick) of butter. That gives a good, clear garlic flavour without being overpowering. Add another clove if you love it extra garlicky.
Can I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
Yes, if that’s all you have. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon in place of the 3 cloves, then taste and add more if you like. The flavour is softer and less punchy than fresh, but it still works well on bread.
Can I make it with just butter and garlic?
Yes. The parsley adds colour and a little freshness, but butter, garlic and a pinch of salt are all you really need.
How do I soften butter quickly?
Cut it into small cubes and leave it at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Cubes soften much faster than a whole block. Avoid the microwave, as it melts the butter unevenly.
How much does this recipe make?
It makes roughly 130g, or just over ½ cup of garlic butter. That’s roughly 8 portions of about a tablespoon each, enough to top several steaks or make two loaves of garlic bread.
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This stuff is awesome on steaks and hamburgers!! I’ve made it several times. If you’re looking for a great garlic butter, this is it!! Highly recommended for all red meats.
Looks good. I like garlic butter with snails and a crusty French baguette. Wonderful.
Easy and delicious!! I made garlic bread and it was fantastic!!
You did not say whether the garlic was sliced grinded, chopped, anything.
Hi, in the ingredients list it says 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced.
Good simple tasty recipes ideal for quick meals
Love the recipe
Great recipes Nicky, I was sure you would include my favourite compound butter “Cafe de Paris” Oh well maybe next time.
So easy and tasty, I use slightly more garlic and WOWEEE but can it be frozen??
Hi Nicky, a bit pedantic I know, but the word “Alternatively” needs to be deleted from Instruction 2!
Regards, Roger
Roger, it really doesn’t need to be deleted – you can use it from the bowl for garlic bread (like me). or, alternatively you can make it into a sausage shape and refrigerate!