Garlic butter is a simple way to upgrade so many dishes! From pasta to garlic bread and even steak, there are so many ways to use homemade garlic butter—and you only need two ingredients to make it!
What do you get when you infuse the flavor of fresh garlic with warm melted butter? You get garlic butter, one of my favorite sauces for dipping and drizzling. If you’re looking for an easy way to jazz up your next dinner, garlic butter is the answer! It takes minutes to whip up, but it somehow makes every meal seem like a restaurant experience.
Easy Garlic Butter Recipe
This garlic butter isn’t a compound butter, which combines softened butter with garlic, herbs, or other mix-ins, stirs it all together, forms it into a log, and refrigerates it. This garlic butter starts with melted butter instead, so it’s a liquid. Compound butter is definitely good too, don’t get me wrong—but using warm butter really brings out the flavor of the garlic in a different way.
Because there are only two ingredients here, you need to make sure they’re high quality! Your garlic shouldn’t have any green sprouts, and your butter should be…well, it should be real butter, not margarine or a buttery spread. Aldi has great European butter that works really well for making garlic butter.
Ingredients
- Butter – The butter needs to be melted; you can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Garlic cloves – I recommend using a garlic press to mince the cloves. It’s much easier than using a knife!
How to Make Garlic Butter
1. Prepare the Butter
Melt the butter and place it in a small bowl.
2. Finish
Stir together the butter and garlic. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. This infuses it with all that garlicky flavor!
Ways to Use Garlic Butter
Here are some of my favorite ways to use garlic butter:
- Brush it on the edges of a homemade pizza crust.
- Use it to make homemade garlic bread.
- Brush it on soft pretzels before baking.
- Use it to pan-fry meat or fish, or drizzle it over them after you’ve cooked them.
- Stir it into mashed potatoes or use it to garnish baked potatoes.
- Use it as a dipping sauce.
- Pour it over a sheet pan full of roasted vegetables.
- Dress up steamed frozen veggies.
- Toss it with pasta and add some grated parmesan for garlicky buttered noodles.
How to Store Leftover Garlic Butter
If you have leftovers, you can place it in a small airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. It will harden in the fridge; you can spread it onto bread and other foods as-is, or warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop.
FAQ
Can you buy garlic butter?
I’ve never seen it in the grocery store myself, but maybe they sell it in your neck of the woods? But there’s really no reason to buy it when it’s so easy to make yourself!
Is garlic butter healthier than butter?
Since garlic butter is made with regular butter, it’s pretty much the same with regards to calories, grams of fat, etc. But garlic is considered a superfood with a whole host of health benefits, so you do get some added nutrition from that.
How long can garlic butter keep?
Garlic butter will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.
More Sauces and Dips
Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic. Serve while warm.
