Homemade Garlic Butter

This Roasted Garlic Butter blends perfectly caramelized roasted garlic with creamy butter and fresh herbs to create a delectable flavour enhancer for bread, fish, meat, and vegetables. Also known as compound butter, this flavoured butter is made with just a few ingredients, comes together easily, and can be shaped into a log for easy slicing, adding an extra-special touch to your dinner table.

Transform a simple stick of butter into a restaurant-quality spread with just a few ingredients. Roasted garlic adds depth and richness, while fresh herbs brighten up the flavour.

Elevate a stick of butter to restaurant-quality with these simple ingredients. Roasted garlic adds rich flavor, and fresh herbs bring brightness.

For this roasted garlic spread, gather:

• A bulb of garlic
• Olive oil
• A stick of unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Fresh herbs (I used rosemary, chives, and parsley)

Substitutions & Optional Add-Ins

Whether you need a simple garlic butter for bread or a more complex flavour for specific dishes, this butter is versatile. Here are some substitution ideas and add-ins:

• Butter: Use unsalted butter to control the salt, but salted butter works too—just adjust additional salt accordingly. Vegan butter is a suitable alternative.
• Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs elevate the butter. Use your favorites, but parsley, rosemary, thyme, chives, and basil are recommended. Use two teaspoons of finely chopped herbs per stick of butter.
• Spices: Enhance the butter with spices tailored to your dish. Sweet paprika, oregano, or red pepper flakes are great additions.
• Flaky Sea Salt: Top the butter with flaky sea salt for a finishing touch. Maldon Sea Salt Flakes and Jacobsen Flake Finishing Salt are excellent choices.
• Parmesan Cheese: Add a few tablespoons of Parmesan if making Rosemary Mashed Potatoes.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Butter

Once the garlic is roasted, mixing the rest of the ingredients is quick and easy. Use our oven-roasted garlic method, or speed up the process with an air fryer or our no-foil roasting method.

1. Preheat the oven: Set to 400°F.
2. Prep the garlic: Slice the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves, and place on foil. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Wrap the garlic: Tightly wrap the garlic in foil, forming a pouch. Place on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.
4. Roast: Roast for 40 minutes at 400°F. The garlic should be soft and lightly caramelized. If not, roast for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove the cloves: Let the garlic cool for at least 20 minutes, then squeeze out the cloves.
6. Mash the garlic: Mash the roasted garlic into a puree.
7. Add remaining ingredients: Mix the mashed garlic with softened butter, salt, pepper, and optional herbs until well combined. You can use a small food processor for this.

How to Use Garlic Butter

Use this homemade roasted garlic butter anywhere you’d use regular butter. Here are some ideas:

• Spread on crusty bread: Perfect for garlic bread. Pair with No Knead Bread, Olive Bread, French Bread, or dinner rolls. Ideal for air fryer garlic bread.
• Flavor fish: Complements Grilled Mahi Mahi and Grilled Shrimp Skewers beautifully.
• Serve over steak: Add restaurant-quality flavor to Reverse Sear Beef Tenderloin or Grilled Steak.
• Enhance roasted vegetables: Adds caramelized flavor to Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms, or Sauteed Asparagus and Mushrooms. Elevate Garlic Butter Green Beans, Mashed Potato Casserole, or Air Fryer Corn on the Cob with a dollop of this butter.

Roasted Garlic Butter transforms simple meals into restaurant-quality dishes with ease. Made from roasted garlic, butter, and fresh herbs, this versatile condiment enhances bread, fish, meat, and vegetables. Quick to prepare and customizable, it’s a must-have in your kitchen for adding rich, savory flavor to any dish. Experiment with different herbs and spices to make this delicious compound butter your own.

xoxo, Joe

Homemade Garlic Butter

Ingredients

• 1 whole garlic bulb

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 4 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs rosemary, chives, and parsley

Methods

• Preheat: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Prep the garlic: Slice the top off the garlic and place it on a piece of aluminium foil.
• Add oil: Pour olive oil over the garlic bulbs.
• Roast: Wrap it tightly. It should look like a small pouch. Place it on a baking sheet and roast it in the oven for 40 minutes.
• Check for doneness: To check doneness, carefully remove the aluminum foil (be careful as it is hot and steamy) and see if the garlic cloves are softened and lightly caramelized. If they are, you are good to go. If not, wrap it back up and let it roast for 5-10 more minutes or until the cloves are fully softened.
• Remove the cloves: Let the roasted garlic cool for 10-15 minutes. Gently squeeze the head from the root end, pushing out all the soft cloves until you are left with the outer skin. Discard the skin and transfer the roasted garlic into a medium bowl.
• Mash: Using the back of a fork, mash garlic until it is fully pureed.
• Combine the ingredients: Into the same bowl, add the softened butter, salt, black pepper, and chopped herbs (if using). Mix until everything is combined. Alternatively, you can do this in a food processor.
• Shape: You can use your garlic butter right away (like what we did) or shape it into a cylinder (make it a compound butter) for better presentation and portion control. To do so, place the garlic butter on a piece of plastic wrap (or parchment paper), shape it into a cylinder, and wrap it tightly. Place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours before using. When ready to serve, unwrap and cut it into slices and use in your recipe.