Learn how to make the most delicious roasted garlic butter compounded with fresh herbs! It’s wonderful on top of steak, fish, or vegetables, spread onto bread, spooned onto potatoes, and melted into pasta. This easy yet impressive recipe is sure to wow your guests and elevate everyday fare.
Is there really anything better than garlic? The flavor, the smell, the versatility. It’s just such a great ingredient and one that I always have on hand! I’ve even gotten in the habit of freezing garlic so that I never run out.
One of my favorite ways to prepare garlic is roasting a whole head and using it to make roasted garlic butter. Not only does the process make your house smell amazing, but it’s also an incredibly easy way to prepare an elegant condiment that’s fit for dinner parties and everyday meals alike. If you like the sound of that, be sure to check out my Roasted Garlic Olive Oil while you’re here!
Roasted garlic is also much sweeter and milder than raw garlic, so I use a whole darn head of it in this recipe! This contributes a ton of flavor without the worry of the butter being too pungent and unpalatable. In addition to garlic, this homemade compound butter is speckled with fresh herbs. It’s the best.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Garlic: Use a whole head of it! If you don’t have time to roast the garlic yourself, you can substitute a store-bought option, either roasted minced garlic in a jar or roasted garlic paste. If you have pre-peeled garlic cloves instead of a head of garlic, you can still roast them to use in the recipe. However, they take less time to bake than a whole head. Toss the cloves in olive oil, spread them out on a lined baking sheet, and roast for 20 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted butter, either Kerrygold or Tillamook, and add salt myself. You can also used salted butter and omit the added salt.
- Fresh herbs: I use a combination of basil, parsley, and rosemary in my roasted garlic butter recipe. You can use any combination you want and substitute other herbs, like dill, thyme, or oregano, if that’s what you have.
- Salt: I prefer using kosher salt or a flaky sea salt but any salt works. If you want to add pepper too, be my guest.
Instructions
The full recipe card for how to make roasted garlic butter is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, then prepare the garlic. Start by trimming the top of a head of garlic, just enough so the tops of each clove are exposed. I also like to peel off some of the papery skin at this point. However, you want to keep the bulb intact so don’t peel off too much.
Place the prepared garlic head in the middle of a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil but enough that it seeps through the crevices.
Wrap the head of garlic tightly in the aluminum foil. Put it on the center rack of the oven (or on a baking sheet on the rack).
Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until the cloves are fully mashable and easy to squeeze right out of the skin. Carefully open the foil packet, using oven mitts, to test the cloves and allow them to cool off.
When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves into a bowl with softened butter, chopped herbs, and salt.
Use a large fork, spoon, or spatula to smash the cloves and herbs into the butter. Mix until everything is well-incorporated.
Storage and Freezing
If you’re wondering how long roasted garlic butter lasts, the answer depends on how it’s stored. It should always be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and never at room temperature for food safety reasons. When kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will last for up to a week. I typically just keep the butter in a glass pyrex container, but you can roll it into a log and then store the log in a container if you want.
To shape compound butter into a log, spoon it onto a piece of parchment paper and wrap it up. Use your fingers to form it into a log, twisting the parchment paper on each end of the log to seal it. Place the log in the fridge and refrigerate until firm. Once firm, remove the parchment paper and slice the log into pieces for serving.
You can also freeze roasted garlic butter, either in a freezer-safe container or as a whole log wrapped in parchment paper then plastic wrap and stored in a bag. Only store it in these ways if you plan to use it all at once in the future. Alternatively, you can freeze individual pats of the butter. Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and store them in a container or bag.
Frozen butter will last for up to 6 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter just before serving.
Serving
Roasted garlic butter is so versatile! Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- As a spread: Lather it on a piece of crunchy bread and enjoy it as a snack or with soup. You can also use it for my Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese with Heirloom Tomato. Or, spread it on the pieces of bread you use to make Cherry Tomato Bruschetta or Bruschetta with Mushrooms and Roasted Peppers.
- On roasted vegetables: Use this recipe to make Herb and Garlic Butter Green Beans or Roasted Radishes and Carrots with Compound Butter. You can also add a generous spoonful of it to roasted cauliflower, potatoes, carrot, beets, Brussels sprouts, turnips, mushrooms, or tomatoes. It would taste delicious on the Garlic Roasted Mushrooms with Thyme.
- On meat or fish: Add a heaping tablespoon of roasted garlic butter to steak, shrimp, cod, salmon, chicken, or pork chops before serving. It’s great on Thanksgiving or Christmas roasts and turkeys too.
- On mashed or baked potatoes: Try it with my Instant Pot Mashed Red Potatoes, Mashed Purple Potatoes, or Healthy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes with Arugula.
- On corn on the cob
- Mixed into pasta
More Garlic Recipes
- Garden Vegetable Bread with Cheese
- Roasted Garlic Olive Oil for Dipping
- Lemon Garlic Scape Pasta
- The Best Avocado Spread with Garlic
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 stick unsalted butter - softened at room temp while the garlic roasts
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt - or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Let the butter soften at room temperature while the garlic roasts.
- Trim a little bit off the top of a head of garlic to expose the tops of each clove. Remove excess papery skin from around the bulb, but be careful not to remove all of it. You want the cloves to still be covered in skin and the bulb to still be intact.
- Place the prepared head of garlic on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, enough to seep into the crevices between the cloves. Wrap the bulb tightly with the foil.
- Place the foil packet on the center rack of the oven or on a baking sheet placed on the center rack. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until the garlic is caramelized and the cloves can easily be mashed and squeezed out of their skins.
- Use oven mitts to carefully open the foil packet to test for doneness and to let the garlic cool.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, chopped herbs, and salt. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into the bowl. Use a fork or back of a spoon to mash the garlic and herbs into the butter until well-incorporated.
- Serve right away or refrigerate and use at a later time. If you want to shape the butter into a log, spoon it onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Wrap it up and use your fingers to shape it into a log, sealing both ends by twisting the paper. Place the log in the fridge until chilled. Once firm, remove the parchment paper and slice the log into rounds for serving.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Use any combination of fresh herbs you like or have on hand.
- Keep compound butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Never store it at room temperature.
- The butter can also be frozen, either all together or in individual portions. Keep in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. If freezing a log or individual pats, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter just before serving.
- Use as a spread on bread, grilled cheese, bruschetta; on top of meat, fish, or roasted vegetables; mixed into pasta; or on mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.
Potatopanda
Looks good! can I use droed herbs? And can I use a stick of Margarine instead or no?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Yes, you can use dried herbs for the recipe and margarine should work too. I would start with about 1/4 teaspoon each of the dried herbs. Taste and add more as desired.
Soren
I have a different method for this. I like to make the garlic the normal way, then add it and the herbs into a saucepan with melted garlic. I let it cook at medium high until the herbs lose their green color and get golden brown.