Homemade Garlic Herb Butter is a type of compound butter made by mixing softened butter with fresh garlic, herbs, lemon juice, and seasonings. This simple restaurant-quality condiment takes only 10 minutes to make, and you will learn pro tips for storing and using your homemade compound butter to elevate steaks, vegetables, bread, and pasta dishes.
Compound butter can be served soft, rolled into a log and sliced, or frozen for later use.
Quick Look at the Garlic Herb Butter Recipe
- Ready in: 10 minutes with simple ingredients
- Yield: 8 tablespoons or ½ cup
- Difficulty: Easy
- Best for: Just a pat transforms anything from a humble baked potato or a slice of herb and cheese bread to a sizzling filet mignon or blackened steak into an extraordinary restaurant-quality dining experience. It also makes a thoughtful hostess gift.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes. It also freezes beautifully for make-ahead meals
- Taste and Texture: Buttery, herby, and lemony. I've tested this butter on everything from grilled steaks and seafood to baked potatoes and warm bread, and with its fresh herbs and lemon juice, it consistently elevates the flavor of whatever it is put on.
- Equipment: Parchment paper or butter molds.
My simple homemade Garlic Herb Butter is about to become your new kitchen secret weapon. Trust me, you’ll never go back once you taste this easy compound butter.
Learn how to make restaurant-quality garlic herb butter from scratch in just 10 minutes with simple pantry ingredients. Discover pro tips for storing and using your homemade compound butter to elevate steaks, vegetables, bread, and pasta dishes, and watch my easy step-by-step video showing you exactly how I make it.
Jump to:
- Quick Look at the Garlic Herb Butter Recipe
- Featured Comment
- Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Easy Compound Butter Recipe Variations
- How to make Garlic Herb Butter
- Garlic Herb Butter Serving Suggestions
- How to Store Compound Butter
- Garlic Herb Butter Recipe FAQs
- Sharon’s tips
- Recipes that taste even better with garlic herb butter
- Join the Conversation
- Recipe:
Featured Comment
Herbed butter is such a lovely addition to a wide variety of dishes. Or, how could you go wrong with simply slathering on a piece (or two) of crusty bread? Makes me hungry, especially looking at the juicy steak you show. Thanks so much for sharing. – Linger
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
One of the things I love most about this easy garlic herb butter recipe is how flexible it is. I usually make it with rosemary, thyme, oregano, and parsley from my garden, but almost any combination of fresh herbs works beautifully.
Complete ingredient measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Butter: You need one stick of unsalted butter for this recipe. Make sure you use real butter, not a butter spread. The stick of butter should be room temperature or softened to the point that it is easy to stir but is not melted.
- Fresh chopped herbs: Fresh herbs give this compound butter its bright flavor and beautiful flecks of color. I typically use rosemary, thyme, oregano, and parsley, but dill, basil, sage, chives, or tarragon also work well, depending on what you're serving it with.
- Garlic cloves: Use a garlic press to finely mince your garlic or grate it with a zester. Roasted garlic would also be delicious in this recipe.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: A little fresh lemon juice brightens the butter and keeps it from tasting too heavy. If you want a stronger citrus flavor, add a pinch of lemon zest too.
- Kosher salt: If you use salted butter in the recipe, omit the salt or only add a tiny pinch of salt to taste.
Easy Compound Butter Recipe Variations
This is a super versatile and easy recipe. Add whatever herbs and ingredients you love or have on hand. Here are just a few delicious compound butter recipes:
- Lemon pepper butter: Fresh lemon, lemon zest, parsley, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Lemon dill butter: Lemon juice, salt, and fresh dill.
- Garlic and chive butter: Fresh garlic, fresh chives, and salt or garlic salt.
- Tuscan butter: Fresh garlic, chopped sundried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Italian herbs like basil, thyme, or rosemary.
- Orange butter: Mix butter with orange marmalade and confectioners’ sugar.
- Maple bourbon butter: Mix some maple syrup and bourbon with butter.
- Hot honey butter: Mix in some hot honey to make delicious, sweet, and spicy butter.
Don't be afraid to experiment with combinations based on what you already have growing in your garden or sitting in your refrigerator drawer.
How to make Garlic Herb Butter
- Place the softened butter in a medium bowl. Add the minced garlic, chopped herbs, lemon juice, and kosher salt.
- Stir until everything is evenly combined. The butter should be soft enough to mix easily but not melted.
- Serve immediately as a soft spread, or spoon the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap.
- Roll into a log shape about 1½ inches thick, twisting the ends tightly to seal, or place in a butter mold.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour until firm. Slice into rounds and serve on steak, seafood, vegetables, potatoes, or bread.
Garlic Herb Butter Serving Suggestions
Garlic herb butter is one of those simple kitchen staples that instantly makes almost anything taste better. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Top your pan-seared or smoked ribeye steak with a pat of garlic herb butter for an instant restaurant-worthy finish.
- Elevate your seafood game with a dollop on blackened grouper, blackened redfish, or roasted shrimp. The butter infuses the seafood with a subtle garlicky aroma and keeps it moist and tender.
- Garlic herb butter is a match made in heaven for chicken and turkey. Spread it on cast-iron roast chicken for crispy, flavorful skin, dot it over chicken breasts before baking, or on a smoked turkey for a juicy, herbaceous treat.
- Baked and mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes are a classic canvas for garlic herb butter. Just a pat can transform them from ordinary to extraordinary.
- Homemade garlic bread reaches a new level of luxury with compound butter instead of regular butter. Also, try it on cornbread, hoe cakes, Irish soda bread, sweet potato biscuits, or corn on the cob.
How to Store Compound Butter
- Store garlic herb butter tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- For longer storage, freeze the butter log for up to three months. I like to slice it into rounds before freezing so I can grab individual portions whenever I need them.
Garlic Herb Butter Recipe FAQs
Yes. Wrap the butter tightly and freeze for up to three months. For convenience, slice the butter into rounds before freezing so you can thaw only what you need.
Compound butter is commonly used on steak, seafood, vegetables, potatoes, bread, chicken, and pasta. It adds instant flavor and richness to simple dishes.
Yes, but use less because dried herbs are more concentrated. Start with about half the amount listed for fresh herbs.
Different herbs create completely different flavor profiles, which is one reason this garlic herb compound butter is so versatile. Here are some possible combinations: rosemary and thyme: perfect for steak, roast beef, and potatoes; dill and parsley: delicious with seafood and fish; chives and garlic: great on baked potatoes and bread; basil and oregano: ideal for Italian-style dishes; and sage is wonderful with turkey and chicken.
Homemade garlic herb butter will keep in the refrigerator for about one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
Yes, but reduce or omit the added salt so the butter doesn't become overly salty.
Simply add a few drops of truffle oil and mix thoroughly.
Sharon’s tips
- Use softened butter, not melted butter, for the best texture
- I don’t recommend using a food processor to blend your butter because you will end up with pale green butter if you overprocess it.
- Finely mince or grate the garlic so it blends smoothly
- Pat fresh herbs dry before chopping to avoid watery butter
- Taste before chilling and adjust the salt or lemon juice if needed
- Chill the butter log thoroughly before slicing for clean rounds
- For the prettiest presentation, sprinkle extra herbs on the outside before rolling
Recipes that taste even better with garlic herb butter
Join the Conversation
If you try this Garlic Herb Butter recipe, I'd love to hear how you used it! Did it end up on steak, seafood, warm bread, or mashed potatoes, and what herbs did you use? Please leave a comment and star rating below. Your tips and serving ideas are always helpful to other readers, too.
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Easy Garlic Herb Compound Butter (10 minutes)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, one stick softened
- ¼ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped or grated
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the softened butter in a small bowl. Add the chopped herbs, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well. Can be served immediately.
- Or, pour the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and roll it up like a log. Twist the ends of the paper and smush all the butter into a smooth cylinder about an inch and a half wide.
- Place in the refrigerator and chill for an hour or so. Remove from the fridge, slice, and serve.
Linger
Herbed butter is such a lovely addition to a wide variety of dishes. Or how could you go wrong with simply slathering on a piece (or two) of crusty bread? Makes me hungry especially looking at the juicy steak you show. Thanks so much for sharing.
Carolyn G Haley
I’m making this today and guess what? I am now craving a steak. I certainly see the many uses of this herb butter and I have lots of herbs. Had to move my herb bed, the pups decided they just loved hiking their legs on my herbs in the back yard.