I love garlic, and I love butter. But for the longest time, I could never get the balance quite right in my cooking. Either the garlic was too overpowering, or it got lost completely. Then I discovered garlic butter, and let me tell you, it was a game-changer. This 3-ingredient garlic butter is the flavor boost you didn’t know you needed in your toolbox and once you have it on hand, quick and easy dinners become even easier.
With just three pantry staples and under 10 minutes, you can make a buttery, garlicky sauce that takes everything from garlic butter pasta to homemade garlic rolls to the next level. Plus, it stores beautifully in the fridge or freezer, so you can always have it ready to go. Let’s get cooking!
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Ingredients
- Minced garlic – I use frozen garlic cubes to make this even easier, but fresh garlic works just as well. Use a garlic press for fresh garlic to make sure it "melts" into the butter nicely.
- Butter – A good-quality unsalted butter is key. Each brand of salted butter varies, and you want full control over the salt level.
- Kosher Salt – Just enough to bring out all the rich, garlicky flavor.
How to Make Garlic Butter
You won’t believe how easy this is:
Melt the butter – Add half the butter and the garlic to a small pan over medium-low heat. Cook until fragrant but not browned.
Add the rest – Stir in the remaining butter and salt. Let it melt completely.
Use immediately - Toss in your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Or store for later - Pour into a container and pop the garlic butter sauce into the fridge.
That’s it! Three ingredients, one pan, and five minutes.
Storage Tips
Short-Term Storage: Pour into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week. When you are ready to use it, just melt it on the stovetop in a small saucepan or in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Long-Term Storage: Make a garlic compound butter by mixing the ingredients at room temperature instead of melting them. Then, roll the butter into a log using plastic wrap, then freeze. Slice off pieces as needed!
To make the compound butter start you'll want to start with softened butter. Here are are two simple ways to achieve that:
- Simplest method: Leave the butter on the counter for an hour to soften at room temperature.
- Quickest method: Put the stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat at 10 second intervals until the butter is soft enough that when you push on it with your finger it leave a small indention. If it melts too much, simply let cool on the counter for a few minutes until it solidifies a bit.
Ways to use garlic butter
This garlic butter sauce is good on just about everything. Try it:
🍞 Spread on bread – Instant garlic bread in minutes!
🍝 Tossed with pasta – Swap this for the brown butter in my butternut squash ravioli for a garlicky twist on a reader favorite.
🥦 Drizzled over veggies – Try it with my charred corn or blistered snap peas. It’s also great with sauteed brussel sprouts or roasted broccoli or cauliflower.
🍕 As a dipping sauce – Add parmesan and serve with pizza or breadsticks.
🍿 Poured over popcorn – Yes, really. Total movie night game-changer!
Variations
Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, try mixing things up:
🍋 Lemon Garlic Butter – Stir in fresh lemon juice at the end. It's a hybrid of the garlic butter and my lemon butter sauce.
🌶️ Spicy Garlic Butter – Add red pepper flakes for a kick.
🌿 Herb Butter – Mix in finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley, dill or basil.
Try the garlic butter with these recipes
Did you try this recipe and and love it? 😍 Let me know by leaving a comment below or 5 ⭐ rating!
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📖 Recipe
Simple Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 3 frozen garlic cubes or 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt 2 TB of butter in the pan with the garlic over medium heat. Let cook until fragrant but not browning (about 1 minute)
- Add remaining butter and the salt to the pan and whisk while cooking over medium low heat until the butter is completely melted.
- Take off heat and use immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes, but I would suggest using a garlic press to be sure the garlic is crushed as finely as possible. This will help make sure your garlic butter is evenly flavored. You can also use a jar of minced garlic if that's what you have on hand.
Yes, absolutely. Roasted garlic is a great way to boost the flavor in this butter sauce. Simply squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the butter and follow the recipe as written.
If you want a slightly thicker silky sauce, you can add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the melted butter and whisk until it's thoroughly combined. This will get you closer to the consistency of that delicious sauce Papa John's sends you with your pizza order 🙂
Spillt User says
The sauce is so good 🤤
Spillt User says
Yum.
Spillt User says
This was great!
Spillt User says
You literally can't ruin this
Spillt User says
Very tasty
Spillt User says
This is SO. GOOD.
Spillt User says
Turned out great!
Spillt User says
so easy and fool-proof