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Homemade Roasted Garlic Butter Recipe

You’ll love this easy roasted garlic butter recipe with fresh herbs, whether you’re making a butter roll, adding it to steak, and more.

If you’re looking for a butter recipe that will impress your guests or family and leave everyone craving more, look no further than our roasted garlic butter recipe. We combine savory, caramelized roasted garlic with a combination of fresh herbs and salted butter that will enhance the flavor of bread, meat, vegetables, and more!

Looking for a delicious and unexpected surprise this Thanksgiving or Christmas? We suggest whipping up a batch of this easy and flavorful butter to add to your holiday spread.

Healthy Homemade Garlic Herb Butter and Bread with Rosemary and Parsley
(bhofack2 via iStock Photo)

Ingredients For Roasted Garlic Butter

You’ll need these simple ingredients to make this easy recipe for a delicious butter every garlic lover will adore.

  • 1 bulb of fresh garlic
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Stick of unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 tsp fresh herbs of your choice

(Ideas for fresh herbs: basil, parsley, rosemary, dill, thyme, chives)

Homemade and hot garlic bread baked at home
(Shaiith via iStock Photo)

How to Make Roasted Garlic Butter

Follow these simple steps to make your own life-changing garlic butter:

  1. Preheat the oven. Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
  2. Prepare the garlic. Slice the pointed top of the garlic bulb off with a sharp knife to expose the raw garlic cloves. Place bulb on a piece of foil and drizzle olive oil on top of the cloves. Wrap the entire head of garlic tightly with a piece of aluminum foil, making a sealed pouch. Place on baking sheet or in a baking dish. (Make sure your dish is oven-safe). 
  3. Roast. Roast the garlic in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. The garlic is done when it appears soft and lightly caramelized. Use caution when opening the foil pouch, as it will be hot. If the garlic does not appear done, wrap up again tightly and roast another 5-10 minutes.
  4. Remove cloves. Once the garlic is done roasting, allow it to cool for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the cloves by gently squeezing the bulb from the root end until each clove is pressed out. Discard the outer skin and place the inner cloves in a large mixing bowl. (You may want to use gloves for this step to prevent the fragrant cloves from infusing your skin with the strong scent of garlic.)
  5. Mash. Using a fork, mash the cloves in the bowl until they become a thick puree.
  6. Add other ingredients. Add your softened stick of butter, salt, and chopped fresh herbs to the bowl. Mix until combined, or alternatively, blend in a small food processor until your homemade compound butter is complete.

    Use whatever different herbs you’d like! Fresh parsley is a particularly popular choice. Some people also add lemon zest or lemon juice. Add a flair to the presentation by adding a little sea salt and black pepper on top of the creamy butter. The amount of salt you use is a matter of personal preference, but I recommend reserving at least some to sprinkle on top.

    Organic Garlic, roasted with herbs
    (jjpoole via iStock Photo)

    Presentation

    You may wish to keep your blended butter in a small bowl or dish to present it at the dinner table.

    Alternatively, some people prefer to roll their garlic butter into a log. This makes for easy slicing, a beautiful presentation, and a uniquely homemade feel.

    How to Roll Homemade Butter

    Turning your garlic butter into a roll is one of my favorite ways to wow guests, and it’s actually super easy:

    • Shape the butter. Place the roasted garlic butter on a piece of flat plastic wrap or parchment paper and shape into a cylinder. Wrap tightly to hold the shape.
    • Cool. Allow the butter to become firm by placing the freshly wrapped butter in the fridge for at least 3 hours. To serve, remove from the fridge and cut into slices.

    You can arrange the slices on a serving platter or tray, or you can set them in a bowl or on a small plate.

    garlic butter with bread
    (ahirao_photo via iStock Photo)

    Storing and Freezing Garlic Butter

    Making roasted garlic butter in advance can save you time down the line! Save time by roasting garlic the day before a big event, or make the butter itself ahead of time.

    You can keep the butter fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze in a tightly wrapped bag or airtight container for up to a month.

    Thaw frozen butter by removing it from the freezer an hour before you plan to serve it, and thaw only the amount you intend to use.

    Homemade spicy herb butter in a ceramic bowl, close-up, vertical, top view
    (Irina Gelwich via iStock Photo)

    Uses for Homemade Garlic Butter

    Homemade garlic butter is good for just about anything you’d use regular butter on and would like to add a rich, decadent roasted garlic flavor to — my favorite is bread, but I make no secret of that!

    Fish: Add garlic butter to your cooked shrimp or atop baked fish for a perfect flavor pairing that will add variety to your dinners. Try dipping your lobster meat in this enhanced butter, too!

    Steak: Butter is a popular addition to steak. Whether you engage in butter bathing or you are making a fancy tomahawk steak, butter is an ingredient preferred by many top chefs when preparing the perfect beef.

    A freshly cooked ribeye steak partially cut into slices on a cutting board and topped with herby butter.
    (Lisovskaya via iStock Photo)

    Roasted Vegetables: Try garlic butter with sheet pan roasted shrimp and summer vegetables, or our roasted gnocchi and vegetables. You can also spruce up leftover mashed potatoes after your holiday dinner!

    Bread and butter spread: A bread and butter platter placed near your Thanksgiving veggie tray would make for the perfect appetizer or side dish combo! Serve up various types of breads, from dinner rolls to drop biscuits alongside different types of infused butters for a flavorful and filling variety guests will love! 

    It’s also a popular addition to charcuterie boards. Plus, have you heard of the “butter board” trend? It could be worth a try!