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This Homemade Garlic Butter is for serious garlic lovers! Made with FOUR different forms of garlic, two Italian cheeses and fresh herbs, it’s deeply garlicky without being overpowering, with a decidedly Italian twist.
Slather it on bread, melt it over steak, seafood, chicken, potatoes or vegetables—or keep a batch in the freezer for an instant flavor boost whenever you need it.
Keep In Mind Before You Start . . .
- The four forms of garlic are intentional. Garlic confit and garlic oil bring mellow, rich flavor while fresh and granulated garlic add a sharper, more assertive garlic punch.
- Make sure your butter is very soft. Room-temperature butter makes it much easier to evenly distribute all that garlic, cheese and herbs.
- This makes a big batch on purpose. Use what you need, refrigerate or freeze the rest, or simply halve the recipe if you don’t want as much extra.
What Is Garlic Compound Butter?
Compound butter is simply softened butter mixed with flavorful ingredients, such as herbs, spices, garlic or cheese. Once you know how to make it, it’s one of the easiest ways to add lots of flavor to all sorts of dishes. My Lemon Herb Butter is another delicious version, made with fresh herbs, lemon and garlic.
This garlic compound butter gets an Italian twist from Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil and parsley–and its serious garlic flavor from not one, but four different forms of garlic!
Why Four Different Kinds of Garlic?
Because they don’t all taste the same!
Garlic confit brings a mellow, almost sweet richness; garlic-infused oil carries that flavor throughout the butter; fresh garlic adds a sharper bite; and granulated garlic rounds everything out with concentrated, savory garlic flavor.
Together, they create layers of garlic flavor rather than simply making the butter overwhelmingly taste of raw garlic.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make my Homemade Garlic Butter:
- Butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt. Salted butter works, too—just omit the added salt.
- Garlic Confit + Garlic Oil: These add rich, mellow garlic flavor without the sharpness of raw garlic. I make both at the same time using my easy Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil recipe.
- Fresh Garlic + Granulated Garlic: These add the more assertive garlic notes that balance the mellow confit. Garlic powder can be substituted for granulated garlic.
- Pecorino Romano + Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheeese: Two of my favorite Italian cheeses add saltiness, umami and loads of savory flavor. Grana Padano can be substituted for the Parmigiano, or use just one cheese if that’s what you have.
- Fresh Basil + Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley: Fresh herbs brighten up all that rich butter and garlic. Plus, they add great color!
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and a little crushed red pepper round everything out.
How to Make Homemade Garlic Butter
- Make sure the butter is very soft and at room temperature before you begin.
- Combine it with the garlic confit, garlic oil, cheeses, fresh herbs, minced fresh garlic, granulated garlic and seasonings.
- Mash everything together with a fork, then stir with a spoon or spatula until all the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the butter.
- That’s it! Use it immediately or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
Make Ahead & Storage
Homemade Garlic Butter can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
Because this garlic butter contains garlic oil, it stays softer than a traditional compound butter. I find it easiest to store in an airtight container rather than shape it into a log.
If refrigerated, let the garlic butter sit at room temperature until softened and easily spreadable before using.
How to Use Garlic Butter
My absolute favorite use for this is, of course, Garlic Bread! It’s the secret behind my Homemade Garlic Bread Baguette and makes what I think is some of the best garlic butter for garlic bread you’ll ever have.
But don’t stop there! Try it:
- Melted over a grilled or pan-seared steak;
- With salmon, shrimp, scallops or other seafood;
- Over grilled, roasted or baked chicken or roasted turke;
- Tossed with hot pasta!
- Melted over roasted broccoli or steamed vegetables;
- On baked, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes;
- Spread over corn on the cob;
- Melted into rice or other grains, and
- Spread onto warm, crusty bread or rolls.
Basically, anywhere you’d use regular butter and want a serious boost of garlicky, savory flavor, this is a good candidate! Great options are Baked Artichoke Hearts, Shrimp Oreganata and Stuffed Baked Clams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compound butter is butter that has been flavored with additional ingredients. Garlic butter is therefore a type of compound butter—in this case, one flavored with several forms of garlic, Italian cheeses, fresh herbs and seasonings.
Yes. Store it in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature as needed before using.
Absolutely. If using salted butter, simply omit the additional salt in the recipe and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Other Great Recipes to Try
If you’re a fellow garlic lover, don’t miss my Garlic Bread Baguette, Roasted Garlic, Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino and Spicy Garlic Shrimp recipes.
Mangia Bene!
The Best Homemade Garlic Butter You’ll Ever Make
Equipment
- Garlic Press (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup Garlic Confit cloves, smashed with a fork (See Notes.)
- ½ cup Garlic Oil, from making the Garlic Confit (See Notes.)
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about 2 ounces
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, about 2 ounces
- 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 4 tsp finely minced fresh garlic, or use a garlic press
- 4 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp salt, omit if using salted butter
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Make Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil if you don’t already have them on hand. (See Notes.)(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)1 cup Garlic Confit cloves, ½ cup Garlic Oil
- Make sure the butter is very soft and easily spreadable before beginning. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or as long as needed to soften completely.1 pound unsalted butter
- Combine the softened butter, smashed garlic confit, garlic oil, grated cheeses, fresh herbs, minced garlic, granulated garlic, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl.1 pound unsalted butter, 1 cup Garlic Confit cloves, ½ cup Garlic Oil, ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, 4 tsp finely minced fresh garlic, 4 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Use a fork to mash all the ingredients together and then mix with a spoon or spatula until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the butter. NOTE: At this point, you can use the garlic butter immediately or refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to one week. Bring it to room temperature before using.
Notes
- If you’re making these specifically for this recipe, place 1¼ cups peeled garlic cloves and ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil in a very small saucepan.
- Heat mixture over medium heat. Bring oil to the lightest simmer, then reduce heat to as low as possible.
- Continue to cook mixture over very low heat until garlic is very tender, but not falling apart. It should be only lightly browned. To test the garlic, pierce one clove with the tip of a sharp knife—it should meet with little to no resistance and be easily smashable. This could take about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- My recommendation: Make a large batch and keep it on hand in the fridge. It has so many great uses!
- Grana Padano can be used in place of the Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Also, in a pinch, you can use just one cheese rather than two.
- In a pinch, you can use just fresh basil or parsley rather than both.
- If necessary, substitute about 2 teaspoons dried basil for the fresh basil and/or 2 teaspoons dried parsley for the fresh parsley. But keep in mind that dried parsley is noticeably less flavorful than fresh, so fresh is preferable.
- I’d advise against using the old container that’s been in your pantry forever–buy a new one! Freshness does matter with spices and dried herbs.
- Homemade Garlic Butter can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Because this garlic butter contains garlic oil, it stays softer than a traditional compound butter. I find it easiest to store in an airtight container rather than shape it into a log.
- If refrigerated, let the garlic butter sit at room temperature until softened and easily spreadable before using.
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