This creamy homemade garlic butter is made with just 3 ingredients including freshly minced garlic cloves. It adds a punch of flavor to everything from toast to pasta!
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2 Minutes + 3 Ingredients = Pure Butter Magic
I'm obsessed with butter almost as much as I'm in love with bread, which is convenient, since they really go hand-in-hand. Take this savory garlic butter for instance - it adds an irresistible punchy flavor to my nutty pumpkin seed bread, similar to my sundried tomato garlic butter.
And like all my other compound butter recipes, this one adds soooo much delicious flavor & luxuriously creamy texture. Seriously, dollop this fresh garlic butter onto hot spaghetti or mashed potatoes, and it'll melt right into your food.
In testing, I found that you can achieve an slightly richer flavor by using roasted garlic. But honestly, skipping that step and using fresh garlic saves a ton of time, and you still get a super tasty spread. If you're sensitive to garlic though, I found that swapping in garlic powder provides a milder flavor.
Notes on Ingredients
- Butter: I'm an advocate for splurging on a quality high-fat European butter like Kerrygold - it really does make a big difference in flavor!
- Garlic: Grate your garlic on the smallest holes of a box grater or with a micro plane. I tested this compound butter with minced garlic, and it was way too chunky.
- Salt: I don't recommend using kosher salt, since its large granules won't distribute as evenly throughout the butter as fine sea salt. You can also use table salt, but just make sure it's non-iodized to avoid any bitter or metallic taste.
Let's Whip Up This Savory Garlic Butter!
For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Combine the 3 ingredients.
2. Mix until it's smooth and creamy.
Carissa's Time-Saving Tip
For easier and faster prep, I sometimes swap in store-bought garlic paste from a tube or jar.
Level-Up Your Compound Butter
- For herb garlic butter, I love mixing in finely chopped fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or thyme.
- I found that the longer it sits in the fridge, the more the garlic flavor infuses into the butter. So this is great to make ahead of time!
Simple 2-Minute Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cloves garlic, grated (not chopped or minced)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the softened butter with minced garlic and salt until it's well-combined.
- To store, spread the mixed butter in an airtight container. Or scrape the butter onto parchment paper and shape it into a log, then wrap it in the parchment paper. Store in the fridge.
Alyssa says
Hi! Not trying to be mean or accusatory, but twice you mentioned NOT to use minced garlic (once in the story and once in the ingredients list) and then in the recipe itself says to use minced garlic. Probably just a typo but it makes this look like an AI recipe I’m sorry to say.
Carissa Erzen says
Hi there, in the recipe card I recommend using grated garlic (which is different from minced garlic). Like I say in both the post and the recipe card, I don't recommend using minced garlic, which has pieces that are too big for mixing into butter & the flavor of minced raw garlic will be too strong. Let me know if you still have questions - I'm a real person who tests my recipes, not AI! lol Thanks!!