Easy Garlic Butter Recipe | Homemade Garlic Spread for Bread and Steak
This easy garlic butter is rich, smooth, and boldly garlicky with fresh herbs and a touch of lemon. It whips up in minutes and is perfect for bread, steak, veggies, and pasta.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4–6 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2–3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
- Optional: 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional roasted garlic swap: 1 head roasted garlic (about 6–8 cloves), mashed
Instructions
Instructions
- Soften the butter until it mashes easily without melting.
- Finely mince or grate the garlic; for roasted garlic, squeeze from skins and mash to a paste.
- In a bowl, combine softened butter, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Beat with a fork or hand mixer for 30–60 seconds until light, fluffy, and well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Taste and adjust with more salt, lemon, or garlic as desired, and stir in any optional add-ins.
- Use immediately, or transfer to a jar for spreading.
- For a finishing butter log, spoon onto plastic wrap, roll into a log, and chill 30–60 minutes until firm.
Notes
For bread: spread on sliced baguette or halved loaf and broil 2–4 minutes until edges crisp; finish with parsley and flaky salt. For steak: rest cooked steak 5–10 minutes, then top with a 1/2–1 tablespoon coin of chilled butter. Refrigerate up to 1 week in an airtight container. Freeze as a wrapped log up to 3 months or portion in an ice cube tray. If using salted butter, reduce added salt. For milder flavor, use roasted garlic or let the mixture rest 15 minutes.