I promise you will never regret making or having garlic butter around. When combined, the two simple ingredients turn into a culinary powerhouse called a compound butter, coating everything it touches with delicious flavor as it melts. A stash of garlic butter means easy garlic bread at your fingertips, extra-flavorful steaks, and a quick way to dress hot pasta, baked potatoes, or rice. Here’s how to make a simple but classic garlic butter.

The four ingredients you need for garlic butter

How long does homemade garlic butter last?

Garlic butter can be shaped into a cylinder and wrapped up tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for a few months. Thaw before using, and cut off what you need from one end before rewrapping.

How to use garlic butter

Garlic Butter

Makes about 1/3 cup

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 to 4 cloves garlic

4 sprigs fresh parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Place one stick unsalted butter in a small bowl and let sit at room temperature until softened. (If you want to speed things up, grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater first.)

2. Finely chop three to four garlic cloves until you have 1 tablespoon. Finely chop the leaves from four sprigs fresh parsley until you have 2 teaspoons. Add the garlic, parsley, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the butter. Smash and stir into the butter until combined.

To shape the garlic butter into a roll:

1. If not using immediately, spoon the garlic butter lengthwise onto a sheet of plastic wrap a few inches longer than a stick of butter. Roll the garlic butter up tightly in the plastic wrap. Twist the plastic wrap at each end of the garlic butter (like how a Tootsie roll is wrapped).

2. Holding a twisted end in each hand, roll the log along the work surface to tighten and shape the roll. If the plastic wrap is long enough, tie a knot at each end; otherwise, tie a piece of kitchen twine at each end. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use (thaw overnight if frozen before using). To use, unwrap and cut crosswise into rounds of garlic butter.

Recipe notes

(Christina Gallary is a senior recipe editor for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)

©2026 Apartment Therapy. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.