This Garlic Butter Sauce, which takes just minutes to make, is going to become a must-have for so many of your favorite foods.
If there are two ingredients that, when combined, can transform almost any savory food into a masterpiece, even ones that are already delicious on their own, it’s garlic and butter. Think about what garlic and butter do to Italian bread. Have you ever put a knob of butter and some minced garlic on top of a sizzling steak just before serving? If you’ve added garlic and butter to hot mashed potatoes, you know that can be life-changing! But now let’s take these two ingredients and use them as a base to make an herb-infused garlic butter sauce. This simple creation is so exceptional, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a main or side that isn’t supremely elevated by it.
Garlic sauce has a very long history, originating in the Roman Empire and in ancient Greece. These early sauces were often made by cooking garlic in oil. The first documented record of a garlic sauce made with butter appears to be in an 1814 French cookbook, penned by Chef Antoine Beauvilliers. Since then (and still today), garlic butter sauce has become an important element in so many cuisines, including Italian, Mediterranean, Chinese, French, Filipino, Japanese, and American.
Our recipe for garlic butter sauce also includes fresh parsley, lemon juice, and dried oregano and basil. The combination of these ingredients with the garlic and butter creates a deeply flavorful, wonderfully aromatic sauce (your kitchen will smell amazing!) that is so versatile, it lends itself to meats, seafood, pasta, and pretty much any kind of veggie. And it takes only minutes to make. So get ready to transform foods you already love into irresistibly delicious dishes with garlic butter sauce.
Tips for perfect garlic butter sauce
This recipe is so simple that you might think tips are unnecessary, but here are a few important things to keep in mind. First and foremost, in a recipe with so few ingredients, it’s imperative that each one is of the highest quality. Be sure your garlic is fresh (no sprouts or dark spots); next, use high-quality butter. Check the expiration dates on your dried herbs: both dried oregano and basil have a shelf life of one to three years, after which they can lose potency and not deliver the flavor you want. While there are only two steps in this recipe, each one deserves your undivided attention. Butter has a low smoke point, which means that it can burn easily. When this happens, it can develop a very unpleasant flavor. After just a minute or two, the minced garlic you add to the melted butter can turn brown, which can make it taste bitter and acrid. So, it’s very important to work quickly and carefully in step one. In step two, after adding the remaining ingredients, taste the sauce to determine if you need to adjust any of the seasonings.
How do I store leftovers?
Cooled garlic butter sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days; reheat the sauce in 30-second increments in the microwave. We don’t recommend freezing garlic butter sauce, as its texture can be altered (and not in a good way!).
Serving suggestions
Garlic butter sauce is a wonderful accompaniment to many weeknight go-to proteins, such as Juicy Baked Chicken Breast or Best Baked Salmon, and it’s delicious drizzled over Fried Cube Steak, but I love to make the sauce an integral part of more complex dishes. One favorite around here is Baked Rice as a bed for Boiled Shrimp tossed in warm garlic butter sauce and then topped with a few spoonfuls of Gremolata. Another thing I love to do is drizzle garlic butter sauce over Roasted Asparagus and serve it on top of a bowl of Creamy Lemon Pasta. And don’t forget how delicious this sauce is spooned over potato side dishes, like Smashed Fingerling Potatoes or Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Be sure not to brown the garlic.
- Add the remaining butter, lemon juice, chopped parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt to taste. Stir until the butter melts completely and the ingredients are well combined. Serve warm.
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