Roasted garlic herb compound butter is a blend of butter with roasted garlic and fresh herbs. Compound butter is great for topping steaks, baked potatoes, and spreading onto dinner rolls.
Recipe summary
Flavor: Mild, savory, garlicky.
What is compound butter?: A combination of butter with other added flavors like herbs and spices. Compound butter elevates the flavors of a dish and makes a great addition to your next dinner table spread.
You'll need: A whole head of garlic for roasting, two or more fresh herbs, and a stick of butter.
Use on: Pan-Seared Filet Mignon, Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits, or Perfect Baked Potatoes
Similar to: Steak Butter and Whipped Honey Butter
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter - I recommend using unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt in the finished compound butter and in the dishes you're garnishing. The unsalted butter and listed salt can be substituted with salted butter if desired.
- Salt and pepper - Adds flavor to your compound butter. The salt can be omitted entirely if you don't want to add extra salt to your finished dishes.
- Fresh herbs - Any fresh herbs you have on hand can be used in this recipe. I used a combination of parsley, thyme, and rosemary in my compound butter. Oregano, chives, or basil would also be great choices. I suggest choosing two or three for a well rounded flavor.
- Garlic - One head of garlic is needed for this recipe. While this may seem like a lot, roasted garlic has a much more mellow flavor than raw garlic. It's also much easier to digest and has a lovely caramelized flavor.
- Olive oil - A bit of olive oil is used to drizzle on your garlic before roasting.
How to make compound butter
- Slice about ¼ inch off the wide, root end of your garlic to expose the cloves. Gently wrap in foil to create a bowl, then drizzle the top with oil. Roast in the oven until golden brown and tender.
- Add roasted garlic (removing the skins) to a food processor along with the butter, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Pulse until ingredients are incorporated.
- Spoon butter onto a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap, form into a log, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips and tricks
Preparing garlic for roasting - First, peel off excess layers of paper from the outside of the garlic. Next, slice about ¼ inch off the top (the wide, root side), to expose the individual garlic cloves. Make a little bowl of foil to set the head of garlic in, which holds the garlic cloves together and upright. Drizzle the top with olive oil, then cover completely with foil.
How to tell when garlic is done roasting - Your garlic is done roasting when it is soft throughout (test by piercing through with a fork) and has a browned, caramelized color. This usually takes about 40 to 50 minutes in a 400 degree oven, but you can roast your garlic for even longer for a more caramelized flavor.
Use a food processor - For quick blending, use a food processor to combine your ingredients. If you don't have a food processor, mince your ingredients with a knife, then stir together until evenly incorporated.
Frequently asked questions
Compound butter is a combination of butter with other added flavors like herbs and spices. It is used to enhance the flavors of a prepared dish, just like how you'd use a sauce or condiment.
Add to steak, chicken, pasta, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, bread, dinner rolls, steamed vegetables, or scrambled eggs.
Compound butter will keep for 1-2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Roasted Garlic Herb Compound Butter
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 head garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, rosemary, thyme, or chives
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Remove butter from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature on countertop. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400℉.
- Remove excess papers from outside of garlic head. Slice off ¼" from the top of the head of garlic (the wide/root end) to expose cloves. Discard top portion. Make a little bowl of foil to set the head of garlic in, which helps hold the garlic cloves together and upright. Drizzle the top with olive oil, then cover completely with foil.
- Roast in the oven for about 40-50 minutes, or until garlic is soft throughout and lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool before handling.
- In a food processor, add butter, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and roasted garlic cloves (discarding any papers). Blend until ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Spoon butter onto a sheet of wax paper, parchment, or plastic wrap, form into a log, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until chilled. Slice and serve as needed, storing leftovers in the refrigerator.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Compound butter will keep for 1-2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or for up to 6 months in the freezer.
- What kinds of butter can I use?: Unsalted butter and salt can be substituted with salted butter. Salt can be omitted entirely if desired.
- Fresh herbs: Any fresh herbs can be used in this recipe. Parsley and thyme pair well with just about any savory dish. Rosemary - pairs well with pork. Basil - pairs well with fish and chicken. Chives - pairs well with potatoes, chicken, and beef.
A nice hack for roasting multiple heads of garlic is using a muffin pan.
This butter is delicious! Just ate some on a warm popover.
Do you need 2 tablespoons of each herb or in total? I think I’ve made this recipe before but can’t remember what I did there.
Two tablespoons total.
Hi Heather, Am I reading this right when you say 1/2 c butter with a head of garlic? That’s one stick. It seams like a lot of garlic for one stick. I just want to be sure before I make it.
Thanks!
Wendy
Hi Wendy, yes the recipe is correct. From the post above "One head of garlic will be needed for this recipe. This may seem like a lot, but roasting garlic mellows the flavor, making it a lot less harsh than raw garlic. It's also much easier to digest and has a lovely caramelized flavor."
Are you sure you mean chop the top of the root/wide end?
Wouldn't that make the bulb fall apart?
Yes, this is correct. You do this to expose all of the garlic cloves to be roasted in the oven. You'll want to use the foil to make a little 'bowl' to hold the garlic upright and together.
I haven’t made this yet, but it appears to be exactly what I was looking for. One question: Since I don’t have a food processor, would a whisk or blender work? (I’m not used to making things myself).
Thank you
Hi Ruth, a blender would work. Or to make without any equipment, finely mince your roasted garlic (once it has cooled) as well as your herbs, then stir into the softened butter with a spoon.