Easy Garlic Butter Sauce
Flavorful and aromatic, this easy Garlic Butter Sauce is a 4-ingredient recipe that can enhance different dishes from seafood to pasta.
Is there anything quite like the pungent flavor of garlic? Well… how about infusing the aromatic garlic into a rich butter sauce! Yum, and yum!
My first memories of garlic butter sauce come from dining at local Italian restaurants growing up. At both casual neighborhood eateries and elegant fine dining establishments, you could count on being offered a side of pasta in garlic butter. It was always my selection!
But Garlic Butter Sauce can be a delicious and versatile addition to so many dishes. You can dip a shrimp, drizzle over vegetables, and so much more. See How to Serve below for more ideas!
Even better, it’s super easy to make. How do you beat a flavorful sauce that can distinguish your meal and is also ready before the pasta water comes to a boil!
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. Garlic butter sauce is bursting with bold, rich flavors that will take your recipe to the next level.
Easy. Chop garlic, sautee in butter, add a little parsley, salt to taste. 4-Ingredient Garlic Butter Sauce is quick and easy to whip up at home, even for those who aren’t experienced cooks.
Versatile. Garlic butter sauce can be used to enhance so many different dishes. For starters, drizzle it over roasted vegetables or toss it with cooked pasta. Yum!
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Butter. Butter provides the base of the sauce and rich flavor.
- Garlic. This add the delicious garlic flavor and distinction.
- Parsley. This helps to balance the intensity of the garlic.
- Salt. Salt boosts flavor and even with salted butter, I tend to add a little more salt!
Special Tools
- A garlic press is nice to chop the garlic, but it can be minced by hand.
Step by Step Directions
Mince garlic or put through a garlic press.
Melt about 2 Tablespoons of butter in a small pan.
Add garlic to melted butter. Bring to a simmer and saute about 3 minutes until tender. Do not brown.
Add remaining butter and heat until melted.
Stir in chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
How to Serve
Garlic butter sauce is delicious with many different dishes.
- Pour some over a seafood boil for even more flavor!
- Drizzle over vegetables.
- Use as a seafood dip.
- Dip your bread in.
- Top pasta.
- Baste a steak before grilling.
- Use as a steak and oil fondue dip.
So good, you can use almost anywhere you’d use butter or a flavorful sauce!
Variations
Add some lemon juice or lemon zest for a tasty lemon garlic butter sauce.
For a tasty roasted garlic butter sauce, start by roasting a bulb of garlic first. Then squeeze out the soft garlic flesh, mash it and combine with the butter and parsley.
Of course there are other tasty & versatile sauces that you can also give a try. How about a nearly foolproof Immersion Blender Hollandaise that can enhance a variety of dishes from vegetables to eggs Benedict to meats!
Preparation and Leftovers
Garlic Butter Sauce can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. It won’t diminish appreciably in quality upon reheating.
I couldn’t find any definitive answer regarding the long-term safety of garlic butter, but did find an extensive discussion on Stack Exchange Cooking. Here it was said that, given the botulism risks of garlic in oil, why take risks with the similar garlic butter (although it’s a much more nuanced discussion). So perhaps follow the recommendations that UC Davis makes for refrigerated garlic in oil and go with 4 days maximum.
Tips & FAQs
Garlic cloves vary widely in size. If your cloves are small, use two, or even three if they’re teenyo equal a large clove.
Did you know that garlic mellows when it’s cooked? That’s why roasted garlic is so popular! Sautéing in butter will also mellow raw garlic’s sharpness. Be sure not to brown the garlic however, since that will bring out bitterness.
Great Garlic Recipes
- Brown Butter Garlic Knots from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Garlic Butter Sauce (for Seafood and More) from Art of Natural Living
- Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp from Palatable Pastime
- One Pot Creamy Garlic Alfredo from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Spicy Garlic Hummus from That Recipe
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Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons salted butter
- 4 large garlic cloves or the equivalent
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Mince garlic or put through a garlic press.
- Melt about 2 Tablespoons of butter in a small pan.
- Add garlic to melted butter. Bring to a simmer and saute about 3 minutes until tender. Do not brown.
- Add remaining butter and heat until melted. Stir in chopped parsley.
This Garlic Butter Sauce recipe looks amazing! I love the versatility of it and how easy it is to make. I can’t wait to try it on different dishes, like seafood, vegetables, and pasta.
There are so many uses for this simple sauce! I might have to keep a batch in the fridge for a quick pasta or garlic bread.
I can think of so many things I could dip into this sauce! Yum!