This roasted garlic compound butter is rich, creamy, savory, and packed with roasted garlic and fresh herbs. It’s an easy make-ahead butter that instantly upgrades steak, bread, potatoes, vegetables, and more.
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This roasted garlic compound butter is one of the easiest ways to make everyday food taste restaurant-worthy. Creamy butter, sweet roasted garlic, and fresh herbs come together in a simple make-ahead butter that melts beautifully over steak, potatoes, bread, vegetables, and more.
Once you make a batch, you’ll start finding excuses to put it on everything.
What You'll Need & Why
This roasted garlic compound butter comes together with a handful of simple ingredients and big savory flavor.
- Good-quality unsalted butter: The creamy base of the compound butter, so use one you really enjoy the flavor of.
- All-purpose seasoning: Adds savory depth and makes the butter incredibly flavorful. Homemade or store-bought both work well here.
- Fresh chives + roasted garlic: Fresh herbs and sweet roasted garlic give this butter its signature flavor.
- Avocado oil: Helps the garlic roast until soft and caramelized.
- Lemon + kosher salt + black pepper: Brightens and balances the rich buttery flavor.
How To Make Roasted Garlic Compound Butter
This roasted garlic compound butter comes together with just a few simple steps.
- Roast the garlic: Trim the top off the garlic head, drizzle with avocado oil, wrap in foil, and roast until soft, golden, and caramelized.
- Mix the butter: Add softened butter, roasted garlic, all-purpose seasoning, chives, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a bowl.
- Mash until creamy: Stir and mash everything together until smooth and well combined.
- Taste and adjust: Add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Chill or serve: Use immediately or refrigerate until firm enough to slice.
How To Use Compound Butter
This roasted garlic compound butter instantly adds rich, savory flavor to all kinds of meals.
- Melt over steak: A slice of compound butter melting over a hot steak is hard to beat.
- Spread on bread: Perfect on warm dinner rolls, garlic bread, toast, or fresh sourdough.
- Toss with vegetables: Try it with roasted potatoes, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, or corn.
- Finish seafood and chicken: Melt over salmon, shrimp, lobster, or grilled chicken for easy restaurant-style flavor.
- Upgrade eggs and pasta: Stir into scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, rice, or hot pasta for extra richness.
Tips For The Best Roasted Garlic Compound Butter
These simple tips help keep roasted garlic compound butter rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
- Use softened butter: Soft butter mixes much more smoothly with the roasted garlic and herbs.
- Roast the garlic until golden and soft: The garlic should be sweet, tender, and easy to squeeze from the cloves.
- Taste before adding extra salt: Different seasoning blends vary in saltiness.
- Chill before slicing: Refrigerating the butter helps it firm up for clean slices and easy storage.
Roasted Garlic Compound Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- avocado oil, for drizzling
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning
- juice of half a lemon
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
The Roasted Garlic
- Trim ¼" off the top of the garlic head. Place into a small, foil-lined baking dish or ramekin so that the garlic is cut-side up. Drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Wrap the garlic with the foil and roast for around 60 minutes in a preheated 350° oven or until the cloves are golden brown and very tender. Remove it from the oven and let it cool just a bit.
The Compound Butter
- Add soft, room temperature butter to a mixing bowl, along with the all-purpose seasoniong and chives.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and the roasted garlic cloves. Mix and mash to combine. I use a fork to make sure everything is well incorporated.
- At this point, taste the compound butter. If you feel like it needs some more salt, add a little kosher salt. As I've said before, salt levels are such a personal thing, so add it to your taste. Finish with a healthy dash of fresh ground pepper.
- Slather on everything in sight and enjoy!
Nutrition
Storage & Freezing
Roasted garlic compound butter stores beautifully and is great to keep on hand.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container or roll into a log with plastic wrap for easy slicing.
- Freeze for later: Freeze in a butter log or in ice cube trays, then transfer to a freezer bag once solid.
- Slice as needed: Chilled compound butter is easy to slice into rounds for steak, bread, potatoes, and vegetables.
You Asked, I Answered
How long does roasted garlic compound butter last?
Store compound butter in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Do I have to use unsalted butter?
Unsalted butter works best because the seasoning blend already adds salt. If using salted butter, reduce the added seasoning and salt to taste.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Yes. Dried herbs work well here — just use a smaller amount since dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh.
Who’s Stirring the Pot?
Hi, I’m Ruth—the recipe developer and comfort-food enthusiast behind Rufus For Real. I believe dinner should be the best part of your day, not the most stressful one. That’s why I focus on "no-drama" meals that are simple, satisfying, and impossible to mess up in a real-life kitchen.
I want to hear from you! How did you like this roasted garlic compound butter?! Let me know in the comments below—I read every single one!
You’ll find me sharing even more comfort-food goodness, kitchen tips, and behind-the-scenes chaos over on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube (@rufusforreal everywhere).
If you love approachable recipes with a whole lot of personality, pull up a chair—there’s always room at this table.
Happy Cooking!
-Ruth aka Rufus
Jerry Hernandez says
We made this for steaks because I never made it before. Keep in in the fridge for everything. Very tasty.