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Roasted Garlic Butter is the kind of simple upgrade that makes dinner taste like you planned ahead. Creamy, whipped butter blended with mellow, caramelized garlic creates a rich, savory spread that melts over steak, vegetables, pasta, or warm bread. And when you roast the garlic head in the air fryer, you get that deep, sweet flavor in less time and with almost no effort.
This roasted garlic butter is one of those small things that changes the whole feel of a meal. Set it out with crusty bread, spoon it over grilled meat, or swirl it into a pan sauce and suddenly dinner feels a little more special. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, impressive enough for guests, and the kind of comfort-food extra that quietly brings everyone back to the table.
Why This Little Upgrade Is Worth It
If you need a quick reminder why this one earns a spot in the fridge, here’s what makes it so useful:
- It turns simple ingredients into something special: With just butter and roasted garlic (plus a few pantry basics), you get a creamy spread that works on steak, bread, pasta, vegetables, sauces, whatever’s on the table.
- The air fryer keeps it easy: Roasting the garlic this way cuts down on time and skips heating the whole oven, but you still get that mellow, caramelized flavor.
- It’s almost effortless: Once the garlic is roasted, everything goes into a bowl and gets whipped together. No complicated steps, no extra dishes, just smooth, flavorful butter ready to use.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into this roasted garlic butter recipe and how each ingredient helps it come together. Grab the exact measurements from the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Butter, softened and salted: Use real butter and let it come fully to room temperature so it whips smoothly. Salted butter adds built-in seasoning, but you can use unsalted if you prefer to control the salt level yourself.
- Roasted garlic (from my air fryer roasted garlic recipe): This is the flavor star. Roasting turns sharp garlic into something sweet, mellow, and spreadable. Make sure it’s fully softened so it blends easily into the butter.
- 24 Herb Sprinkle Seasoning: Adds layered flavor without extra work. It gives the butter a savory, slightly Italian-style profile that works well on everything from steak to bread.
- Fresh parsley, chopped (or dried parsley): Fresh parsley adds brightness and color. Dried works in a pinch. You’ll need a little less.
- Milk, optional: A small splash helps loosen the texture if you want it extra creamy and easy to spread. Add gradually so it doesn’t get too soft.
How to Make Roasted Garlic Butter
This comes together quickly once your garlic is roasted. The photos below walk you through the simple process.
Combine the Ingredients
Add the softened butter, roasted garlic cloves, seasoning, parsley, and a small splash of milk (if using) to a large bowl. Make sure the butter is fully softened so everything blends smoothly without lumps.
Whip Until Light and Creamy
Use a hand mixer to whip the mixture until it’s smooth and fluffy. You’re looking for a light, spreadable texture. Once combined, spoon it into a serving bowl or shape and chill until ready to use.
Roast the Garlic Your Way
You can roast the garlic in either the air fryer or the oven. Both work well.
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The air fryer is quicker and keeps things simple, especially for one or two bulbs. Use my air fryer garlic bulb recipe to have it roasted in about 20 minutes.
If you’re using the oven, roast a whole garlic bulb at 400°F for about 35–45 minutes, until the cloves are soft, golden, and easy to squeeze out. The tops should look lightly caramelized, not burnt.
Simple Ways to Make This Even Easier
A few small adjustments make this roasted garlic butter even easier to use:
- Roast the garlic ahead of time: You can make it in the air fryer or oven a day or two in advance and keep it in the fridge. That way, the butter comes together in minutes.
- No hand mixer? No problem: Press the roasted garlic through a garlic press (or mash it well with a fork) before stirring it into softened butter. The key is getting the garlic smooth so it blends evenly.
- Use it beyond bread: Spoon it over steak, melt it onto roasted vegetables, swirl it into pasta, or use it anywhere you’d normally add butter for a savory boost.
Swaps & Variations
This roasted garlic butter is easy to adjust depending on what you have and how you plan to use it.
- Change the flavor profile: add cajun seasoning for a NOLA flavor twist; lemon zest or freshly squeezed lemon juice for brightness (especially on seafood) like I do Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce, or a pinch of cayenne if you like a little heat.
- Herb options: Swap the parsley for chives, thyme, rosemary, or a mix of fresh or dried herbs.
- Stretch it further: Roast a few garlic bulbs at once and double the butter. It keeps well in the fridge and freezer. So, you’ll have ready-to-use flavor boosts all week.
- Keep it lighter: Skip the milk if you prefer a firmer compound butter that you can slice and place directly on hot steak or vegetables. My garlic herb butter for steaks walks you through the process to prepare for slicing it.
Recipes to Use This With
This roasted garlic butter is one of those small additions that makes everything on the plate taste better. If you’re looking for easy ways to use it, here are some of my favorite recipes on the site where it really shines:
- Steak recipes: Slice a round of this roasted garlic butter over seared steak from my surf and turf, air fryer steak or air fryer garlic butter steak bites and let it melt into the juices. It instantly feels steakhouse-level without extra work.
- Shrimp recipes: Toss sautéed or grilled shrimp with a spoonful right at the end for a simple garlic butter finish. Or, use this instead of regular butter in Blackened Shrimp, Cast Iron Shrimp, or Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp.
- Scallops recipes: Add an extra garlic flavor to seared scallops or Air Fryer Scallops without overpowering their natural sweetness.
- Fish recipes: add it to baked or pan-seared fish like Easy Pan-Seared Halibut, Air Fryer Salmon or Air Fryer Tilapia
- Roasted vegetables: Stir it into hot roasted broccoli, green beans, or asparagus for an easy side upgrade.
- Warm bread or rolls: Serve it alongside crusty bread or use it in the topping for my Keto Parmesan Garlic Bread Bites and let everyone help themselves.
Roasted Garlic Butter Questions, Answered
Here are some commonly asked questions from people making roasted garlic butter.
In this recipe, the garlic is roasted first until soft and caramelized, then whipped into softened butter. Roasting is key: it turns sharp garlic into something sweet and mellow. Once blended with herbs and seasoning, you get a smooth, flavorful butter that melts beautifully over steak, bread, or vegetables.
The biggest mistake is using butter that’s too cold because it won’t whip smoothly and can turn lumpy. Another is under-roasting the garlic. You want it fully soft and golden so it blends easily and tastes sweet instead of harsh. Let the garlic cool slightly before mixing so the butter doesn’t melt.
His version typically uses softened butter, fresh garlic, herbs, and sometimes lemon zest for brightness. This recipe is similar in spirit, but we roast the garlic first. That extra step gives you a deeper, mellower flavor. But, I also have garlic butter for steak that uses raw minced garlic instead.
That style usually relies on softened butter, garlic powder, parsley, and sometimes a touch of sweetness. This version leans more savory and uses real roasted garlic for richer flavor. If you prefer a slightly sweeter finish for rolls, you can add a tiny drizzle of honey when whipping it together.
Storage & Reheating
- Store: Keep roasted garlic butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you’d like it sliceable, shape it into a log using parchment paper and chill until firm.
- Freeze: This freezes beautifully. Wrap tightly and store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. You can slice off rounds straight from frozen as needed.
- Reheat: There’s no need to fully reheat it. Just let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes to soften before serving. If melting over steak or vegetables, place it directly on hot food and let the heat do the work.
Roasted Garlic Butter
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Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened and salted
- 10 cloves Roasted garlic, I use my air fryer garlic bulb recipe
- ½ tsp 24 herb sprinkle seasoning
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
- 2 tbsp milk, optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl.
- Use a hand-mixer to incorporate. Blend until smooth.
- Serve the whipped butter in a bowl.
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Recipe Notes
- Roast the garlic ahead of time. You can make it in the air fryer or oven a day or two in advance and keep it in the fridge. That way, the butter comes together in minutes.
- No hand mixer? No problem.Press the roasted garlic through a garlic press (or mash it well with a fork) before stirring it into softened butter. The key is getting the garlic smooth so it blends evenly.
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- Use it beyond bread. Spoon it over steak, melt it onto roasted vegetables, swirl it into pasta, or use it anywhere you’d normally add butter for a savory boost.
- Change the flavor profile: add cajun seasoning for a NOLA flavor twist; lemon zest or freshly squeezed lemon juice for brightness (especially on seafood) like I do Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce, or a pinch of cayenne if you like a little heat.
- Stretch it further: Roast a few garlic bulbs at once and double the butter. It keeps well in the fridge and freezer. So, you’ll have ready-to-use flavor boosts all week.
- Keep it lighter: Skip the milk if you prefer a firmer compound butter that you can slice and place directly on hot steak or vegetables. My garlic herb butter for steaks walks you through the process to prepare for slicing it.
- Herb options: Swap the parsley for chives, thyme, rosemary, or a mix of fresh or dried herbs.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
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