Homemade Roasted Garlic Butter Recipe

We fell head over heels for this versatile roasted garlic compound butter - our new favourite fridge staple! ❤️

It packs a flavour punch and can elevate practically *anything* you add it to.

Slather it generously on fresh bread to make crave-worthy garlic bread or melt it over a hot steak.

Toss with pasta for an easy creamy sauce or stir into veggies to make them pop. A dollop of this butter on a baked potato is simply divine!

What magic occurs when you roast garlic?

Roasting works magic on garlic - it mellows the sharpness and brings out the natural sweetness. The process softens the cloves, removes pungency and concentrates the flavour.

It also caramelises the sugars for a nutty sweetness. Slow roasting transforms harsh raw garlic into spreadable, aromatic perfection. This makes the butter sweet and savoury with a deep-roasted garlic essence.

It's a very simple process that pays off in big flavours. You'll be adding it to everything!

You can also make these butter rosettes with this recipe instead of rolling it into a log-like shape.

Key ingredient notes and substitutions

**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.

Garlic

You will need about 150g of whole, unpeeled garlic heads, not individual cloves of garlic.

It may seem like a lot, but keep in mind that roasting mellows out and softens the pungency of the raw garlic. So more roasted garlic is needed to impart the same amount of flavour.

This is pure heaven to garlic lovers everywhere!

Olive oil

The olive oil is used to coat the garlic heads before roasting. You can also use vegetable oil instead if you prefer.

Butter

We recommend using salted butter for the deepest flavour. However, you can also use unsalted butter and mix in coarse sea salt flakes. The crunch you get from the salt is simply delightful.

The butter needs to be soft and at room temperature.

Herbs

We use a combination of fresh parsley and rosemary, but the possibilities are endless!

Substitute with any of your favourite fresh, chopped herbs like thyme, basil, oregano or coriander. Mint would be lovely paired with lamb, roast lamb or a dollop on top of minty peas.

You can also add lemon zest. Get creative!

Instructions: Step-by-step

• Preheat the oven to 180C/356F/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with a piece of foil for easy clean-up later.

• Prepare the heads of garlic by slicing off the very top to expose the cloves inside. This allows the heat and oil to fully penetrate the garlic. It also makes it easy to squeeze the garlic out later.

• Place each whole head of garlic head on a small square of aluminium foil, big enough to wrap around it. Drizzle roughly one teaspoon of olive oil over the cut top of each garlic head.

• Wrap the foil around each garlic head to make a sealed parcel. Place all the parcels on the baking sheet.

• Roast the garlic for 45 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelized. Check for doneness by unwrapping one head and looking for soft, brown cloves (see photo above).

• Let the roasted garlic cool for 15 minutes before handling. Squeeze the soft cloves out of their skins when cool enough.

• Add the softened butter, fresh herbs and black pepper to a food processor. Blend until fully combined.

• Add the roasted garlic cloves and blend again until evenly distributed throughout the butter.

• Transfer the butter to a sheet of cling film/plastic wrap. Shape into a log and wrap tightly.

• Chill the compound butter in the fridge to firm up.

Serving suggestions

• Instead of rolling the butter into a log shape, you can make butter rosettes with a piping bag.

• In the photo at the top of this post, we wrapped the butter in baking paper and used the trussing method to tie it with butcher's string. It gives a nice rustic look to your table arrangement.

• Slice wheels of butter for each individual guest.

• Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it for cooking as and when you need it.

Uses

• Fillet, ribeye steaks, sirloin steak, rump steak.

• Mushrooms.

• Fish.

• Pork chops, prime rib.

• Roasting Turkey or chicken.

• Roasting vegetables like broccoli.

• On top of steamed vegetables like green beans.

• To make your own garlic bread.

• As a spread for fresh, crusty bread like French bread, Tiger loaf, dinner rolls etc.

• Crackers.

• On baked potato.

• In pastas.

• Frying onions.

Variations

Consider swapping the current recipe's ingredients for:

• Alternative herbs: Mint, coriander, basil, thyme, chives, tarragon, garlic salt.

• Spice: Red pepper flakes, red chilli flakes, smoked paprika, chipotle, jalapenos, harissa.

• Veg: Sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, crispy onion, caramelised onion, roasted shallots.

• Fruit: Lemon or orange zest

• Nuts: Roasted and chopped nuts like pine nuts, pecan nuts and walnuts.

• Cheese: Parmesan, gorgonzola or blue cheese.

• Sweet: Cinnamon sugar or honey.

• Seeds: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds.

Storage

Store tightly wrapped butter in the fridge for up to 1 month. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months for longer storage. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before using.