This creamy garlic herb butter combines fresh herbs and juicy garlic to create a flavour-packed spread that instantly gives a boost bread, roasted veg, pasta, and more. Ready in minutes and irresistibly aromatic, it’s the simple homemade upgrade your meals have been waiting for.
Classic Homemade Garlic Herb Butter: The Simple Recipe You Need
This easy recipe for homemade garlic herb butter is one of the quickest ways to add instant flavour to countless dishes. It works beautifully stirred in vegetables, pasta, rice, grains, or simply spread on bread or bagels. It also makes a fantastic addition to bread baskets and boards. Feel free to customise the amount of garlic and herbs to your own taste.
I like to make my butter completely from scratch using double cream. The freshness and smoothness really does make a difference: rich, creamy, and far better than anything from the shop.
Watch How To Make This Garlic Herb Butter
Why Make Your Own Butter
Making your own butter might sound like a luxury, but it’s surprisingly simple and easy, especially if you have a food mixer. Homemade butter tastes noticeably fresher than store-bought butter. You also have complete control over the ingredients, which means no preservatives, artificial flavourings, or unnecessary additives, just rich, creamy, salted or unsalted butter just how you like it.
Creating your own butter also allows you to customise it with fresh herbs, garlic, spices, citrus zest, or anything else you enjoy. It is also often more cost-effective, especially when making organic or flavoured compound butters. The buttermilk bi-product can be used in cakes, pancakes and other delicious baking creations.
Beyond the taste, there’s something wonderfully satisfying about making your own butter. When I was growing up, my great-grandmother’s wooden butter churn had become more of a decorative piece, but it always fascinated me. I used to play with it, imagining how she managed to turn milk into butter, it truly is a remarkable process. And of course, it’s incredibly useful to know how to make butter when you need to rescue whipped cream that’s gone past its perfect stage and would otherwise go to waste.
What is Compound Butter
Compound butter is plain butter mixed with herbs, spices and other ingredients. It can be made savoury or sweet, depending on how you want to use it. Known in French as beurre composé, compound butter is used by chefs worldwide to cook with or as a finishing touch on a variety of dishes.
Why You’ll Love This Garlic Herb Butter
- Quick and easy with only a handful of ingredients.
- Versatile, ideal for cooking, spooning or spreading.
- Made with fresh herbs for a bright, aromatic flavour.
- Budget-friendly, especially if you make organic butter.
- Freezes beautifully, so you can use it whenever you need it.
- Naturally flavoured and preservative-free.
Other Easy Compound Butter Recipes To Make At Home
How to Make Garlic Herb Butter
Equipment Needed:
I use my Kenwood Cooking Chef XL fitted with the creaming beater to make this garlic herb butter recipe. It is quick, efficient, and produces consistent smooth results.
If you do not have a food mixer, you can also use a manual butter churner like this one or place the cream in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously until the butter and buttermilk separate. The manual process will take longer than a food mixer. You will also need the cream to be at room temperature to speed up the process.
You will also need some butter paddles if you want to shape your butter.
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Ingredients:
To make this garlic herb butter you will need:
- double cream
- garlic
- fresh parsley
- fresh basil
- sea salt flakes
Step 1: Churn The Cream
- Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk or creaming beater attachment.
- Place a splashguard or shield on the bowl to prevent splashing.
- Mix the cream gradually starting from low to the highest setting. The cream will turn into soft whipped cream, then hard whipped cream. Carry on mixing until the buttermilk separates from the cream and the butter forms.
- Pour the buttermilk into a separate container and keep in an airtight container refrigerated. You can use it for baking.
Step 2: Wash The Butter
- Fill a bowl with cold water and place the butter in it. Using your hands, press the butter to remove any remaining buttermilk. The water will turn milky. Empty the bowl and refill it with fresh cold water. Repeat this process until the water stays clear and no more buttermilk is released from the butter.
- Place the butter on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess moisture.
Step 3: Mix The Garlic and Herb In The Butter
- Place the butter into a bowl. Mix in the garlic and herbs until combined. Add more garlic and herbs as necessary. Salt to taste.
Step 4: Shape and Store Your Garlic Herb Butter
- Shape the butter either by hand or with some butter paddles.
- Wrap the butter in parchment paper or transfer to an airtight container and chill.
Tips for Success
- Make sure the unflavoured butter is soft (the rest of the ingredients will mix better)
- Adjust the garlic to taste
- Adjust the herbs to taste
- Add sea salt flakes to taste
The Best Uses for Garlic Herb Butter
This is a very versatile compound butter which you can use for cooking or as a simple spread.
- Garlic Bread: Spread it generously on a baguette for the ultimate easy garlic bread butter recipe.
- Vegetables: Toss with roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms or asparagus.
- Pasta/Rice/Grains: Melt a spoon on hot pasta, rice, or grains for a quick burst of flavour.
- Serve with Bread: Serve as a spread for your bread board for a tasty nibble or appetiser.
- Toasts/ Bagels / Sandwiches: Spread on your favourite bread for a quick flavour boost.
- Cooking: Swap regular butter for this garlic herb butter as a base in roux and other recipes.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
This garlic herb butter can be stored in the fridge or the freezer.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in parchment paper for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Wrap tightly in parchment paper and cling film and freeze for up to 3 months. You can slice this garlic herb butter whenever needed, and leave it to thaw outside the fridge and add it directly to hot or warm food.
FAQs About Garlic Herb Butter
I like to keep things simple with parsley and basil, but you can pretty much play around with this recipe using chives, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, dill etc…
Yes absolutely. Simply wrap tightly in parchment paper and cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.
Properly stored, this garlic herb butter will last up to a week in the fridge of 3 months in the freezer.
Fresh is best but yes, you can use dried herbs but the taste will be milder. The rule of thumbs here is to use 1 teaspoon dried for each tablespoon of fresh herbs.
If your butter is too soft simply cool it down in the fridge or freezer until it hardens .
I hope you enjoy this garlic herb butter recipe as much as I do. If you do make them, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Garlic Herb Butter
Equipment
Disclaimer: the equipment list above includes affiliate links to products I use and like.
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 ml double cream
- 2 large garlic cloves grated
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped basil
- sea salt flakes to taste
Instructions
- This recipe makes 140g / 5oz of butter.
- Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk or creaming beater attachment.300 ml double cream
- Place a splashguard or shield on the bowl to prevent splashing.
- Mix the cream gradually starting from low to the highest setting. The cream will turn into soft whipped cream, then hard whipped cream. Carry on mixing until the buttermilk separates from the cream and the butter forms.
- Pour the buttermilk into a separate container and keep in an airtight container refrigerated. You can use it for baking.
- Fill a bowl with cold water and place the butter in it. Using your hands, press the butter to remove any remaining buttermilk. The water will turn milky. Empty the bowl and refill it with fresh cold water. Repeat this process until the water stays clear and no more buttermilk is released from the butter.
- Place the butter on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess moisture.
- Place the butter into a bowl. Mix in the garlic and herbs until combined. Add more garlic and herbs as necessary. Salt to taste.2 large garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley, 2 Tbsp finely chopped basil, sea salt flakes to taste
- Shape the butter either by hand or with some butter paddles.
- Wrap the butter in parchment paper or transfer to an airtight container and chill.
Nutrition
Find this recipe online:
https://theflexitarian.co.uk/recipe-items/the-best-garlic-herb-butter-easy-homemade-recipe/
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