Garlic Rosemary Butter

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Garlic Rosemary Butter is a compound butter made with fresh herbs. It is simple to make and is an excellent way to add amazing flavor to steaks, poultry, and roasted vegetables.

Rosemary butter in a log shape on parchment with 2 circles of butter sliced off.

Flavored butter, like this recipe or pesto butter, is an easy way to add flavor to your food!

It can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator so you can easily add it to the top of practically anything when you want delicious flavor!

There are so many ways to use this butter!

Spread it on sourdough bread
Use it as a finishing butter for lamb chops or beef tenderloin
Top your steamed or roasted vegetables
Use it as a rub on chicken or turkey
It also makes a great rub for prime rib
Add it to baked potatoes
Toss it with bread cubes and toast it for homemade croutons

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter - Use the highest-quality butter that you can. I like to make my own butter, but storebought is fine. If you prefer salted butter, leave out the additional salt in the recipe. Bring your butter to room temperature so the ingredients can mix into it easily.
Fresh Rosemary - Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprig and discard them. The sprig is safe to eat, but it is tough and adds an unpleasant texture to the butter.
Garlic - Using fresh garlic is worth it in this recipe! Technically, you can substitute ⅔ teaspoon of garlic powder, but I highly recommend garlic cloves. Invest in a good garlic press to mince garlic easily!

Tip: For a tasty variation, mix up the flavor by adding chopped sage or thyme to the rosemary! Or add lemon zest to make lemon herb butter.

How to Make Garlic Rosemary Butter

1) Mince the Herbs

You want your rosemary and garlic to be pretty fine so that they blend into the butter and are not overwhelming when you eat it.

2) Whip the Butter

Use a hand mixer at medium-low speed. You could also use a food processor for this step or skip it for a firmer butter texture.

3) Mix Herbs into Butter

Stir the butter into the herbs with a rubber spatula or fork. Combine butter with the remaining ingredients until they are mixed in evenly.

4) Refrigerate

Transfer to your serving bowl and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Collage showing garlic butter process - mincing herbs and mixing into butter.

How to Make a Butter Log

Most of the time I like to keep things easy and just store my butter in a ramekin. But sometimes it's fun to pretend that I am fancy, and those times call for a butter log.

It's actually really simple to turn the butter into a log shape!

Just spoon your butter onto a sheet of parchment paper in a row.
Then pull one side of the parchment over the butter tightly.
Shape the butter into a log. It can be helpful to use something with a flat edge, like a muffin pan, to help push the butter into shape.
Roll the parchment around the butter and twist the ends!

Collage showing 4 steps to rolling butter into a log.

Recipe FAQs

How do I store compound butter?

Since garlic is added to this butter it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Cover it in plastic wrap or store it in parchment paper and it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Can I freeze Garlic Rosemary Butter?

Yes, Garlic Rosemary Butter will keep in the freezer for about 6 months. I love to slice butter rounds and place them in the freezer a single layer on parchment paper. Transfer them to a freezer bag once they are solid, and remove the individual rounds when you are ready to use them.

How much butter should I use on chicken or turkey?

When covering a whole turkey or chicken with a rub, use about 1 tablespoon of butter per pound.

Bread topped with garlic rosemary butter on a plate, with bread on a board at top of image.

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