How to Make Roasted Garlic Herb Compound Butter

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This homemade roasted garlic herb compound butter is the perfect way to bring tons of flavor to your favorite dish. Made with just a few simple ingredients and to the dinner table in minutes, this is sure to become a regular addition to your mealtimes. 

Summer is one of the best seasons to cook with the bounty of fresh produce available, with herbs being right at the top of the list. They’re an easy way to add flavor and elevate any dish. In fact, I love them so much that I needed to have an herb garden right off our back deck so I could grab a few anytime.

It’s easy to customize the type of herbs you use for this herb butter, so be creative and start experimenting to find your flavor combination. Use whatever type of butter you enjoy, whether it’s a regular butter or something a little bit extra. 

Freezing garlic herb compound butter is a great way to preserve fresh herbs, extending their enjoyment long into the cold months. 

Herb Butter Compound Uses

With so many great ways to enjoy roasted garlic and herb butter, it just makes sense to make a large batch and freeze some so you always have some on hand.

• Bread – Spread garlic herb butter on your favorite bread.  Perfect for dinner rolls, brushing onto pizza crust, or with cheesy garlic bread.
• Pasta – Add a touch of lemon juice and lemon zest with the homemade garlic herb butter to create a simple pasta sauce. Perfect with my ricotta gnocchi.
• Vegetables – Use garlic herb compound butter to bring any vegetable up a notch.  Add a slice to sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, or broccoli. 
• Potatoes –   Dice potatoes and toss with olive oil and garlic herb butter to make the perfect roasted potatoes. Or add a slice to sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, or baked potatoes.
• Meat – Perfect to top any cooked meat. Adding herb butter to a juicy steak is a classic, but it’s also delicious on grilled lamb chops, kabobs, or roast chicken. Don’t forget seafood, pairs well with succulent shrimp, baked salmon, or scallops.

Ingredients

• Butter – Use high-quality, real butter to bring your compound to the next level. Kerrygold and Plurga are both excellent choices with great flavor and deep, yellow color. I suggest using salted butter, but if you are watching your sodium intake then use unsalted butter and add the desired amount of salt to taste. Use Earth Balance for a vegan option. 
• Herbs – This recipe calls for fresh oregano, rosemary, and chives. But this is where you can be creative and try any combination of other herbs such as fresh parsley, tarragon, thyme, dill, basil, or sage.
• Garlic – Roasted garlic is an extra step but one that pays dividends with its slightly sweet, caramelized, and mellow garlic flavor. If you want a more intense garlic flavor, substitute fresh garlic.
• Lemon zest – With all of the salty, savory notes, the lemon adds brightness and lift to the butter compound, creating a well-balanced flavor.
• Kosher salt – Optional for those wanting to control the level of salt in the recipe and using unsalted butter.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Herb Butter Compound Instructions

Prepare the Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the top of the garlic bulb off, exposing the majority of the garlic cloves. Place in a small oven-safe dish and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Place into the oven and roast for 30 minutes. The top will be golden brown and the garlic cloves soft when pierced with a knife. Pull five garlic cloves out of the bulb with a fork and set aside to cool. If you want an intense garlic flavor, use fresh garlic cloves. Mince with a knife or use a garlic press.

Start with clean herbs. Remove the oregano and rosemary leaves from the stem. Discard stem. Using a sharp knife to mince the herbs finely. 

Using a microplane grater, zest a lemon, taking care to avoid the pith or white part as it is bitter. 

Combining the Herb Butter:

Start with room temperature butter and add to a small bowl. Add the roasted garlic cloves, the minced herbs, and lemon zest to the butter. Finish with a few twists of freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt if needed.

At this point, you can add the compound butter to a dish and serve, place it in molds, or roll the butter compound into a log shape.

Shaping:

Scoop the butter compound on a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap.  When forming a log, first roll the parchment paper over and slightly tuck under the butter. Then gently roll it into a uniform, cylinder shape. Twist the ends of the paper and place it in the refrigerator for two hours to harden. 

Slice pats of herb butter on anything that needs a herby, butter touch. 

Can You Freeze Compound Herb Butter?

Freeze in individual serving sizes when you need just a pat of garlic herb butter to finish off a steak or two. 

Option 1:

Slice the compound butter and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for a few hours until they harden and then place them into a freezer-safe bag or container. 

Option 2:

To create individual servings, fill small molds with compound butter and place them into the refrigerator to harden. Once hard, remove from the molds and place the butter into an airtight container or freezer bag and into the freezer.

I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe. Tag photos #Lockremhomestead over on Instagram to share how you enjoy the Roasted Garlic Herb Compound Butter!