Roasted Garlic Compound Butter

Roasted garlic compound butter with fresh herbs- Slather on toast for breakfast or on your steak or fish for dinner!

Garlic is a flavor powerhouse by itself, but roasted garlic is another thing altogether. It's soft, buttery, and almost sweet.

The clincher here is the roasted garlic! You can tell I am obsessed with roasted garlic! This butter on plain toast is what my dreams are made of! I can eat it by the bucket!

It's a delicious condiment to have in your fridge. I put it in everything from pasta to eggs to roast vegetables. A small knob of this is perfect for finishing your steak or roast fish.

You can also cook your chicken in it, make grilled cheese, or plain old butter-toasted bread with it. Or make this easy peasy garlic bread in the Air fryer! It is a very versatile condiment to have in your refrigerator.

I have used this butter to make the filling of my hasselback potatoes or in mashed potatoes. You can also use it to make your holiday turkey or chicken roast.

What is Compound Butter?

Compound butter is simply softened butter mixed with flavorful ingredients like garlic, herbs, spices or citrus. In this version, roasting the garlic first makes it soft, mellow and almost sweet, without the sharp bite of raw garlic.

It’s one of those little things that makes everyday food taste a lot fancier with almost no extra work.

Ingredients

Here is what you will need

Garlic - In the picture, you see mashed roasted garlic. Roasting takes regular garlic and turns it soft, buttery and almost sweet.

You can roast the garlic in the oven or do it in the air fryer. I usually prefer air fryer roasted garlic because it is much quicker. Plus, I feel a little guilty switching on a giant oven for just one or two heads of garlic!

You can also use garlic confit here if you already have some.

Herbs- You can use whatever you have on hand - fresh or dried.

For every tablespoon of fresh herbs, you use ⅓ tablespoon of dried herbs. That's the rule because dried herbs carry a heavier punch.

Here are some of our favorite herbs to use parsley, cilantro,mint, rosemary & thyme garlic chives, and scallions

Best Herbs for Roasted Garlic Butter

Rosemary and thyme are my favorites for a classic roasted garlic herb butter, especially when I am using it with steak, roast chicken or potatoes.

For a fresher flavor, use parsley, chives or scallions. Sage is also wonderful if you are making this for a Thanksgiving or Christmas roast.

You don't need all of them. Use two or three herbs you already have.

Fresh herbs taste brighter, but dried herbs work perfectly well too. As a general rule, use about 1 teaspoon dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh herbs.

Butter -Use salted butter to make this. The butter is already evenly salted so you don't have to worry about that bit. But of course, you can use baking butter or unsalted butter, too. Make sure to add salt while mixing it up.

Equipment

You can roast the garlic in either an air fryer or an oven.

For the air fryer, I roast it at 400°F/200°C for about 20–25 minutes. In the oven, roast it at 365°F/180°C for about 1 hour, or until the cloves are completely soft.

I usually wrap the garlic in aluminum foil, though I have included foil-free options below too.

Making Garlic Herb Compound Butter

This will change your breakfast game! I promise.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make roasted garlic herb butter.

Step 1: Roast the Garlic

You can roast the garlic in the air fryer or you can do it in the oven. Air fryer method takes only about 20-25 minutes. The oven method takes about 1 hour.

Oven Method

Cut the top off each head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Wrap it up in aluminum foil with a drizzle of olive oil and salt.

Bake it for 1 hour at 180C.Once done, open it carefully.You can also use confit garlic to make this compound butter.

Read here on how to roast garlic in the air fryer in detail.

Step 2: Mash the Garlic

Let the garlic cool before you handle it. Once it's cool enough to touch, squeeze the garlic out of its skin, as shown in the picture.

Mash the garlic using a potato masher or just your fork. Be mindful of the garlic skin. Also, look out for some of the end bits, which can be a little tough and don't mix well with butter. You can remove those bits.

Step 3 : Mix with Butter & Herbs

Chop up the herbs as fine as you can. You can also use a food processor for this. It is especially handy when using hardy herbs like Rosemary and Oregano.

Add butter to the mix. Use a fork, mash, and mix it all up.

Check salt and add more if needed.

How to Shape Compound Butter

You can simply spoon the garlic butter into a small airtight container, which is what I usually do.

Or place it on a piece of parchment paper, roll it into a log and twist the ends. Refrigerate until firm and then slice off a disc whenever you need it.

You can also freeze small portions in an ice cube tray. This is especially handy for pasta, vegetables, soups and sauces.

Storage

Roasted garlic compound butter is perfect for making ahead.

Keep it tightly covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator and try to use it within 1–2 weeks.

For longer storage, freeze it as a log, small discs or individual cubes. I like freezing it in small portions because you can drop one straight into hot pasta, vegetables, mashed potatoes or a sauce.

For the best flavor, I try to use frozen compound butter within about 3 months.

Hot Tip

Freeze extra roasted garlic separately in an ice cube tray too. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.

Then the next time you want garlic bread, mashed potatoes, pasta or another batch of compound butter, half the work is already done!

How to Roast Garlic without Aluminum Foil

Aluminium foil is used to create a closed atmosphere for the garlic.It sweats the garlic and also prevents it from burning.

You can do the same by using

• Parchment Paper - but wrap it twice instead
• Ramakin is covered with a lid. You can use any cake pan to serve as a lid here.
• Small Dutch ovens.
• Small cast iron pans with a lid.

How to Use Roasted Garlic Compound Butter

Honestly, once this is sitting in my refrigerator, I find excuses to add it to everything.

For the easiest option, spread it generously on sourdough or use it to make my Air Fryer Garlic Bread.

Melt a spoonful into mashed potatoes, tuck it into Hasselback potatoes, toss it with pasta or roasted vegetables, or use it to finish a piece of steak or fish.

It is also fantastic with roast chicken. You can rub some under the skin of my Whole Chicken Roast before baking, or melt a little over the chicken just before serving.

And if you like buttery chicken dinners, my Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks have the same lemon-butter-garlic situation going on and are such an easy weeknight option.

For Thanksgiving and Christmas

This roasted garlic compound butter is especially useful around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Rub it under the skin of turkey or roast chicken before roasting, melt it over mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables, or serve a few slices on the table with warm bread.

It also works beautifully with classic holiday sides like Honey Garlic Glazed Carrots and Mashed Sweet Potatoes — both already have that butter-garlic-herb flavor profile.

I would love to know how you used your roasted garlic butter! Do leave me a note in the comments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does roasted garlic butter last in the fridge?

Keep roasted garlic compound butter refrigerated in an airtight container. I like to use it within 1–2 weeks. If you have made a large batch, freeze the extra rather than keeping it in the refrigerator for longer.

Can you freeze roasted garlic compound butter?

Yes. You can freeze it as a log and slice off pieces as you need them, or freeze smaller portions in an ice cube tray. I usually try to use frozen compound butter within about 3 months for the best flavor.

What herbs go best with garlic butter?

Rosemary and thyme are my favorites with roasted garlic. Parsley, chives, sage and scallions work beautifully too. You can use fresh or dried herbs depending on what you have.

Can I use garlic confit instead of roasted garlic?

Yes. Garlic confit works beautifully because the cloves are already soft and mellow. Mash the garlic before mixing it into softened butter.

Can I make roasted garlic butter without aluminum foil?

Yes. You can roast the garlic in a small covered baking dish, ramekin or Dutch oven. You can also wrap it well in parchment paper instead.

Can I use roasted garlic butter for steak?

Absolutely. Add a small slice of chilled compound butter to a hot steak just before serving. It melts into the meat and makes an instant buttery garlic-herb sauce.

Can I use this for garlic bread?

Yes — and it is one of my favorite ways to use it. Spread a generous layer over bread and toast it in the oven or make my Air Fryer Garlic Bread for a really quick version.