Easy Garlic Herb Compound Butter (VIDEO)
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A great homemade Compound Butter is a recipe you should always have in your back pocket! You can easily elevate any vegetable, meat, fish, or even a simple slice of bread — and the best is that it’s SO easy to make!
Watch the Garlic Herb Compound Butter Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
Compound Butter is the easiest way to elevate meals!
I love using compound butters to elevate meals – it goes amazingly with simple main dishes like Grilled Steak, Grilled Chicken Thighs or Air Fryer Chicken Thighs. It’s delicious on top of roasted vegetables like Honey Roasted Carrots, Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Brussels Sprouts (or Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts) and Roasted Green Beans with Bacon. Sometimes I’ll even add a disc on top of my Mashed Potatoes for a special finishing touch!
You butter believe this is the only butter you’ll need for all of your recipes! It’s so simple and so delicious on everything. Potatoes, dinner rolls, pasta, vegetables, roasts, chicken, you name it!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- softened unsalted butter – Use a high quality butter and make sure it is unsalted so that you can control for the amount of salt.
- Fresh herbs – My favorite fresh herbs to use for a great compound butter are rosemary, thyme, and chives. Use what you like and have on hand! (Parsley and dill work well, too.) The key is that they are finely chopped.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is a must; it adds a subtle, nuanced flavor to the butter (vs. garlic powder, which is stronger and more concentrated).
How to Make Compound Butter
Mince Herbs and Grate Garlic – Remove the rosemary and thyme leaves from their branches – my favorite ‘kitchen hack’ is to run rosemary and thyme stems through a cheese grate to remove the leaves quickly. Finely chop the herbs and set them aside. Grate garlic and set aside.
Mix Compound Butter – Add softened butter to a bowl. Add in minced herbs, followed by grated garlic, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Mix well until the seasonings and herbs are incorporated. You’re done making your compound butter – see note below on how to store and slice it.
PRO TIPS
How to Slice into Discs & Storage Tips
If you want to slice Compound Butter into discs to serve, like shown in the photos, take a rectangular sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and lay it on a flat surface. Place the softened butter in the center of the plastic wrap or parchment paper – fold one half over the butter and use it to form a log with your hands. Continue to roll the plastic wrap or parchment paper until the butter is tube-like (see photo above). Twist and tighten the ends in opposite directions to form a tight log and place in the refrigerator for an hour to harden before slicing into discs to serve.
You can use the compound butter in its softened state after it’s been made. You can also place it in the refrigerator in an airtight container until solid and portion out as needed (or roll it into a log and slice into discs).
Store compound butter in an airtight container for up to 1 week or in the freezer in a freezer safe bag for up to 6 months.
If you tried this Garlic Herb Compound Butter or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Garlic Herb Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter, about 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest, optional
Instructions
- Bring butter to room temperature to soften. Add butter to a bowl.
- Mince the fresh thyme, rosemary, and chives and add to the butter. Grate in garlic, then season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Mix until the herbs and seasonings are thoroughly incorporated into the butter.
- Take a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and add the butter into the center of the sheet. Fold over one end of the plastic and form a log. Roll and tighten the opposite sides of the plastic around the butter to form a cylinder.
- Place in the refrigerator until solid and use within 1 week or store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Video
Notes
- Take a rectangular sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and lay it on a flat surface.
- Place the softened butter in the center of the plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Fold one half of the plastic wrap or parchment paper over the butter – use the plastic wrap or parchment paper to it to form a log of butter with your hands.
- Roll the plastic or parchment paper and keep rolling until it is tube-like.
- Twist and tighten the ends in opposite directions to form a tight log.
- Place the Garlic Herb Compound Butter log in the refrigerator for an hour to harden before slicing into discs to serve. Refer to images below.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in November 2023, and updated in October 2025.
Perfect for steak!