Making homemade garlic butter is so easy. Roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and a pinch of paprika take it to the next level. It would be great for garlic bread or grilled cheese, or slapped straight on a piece of toast. It’s super versatile–there’s really no way to go wrong!
I love to cook, but half the time I don’t really feel like it. I try to do it anyway—and most of the time I find that I really do want to after all—but some days I just can’t be bothered. The problem is that I still want to eat well. I’ve found that little things can elevate a meal that is otherwise low-effort.
Roasted garlic and herb butter is one of those things. It’s a great way to make your dinner feel classy, whether for yourself or other people. Spend a little time to roast the garlic on a Sunday afternoon and you’ll be reaping the rewards all week. (If the butter lasts that long.)
Don’t be alarmed by the garlic-to-butter ratio here. Roasted garlic is softer and sweeter than its raw counterpart, and can be eaten plain. We’re going to add just enough butter to hold it all together, a handful of fresh herbs, and just a dash of lemon juice, if you have it.
We’ll roast the garlic with a pinch of paprika, then mash the bulbs with the softened butter. Add all the other ingredients and mix. That’s it. There is nothing hard to track down, no complicated methods. You can slap it in some clingwrap and roll it to make a pretty log of butter, but I really can’t be bothered for weeknight dinners. That’s some special occasion stuff, and we’re looking for ease here.
It would be a very nice addition to a charcuterie board, served with little slices of baguette and set out next to cheese and salami. It’s excellent on warm toast or soft dinner rolls or really any kind of bread. A variety would make your dinner feel very classy and provide an easy snack or lunch all week. And it would be out-of-this-world delicious on a grilled cheese.
P.S. Did you forget to soften your butter? No problem! Take a peek at the recipe for how to do it in ten minutes.
roasted garlic & herb butter
ingredients
3 bulbs garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
paprika, a large pinch (smoked or sweet)
1 stick (4 oz) salted butter, softened
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
a dash of lemon juice
a pinch of salt
directions
- Make the roasted garlic. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Peel all the extra papery skin off the garlic heads, except for the last layer, which keeps the cloves together. Slice off the end so you can see little bits of garlic. I prefer to use a muffin tin to roast garlic—one bulb in each muffin space—but I don’t have one here, so I use mini pudding tins instead. Drizzle with olive oil. Generously salt and pepper the open cloves, sprinkle with a large pinch of smoked paprika. Cover the top of each bulb with foil. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the cloves are soft, brown, and caramelized.
- Soften the butter. If you forgot to soften the butter, which I often do, heat a mug of water in the microwave for 2 minutes. During that two minutes, slice the butter and set it on a plate. Take the mug out of the microwave, replace it with the butter, and close the microwave door. In ten minutes, you’ll have softened butter.
- Combine ingredients. Put the softened butter in a bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic out into the same bowl and mash it into a paste. Add the chives, parsley, and lemon juice (just a dash). Mix it thoroughly. By now it might be too soft, so let it sit in the fridge for a while before serving if you need to.
- Serve. This is great for any bread. It is very important to warm or toast the bread first; eating cold or room temperature bread is unacceptable in most cases and particularly in this one.
