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This garlic butter sauce is a quick, buttery pan sauce made with fresh garlic, lemon juice, and herbs. It’s ready in 10 minutes and works as a finishing sauce or dipping sauce for steak, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables.
Few things in life get me more excited than butter. Yes, butter! Specifically salted butter, but that’s besides the point (for now). Anyway, to celebrate my favorite dairy product, I’m sharing my go-to garlic butter sauce recipe with you guys.
You can use it on just about anything, like steak (the BEST!), shrimp, pasta, roasted veggies, or as a simple dipping sauce for bread. It’s a quick and easy recipe that’s ready in under 10 minutes. It’s also made with super simple ingredients: melted butter, fresh minced garlic, a touch of garlic powder for extra depth, lemon juice to brighten everything up, and fresh parsley if you want a little color and freshness.
Reader Comment
“Loved it. Kids loved it. Steak loved it. Salad loved it. 100% will make this again and again. Thank you.” -Cam
Table of Contents
Garlic Butter Sauce Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this quick & easy garlic butter sauce recipe:
- Butter. Obviously, you can’t have a garlic butter sauce without butter. Since butter makes up more than 90 percent of this recipe, I recommend using one that you genuinely love the taste of. Feel free to use salted or unsalted butter. Either works. Unsalted butter gives you the most control over the final flavor, so you can add salt to taste. If you use salted butter, start with less added salt (or skip it), then taste and adjust at the end.
- Fresh garlic. Aside from the butter, garlic is essential. Fresh garlic (aka garlic that you have to break off the bulb and peel yourself) will give the best flavor
- Garlic powder. Yep, you’ll want some of this, too. Garlic powder has a super concentrated garlic flavor but tastes totally different from fresh garlic. Some of it may float on the top of the sauce, but it’s not a big deal (in my opinion). If it’s something that really bothers you, add more fresh garlic in its place.
- Fresh lemon juice. Please, don’t use concentrated lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give the best flavor.
- Salt. Add as much or as little salt as you like, keeping in mind with what or how you are serving it.
- Fresh herbs (like parsley!). The parsley is optional, but I always like to add a little for freshness. You can also try it with other herbs like chives, basil, cilantro, dill, or thyme. Start with 1 to 2 tablespoons and add more to taste.
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to make Garlic Butter Sauce
This garlic butter sauce recipe is an easy, last-minute sauce that turns a simple steak, seafood, or chicken dinner into one that is actually unforgettable. Here’s how to make it.
Start by prepping the garlic. You can chop, mince, or grate it with a microplane grater, depending on the texture you want. I usually mince it (or do a rough chop) because I love bigger bits of garlic in the sauce and it keeps cleanup simple.
Set a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter and the garlic, then cook just until fragrant, stirring constantly so it softens without browning.
Add the remaining butter, garlic powder, and salt. Let the butter melt slowly, stirring often, until everything is fully melted and combined. Stir in the lemon juice and cook for about 30 seconds more, just long enough to bring it all together.
Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, if using, then serve right away.
Garlic Butter Sauce for Steak
This garlic butter sauce is one of my favorite ways to finish steak. It melts into every slice and adds rich, garlicky flavor without needing a complicated pan sauce. It works especially well with ribeye, New York strip, sirloin, filet mignon, over pan seared steak, or even quick steak bites.
How to Use This Sauce on Steak
- Cook and rest your steak first. Let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes after cooking so the juices redistribute.
- Warm the sauce gently. Reheat the garlic butter sauce over low heat just until melted. Avoid high heat so the garlic does not brown or turn bitter.
- Slice, then sauce. For the best flavor coverage, slice the steak against the grain and spoon the warm garlic butter sauce over the top.
- How much to use. As much as you’d like! I usually start with 2 to 3 spoonfuls of sauce per serving, then add more to taste.
- Finish and serve. Add a pinch of flaky salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of parsley or cracked black pepper if you like.
Cooking Steak for Garlic Butter Sauce
You can cook your steak any way you prefer, but the goal is a beautifully seared exterior and a juicy center that the garlic butter sauce can melt into.
Option 1: Skillet
Pat the steak dry and season with salt and black pepper. Heat a heavy skillet (cast iron is great) over medium-high until very hot, then add a small splash of high-heat oil (I like to use avocado oil). Sear 2 to 4 minutes per side until deeply browned, then lower the heat and cook to your preferred doneness. Rest 5 to 10 minutes, slice against the grain, and spoon warm garlic butter sauce over the top.
Option 2: Grill
Build a two-zone fire so you have high heat on one side and lower or no heat on the other. Sear the steaks over the hot side (about (450-500°F) for 2 to 3 minutes per side to develop a crust. Then transfer the steak to the cooler side, close the lid, and cook over indirect heat until the steak reaches your desired internal temperature (140-145°F for medium).
Reverse sear (best for thick cuts): Start the steak on the cooler side until it is 10 to 15°F below your target temperature, then finish with a quick sear on the hot side.
What to serve with Garlic Butter Sauce
Aside form steak, enjoy this garlic butter sauce as a dipping sauce, finishing sauce, or buttery drizzle for easy weeknight dinners. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Seafood: Spoon over shrimp, scallops, air fryer salmon, or steamed crab legs.
- Chicken and pork: Use as a finishing sauce for baked chicken breasts, tender baked pork chops, or delicious oven-roasted pork loin.
- Pasta and grains: Toss with spaghetti, gnocchi, or rice, then finish with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
- Vegetables: Drizzle over roasted asparagus, sautéed zucchini, air fryer green beans, cauliflower steaks, or folded into yummy roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
- Bread: Serve warm as a dipping sauce with crusty bread, garlic bread, or dinner rolls.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Refrigerate: Let the sauce cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The butter will firm up as it chills, which is normal.
- Reheat gently: Warm on the stovetop over low heat or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring often. Low heat helps prevent the garlic from tasting bitter and keeps the sauce from breaking.
- If the sauce separates: Remove from heat and whisk until smooth. If needed, add 1 to 2 teaspoons warm water or a small squeeze of lemon juice and whisk again.
- Freeze: Freeze in a small container or pour into an ice cube tray for quick portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are very similar, but not always identical. Garlic butter is often thicker and more like a compound butter (butter mixed with garlic and herbs that you spread or melt as needed). Garlic butter sauce is usually melted butter that stays pourable, often with a little lemon juice and seasonings, so it is easy to drizzle over steak, seafood, pasta, and vegetables.
Yes. Make the sauce, let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will solidify when chilled. To serve, reheat gently over low heat (or in short microwave bursts), stirring often until melted and smooth.
Garlic butter sauce can separate if it gets too hot, is heated too quickly, or sits for a while (butterfat and milk solids can split from the liquid). The fix is usually simple: take it off the heat and whisk until it comes back together. If needed, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm water or a small squeeze of lemon juice to help it re-emulsify.
Yes. Use your favorite plant-based butter (stick-style tends to melt and taste most like traditional butter). Keep the heat low, since some dairy-free butters can separate more easily. If it looks a little broken, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water to bring it back together.
More Amazing Sauce Recipes
If you try making this easy garlic butter sauce for steak, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and a star rating below, your feedback helps other readers discover (and enjoy) this recipe too. Thank you so much! 💛
Garlic Butter Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1-stick) Butter, salted or unsalted, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Prep the garlic. Mince the garlic cloves (or grate them for a smoother sauce). Set aside.
- Warm the garlic gently. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly, just until fragrant.
- Melt the remaining butter. Add the rest of the butter, garlic powder, and salt. Keep the heat low and continue whisking until the mixture looks glossy and combined.
- Brighten with lemon. Stir in the lemon juice and cook for about 30 seconds more, stirring continuously.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, if using. Taste and adjust with additional salt or lemon juice as needed. Serve warm.
Notes
- Salted vs unsalted butter: If using salted butter, reduce the added salt and adjust after tasting.
- Do not brown the garlic: Keep the heat on medium-low and stir constantly. Browning garlic can make the sauce taste bitter.
- For steak: Cook your steak to your preferred doneness, rest 5 to 10 minutes, then spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm garlic butter sauce over sliced steak right before serving. Try it with my pan seared steak or garlic butter steak bites.
- Storage: Store cooled sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will solidify when chilled.
- Reheating: Rewarm gently over low heat (or in short microwave bursts), stirring often until melted and smooth. If it breaks, whisk vigorously or add a teaspoon of warm water to bring it back together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe. So fragrant and rich !
Loved it. Kids loved it. Steak loved it. Salad loved it. 100% will make this again and again. Thankyou.
I love this comment, thanks Cam 😀
I used this as a base recipe for a crab meat garlic butter sauce. I added minced shallots with the garlic and put on top of grilled medium rare filet mignon.
Loved this garlic butter sauce and so did my hubby!
New here but love your recipes, so clear and consice! Love the nutritional values too, which a lot of sites don’t have! Tank-you. 🥰
I will be back
Cherie .
Yum this was so awesome on our steaks, simple, but delicious, I loved the addition of lemon juice 🍋 never had it this way before ! Made a delicious difference! Many thanks!
Little heavy on the garlic powder don’t you think?? Looks like sediment
so sorry.
maybe come up with your own sauce
loved
added sautéed mushrooms and onion
Thanks Christina 🙂
I like to melt the butter in a double boiler, less chance of burning and I can leave the garlic in a bit longer to infuse more flavor.