Made with softened butter, minced garlic and finely chopped thyme, this herb butter recipe is perfect to use for cooked meat, bread, vegetables and more!
This recipe is ready in under 10 minutes and you only need a few pantry ingredients. It's ready to serve immediately or you can allow the flavors to blend together in the refrigerator.
Let me show you another perfect accompaniment to any Family Dinner Idea!
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Whether spread on warm bread, melted over a fresh grilled steak, or used to enhance roasted vegetables, this herb butter recipe with garlic and thyme is a simple yet delicious way to elevate your meals.
You can use either fresh garlic or garlic powder if you don’t have fresh on hand. I use garlic powder for my Garlic Butter Recipe and it works great.
Looking for more recipes to use with herb butter? Try my Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Air Fryer Crescent Rolls, and even my Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts. Yum!
Table of Contents
How to Soften Butter Fast
- The most common way to soften butter is to let it sit at room temperature. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, the butter should be soft enough to easily spread in about an hour.
- You can place the stick of butter under a drinking glass to trap the heat or rinse a bowl with hot water and then invert it over the unwrapped butter which will help speed up things.
- You can use a grater to speed up the process as well. Take the cold butter and grate it into small pieces using a cheese grater. The increased surface area will help it soften much faster. Once it's softened, you'll be able to combine it with the other ingredients.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
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Recipe Ingredients
Below is a quick preview of the ingredients you’ll need. For exact amounts, check the recipe card below. You can also use the "Shopping List button" to create a printable shopping list, or the "Get Ingredients button" in the recipe card to order groceries online.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- This recipe uses unsalted butter and then we add salt with the fresh garlic to the butter for flavor. If you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
- There are so many different flavor combinations you can create! You can try fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, sage or other herbs like Everything Bagel Seasoning!
- You might even want to try creating a sweet butter by adding honey or even fruit to softened butter. Of course, I wouldn't add the garlic!
- Try adding a little of my Homemade Italian Seasoning Mix to the butter as well!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Stir the softened butter until smooth.
Top Tip
Make sure to use softened butter for this recipe, it yields a much smoother and more evenly seasoned result.
Step 2: Remove the fresh thyme from the stems and finely chop.
Step 3: Add the fresh thyme, minced garlic, and salt to the butter and stir until well combined.
Gift Idea
Homemade herb butter is the perfect gift for the foodies in your life! Not only is it a delicious addition to any meal, but it makes a great hostess gift.
Simply freeze the butter in a log wrapped in parchment paper and tied with twine for a rustic, heartfelt gift that's ready to enjoy all season long.
Add these cute "From my Kitchen to You" Gift Tags to your gift.
Serving Tips
Serve with grilled steak, roasted vegetables, baked potato, bread, seafood and pasta. You can use it with my Garlic Chicken Cutlets recipe.
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Storing and Freezing Tips
Refrigerator: Add your compound butter to a jar with a lid, or form into a log and wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper. It'll keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezer: Form into a log and wrap well in plastic wrap or parchment paper, then place in a zip top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Recipe FAQ's
What herbs go well with garlic?
Parsley, cilantro, basil, sage, rosemary, and thyme all pair well with garlic.
Can you freeze spreadable butter?
You can! Form the butter into a log and wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper then add to a zip top freezer bag.
For it to be spreadable again, let it warm up to room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
Try these recipes next...
- Check out my other recipe for Easy Garlic Butter or my Garlic Bread made with Grands Biscuits.
- Or you might enjoy this recipe for Roasted Golden Beet Butter.
📖 Recipe Card
Herb Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stick 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste or 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Method
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl.
- Using a spoon or small whisk, stir the ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
- Use this butter recipe to flavor meats before or after cooking, or spread over savory baked goods such as rolls or biscuits fresh from the oven.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you use salted butter, omit the added salt in the recipe.
- If you don't have fresh thyme on hand, substitute with ¼ - ½ teaspoon of dried thyme.
- You can use either fresh garlic or garlic powder if you don’t have fresh on hand. I use garlic powder for my Garlic Butter Recipe and it works great.
- Store in a jar with a lid or form into a log and wrap with plastic wrap or parchment before chilling. Keep in the fridge for a week or 6 months in the freezer.
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