Garlic Butter Sauce

This easy Garlic Butter Sauce recipe is made with only 3 ingredients! Toss with pasta, dip in pizza, or slather it on corn on the cob.

Whenever we order pizza, we get a side of garlic butter sauce as well, if it is available. But sometimes it isn’t offered, or we grill pizzas and want something to dip it in. So I made this simple recipe to have on hand, and we use it often since it can be used in so many ways.

Garlic Butter Sauce Ingredients

Everyone loves a good dipping sauce but garlic and butter are an irresistible combination! Plus, with only three ingredients, it couldn’t be simpler.

• Butter: The main ingredient is salted butter. If you want to use unsalted butter, you can, but you’ll need to add extra salt to the sauce, or it won’t have enough flavor.
• Garlic: We love adding freshly minced garlic for the maximum flavor. But when we don’t have any on hand, garlic powder is a great substitute. For this recipe, use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder or more to taste. Roasted garlic is also a lovely alternative with a milder flavor.
• Salt: A little brings out the flavor. You can add more or less to taste.

How To Make Garlic Butter Sauce

Another bonus to making garlic butter sauce is that it only takes a few minutes to prepare! And if you have extra sauce, you can put it in the fridge for later.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Add the minced garlic and salt. Stir over low heat for one minute.

Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly before serving.

Variations

You can use this sauce as is or add more ingredients to make endless variations! Here are some popular ways to adapt the sauce:

Cajun Butter Sauce

With just a couple of additional ingredients, you can turn garlic butter sauce into cajun butter sauce. After removing the sauce from the heat, whisk in one tablespoon of cajun seasoning, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of hot sauce. Cajun butter sauce pairs well with seafood, chicken, pasta, and vegetables.

Garlic and Herb Sauce

Bring this classic sauce to the next level by adding herbs! Whisk in one teaspoon each of parsley, basil, and oregano plus 1/4 teaspoon of thyme. Or make it easy and simply add 1 1/4 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. If you want to use fresh herbs, you will need to add three times as much as the dried herbs.

Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

Lemon garlic butter sauce can be used on pasta, fish, chicken, and veggies. All you need to do is add two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and one teaspoon of dried parsley to the sauce after removing it from the heat.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Make Ahead: You can make garlic butter sauce ahead of time! Store in the fridge and heat it up when you are ready to serve.
• Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight, sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
• Freezer: You can store it in a freezer-safe, airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
• Reheating: Reheat garlic butter sauce on low in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat until

What Others Want To Know About This Recipe

Ways to Use Garlic Butter Sauce

• Drizzle it over roasted vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, and boiled corn on the cob.
• Use it as a dipping sauce for pizza, garlic parmesan chicken tenders, and focaccia bread.
• Add to your favorite pasta, such as spaghetti, tortellini, ravioli, or even spaghetti squash.
• Brush it on oven-baked chicken breasts, grilled burgers, pan-fried steak, air fryer pork chops, or seafood.