Garlic Butter Sauce

Garlic lovers, Rejoice!  This Garlic Butter Sauce is better than Papa John’s dipping sauce, and it is lightning fast to whip up. It is so simple to make, and it is good on everything. 

Use it as a dip for pizza, toss it with pasta, drizzle it over shrimp or lobster. The possibilities are endless. We’ll show you how to whip it up in two simple steps.

This garlic-y sauce is so easy that I am almost embarrassed to call it a recipe.   I keep a small mason jar of it in my refrigerator for a flavor burst.  You would be surprised at how little it takes to jazz up a dish.

If you’re looking for a different spin on this buttery sauce, try our creamy lemon garlic butter sauce and if you want to transform pizza night, try our white garlic sauce for pizza. We think you will also love our Lebanese garlic sauce. It is seriously the most powerful garlic sauce you can ever make.

What is in Garlic Butter Sauce?

This is one of those handy sauces that will turn a boring dish into something special.  I’m willing to bet that you have all the ingredients right there in your pantry and refrigerator. It is the easiest “from-scratch” recipe you can make.

• Butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter. You may want a pinch more salt if you use unsalted butter.
• Fresh garlic cloves. The finer you mince the fresh garlic, the better it will infuse garlic flavor into the butter.
• Garlic powder. Garlic powder adds an extra layer of garlic flavor and thickens the sauce up a bit.
• Salt. A little salt enhances the flavors.
• Pepper. Pepper adds a bit of ‘zip’ and compliments the garlic.

How to make Garlic Butter Sauce:

First, I like to use unsalted butter so that I have control over the saltiness.  But regular salted butter is fine. 

1. Grab a small saucepan and place it over medium heat.  Then sauté the grated garlic cloves in a small amount of the butter.   
2. When the garlic begins to soften and becomes fragrant add the remaining butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  

This is one case where I like to use white pepper.  It tastes the same but doesn’t provide the black speckles to mar the appearance of the sauce. That’s it!  

There is enough garlic in this sauce to keep the witches away but if you like it less garlic-y, just use less garlic.

How to mince garlic

There are several ways to mince raw garlic. The most common way to mince garlic is to chop it with a knife repeatedly until you have very fine pieces.  Hand chopping is convenient and all you need is a knife. But if you’re looking for a really nice garlicky flavor, a microplane will do a better job. 

A microplane will create wonderful bits of garlic that look almost pureed. Smaller bits of garlic will infuse more evenly into the butter. That means more garlic flavor.

If you don’t have a microplane but still want the incredible flavor that it can provide, then you can use a garlic press or a mortar and pestle. Technically a garlic press or mortar will crush garlic rather than mince it. But the result will be the same: more garlic flavor. 

How can you use Garlic Butter Sauce?

Oh, my!   The ideas are endless.  Be creative and enjoy this flavorful sauce.   When it cools and becomes thicker, it can be spread on sourdough bread and toasted under the broiler. Or, spread it on storebought bread to make some amazing garlic bread.

This garlic butter sauce is versatile enough for all types of diets. It is gluten-free, low carb, and keto-friendly. 

Yum!  In its warm liquid state, it makes a wonderful garlic butter dipping sauce for lobster, shrimp, oysters or fish kabobs.  Other suggestions that we love are:

• Tossed with pasta
• Drizzled over steamed veggies
• A finishing garlic butter sauce for steak
• Sautéed with sea scallops or fish fillets
• Mixed with hot rice or quinoa
• A dipping sauce for shrimp or bread

Since I brought up shrimp then here is a little side note. If you want to know how to make shrimp, check out this post for creamy garlic butter shrimp pasta. We show you a picture in that post of what overcooked shrimp looks like and explain how easy it is to cook shrimp (and how easy it is to overcook shrimp). 

Better than Papa John’s dipping sauce

Did I mention pizza crust and breadsticks?  As a garlic butter dipping sauce for your pizza crusts and breadsticks, it is fantastic.  This sauce is on a par with Papa John’s dipping sauce.  If you love Papa John’s garlic sauce then this recipe is for you!  Our garlic butter sauce is actually better than Papa John’s because we use real butter and no additives.

How to store this garlic butter sauce:

Make small batches!  This sauce is best used within five or six days but I am betting you will finish it off long before that!

Keep a jar of this versatile garlic butter sauce in your refrigerator to boost the flavor power whenever needed.  When cold this sauce will firm up just like a cube of butter does.  To soften it, let it sit at room temperature.   To bring it to it’s dipping state set the jar in a dish of warm water, stirring occasionally until melted. Or just pop it in the microwave and melt the butter in 20 seconds. 

More recipes you will love:

Our white garlic sauce for pizza is smooth and creamy and a perfect base for all your pizza toppings.

Fresh Horseradish Aioli Sauce is perfect for sandwiches, steak, or vegetables.

This recipe for Mussels in Garlic Wine Sauce is fast and easy but it isn’t short on flavor. This is so good, you will want to make a double batch.