The Butter Co Journal
How to Use Garlic Butter — 8 Ways
Garlic butter is the most-used compound butter in professional kitchens — and for good reason. Here are eight practical ways to use it, from the obvious to the less obvious.
Garlic butter — roasted garlic blended into premium British dairy butter with fresh parsley — is the single most versatile compound butter you can stock. It works across proteins, vegetables, bread and sauces. It's fast, consistent and adds genuine flavour to every dish it touches.
Below are eight ways professional kitchens use it every service. Some you'll know. A few might change how you think about it.
Finishing Steaks
The most common use in professional kitchens. Remove the steak from the pan or grill, place on a warm plate, and add a 20–25g slice of garlic butter on top. As the steak rests, the butter melts and bastes the surface — adding flavour, richness and a glossy finish. Works on every cut from ribeye to fillet.
Also try: Steak Butter →Bread Service
Garlic butter is the most-ordered bread accompaniment in the UK. Serve as a quenelle alongside sourdough, focaccia or a baguette. For a more premium presentation, pipe into a ramekin or shape into a disc. The garlic flavour is present but not overpowering — it adds character without dominating the table.
Read: Best Butter for Garlic Bread →Garlic Bread
Slice a baguette or ciabatta, spread generously with garlic butter, wrap in foil and bake at 180°C for 10–12 minutes. Open the foil for the last 3 minutes to crisp the top. The result is far better than anything made with margarine or pre-made garlic bread — the butter base gives richness and the garlic is properly balanced.
Pasta
Toss freshly cooked pasta through a knob of garlic butter with a splash of pasta water and a handful of parmesan. It takes 60 seconds and produces a dish that tastes like it took much longer. Works especially well with spaghetti, linguine and fresh tagliatelle. Add a little chilli flake and lemon zest for a more complete dish.
Grilled Vegetables
Toss blanched or par-cooked vegetables through garlic butter before serving, or melt over roasted vegetables straight from the oven. Asparagus, tenderstem broccoli, green beans, courgette and mushrooms all work brilliantly. The garlic butter adds depth and richness that plain butter or olive oil cannot match.
Enriching Pan Sauces
After cooking a steak or chicken breast, deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine or stock, reduce by half, then whisk in cold garlic butter a piece at a time. This technique — monter au beurre — creates a glossy, rich sauce in under two minutes. The garlic flavour from the butter seasons the sauce as it emulsifies.
Prawns & Seafood
Garlic and seafood is a classic combination. Melt garlic butter in a hot pan, add raw prawns and cook for 2–3 minutes until pink. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and flat-leaf parsley. The same approach works for scallops, mussels and clams. The butter base carries the garlic flavour into every part of the dish.
Basting During Cooking
Add garlic butter to the pan in the final 2–3 minutes of cooking and baste the protein continuously using a spoon. This creates a flavoured crust and keeps the surface moist. Works on steak, chicken thighs, pork chops and fish fillets. The milk solids in the butter brown slightly, adding a nutty, caramelised note.
Stock Premium Garlic Butter
The Butter Co supplies wholesale garlic butter logs and tubs to restaurants, hotels and caterers across the UK. Made with 100% British dairy. Consistent flavour every service.