Garlic Butter Sauce Recipe

This Ruth’s Chris Garlic Butter Sauce is a rich, lemony garlic sauce that takes 10–15 minutes and needs just a few ingredients. It’s great on steak, seafood, pasta, or literally anything plain you’re trying to make feel less boring. Quick, cozy, and yeah — very worth the butter.

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Quick Summary

• Prep time: 10 mins
• Cook time: 5 mins
• Flavor: buttery, garlicky, bright
• Great for: steak, seafood, pasta, fast sauce fixes

Why I Like This Recipe

Didn’t plan dinner too well. Threw together plain chicken and rice. It needed something — fast. This sauce saved it. Melted some butter, chopped garlic, bit of lemon juice. Tossed it in a pan and called it a day. Honestly? Whole thing felt upgraded.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 4–6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt + pepper, to taste

How To Make Garlic Butter Sauce

• Melt the butter: Small saucepan or skillet, medium heat. Just melt it slow — don’t brown it.
• Add the flavor: Garlic + lemon juice + parsley go in. Stir and let it cook ~1–2 mins. Watch the garlic — it burns quick.
• Season + finish: Add salt and pepper. Kill the heat. Taste and adjust if it needs a little more acid or salt.
• Serve: Pour it straight over whatever’s on the plate. Works hot or room temp.

Tips for Success

• Use unsalted butter if you wanna control salt better.
• Don’t walk away from the pan — garlic goes from golden to burnt real fast.
• Add parsley right at the end if you want it to stay green.
• You can scale the recipe in half, easy.
• Works cold too — like a compound butter if you let it chill.

Storage and Reheating

• Fridge: Keeps in a jar up to 5 days. Will solidify — just reheat on low.
• Freezer: Freeze in silicone molds or an ice cube tray. Pop one out when needed.
• Reheat: Low and slow. Don’t boil or fry it.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I use jarred garlic?
  You can. But fresh tastes better, especially in something this simple.
• Is lemon optional?
  Technically yeah, but it balances the butter. Wouldn’t skip it.
• What’s it best on?
  Steak, shrimp, pasta, potatoes — all of it.
• Can I make this ahead?
  Yep. Store in the fridge, reheat gently before using.
• Does this split if reheated?
  Not usually. Just don’t overheat it and you’re fine.

Common Mistakes and How to Dodge Them

• Burning the garlic: Easiest mistake. Low heat. Stir constantly. Once it smells strong, take it off.
• Over-seasoning: Butter has salt. Garlic has bite. Taste before dumping in extra salt.
• Using lemon from concentrate: Fresh is better. The bottled stuff tastes off. You only need a little.
• Letting it sit in the hot pan: Pan holds heat. Transfer to a bowl or jar or the garlic keeps cooking.
• Serving it too cold: If you’re using leftovers, warm it slightly so it’s pourable. Cold butter clumps.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving – estimated)

• Calories: 207 kcal
• Total Fat: 23g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Cholesterol: 61mg
• Sodium: 268mg
• Potassium: 22mg
• Carbohydrates: 1g
• Sugar: 0.1g
• Protein: 0.4g