BHA & BHT Free Garlic-Parsley Butter

Total time1 hr 10 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time0 min

4.9

(30)

Compound butter is one of those kitchen staples that quietly elevates everything it touches — a pat melting over grilled steak, a swipe across warm crusty bread, or a finishing flourish on roasted vegetables. The problem with many store-bought flavored butters is that they often sneak in synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, which makes them a no-go for anyone avoiding those additives. This version keeps things completely clean, relying on real unsalted butter, fresh garlic, bright flat-leaf parsley, and a little lemon zest to do all the heavy lifting. The result is rich, herby, and just a little punchy — with an optional hit of red pepper flakes if you want a gentle kick. Rolling it into a log and chilling it means you always have a ready-to-slice round on hand, and the whole thing stores beautifully in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for two months. It takes almost no time to pull together and the payoff is enormous — this is the kind of thing that makes a simple weeknight dinner feel genuinely special.

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Ingredients

8 servings

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and beat with a fork or hand mixer until smooth and evenly spreadable, about 1 minute.
2
Add the garlic, parsley, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir and fold until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the butter with no streaks.

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