Simple? Yes! Incredibly flavorful? Double yes! It doesn’t get much easier than this
quick homemade garlic butter sauce. Prepared stovetop, the sauce
combines unsalted butter with fresh minced garlic, and is ready within 5 minutes.
Pro tip: Don’t brown the garlic!
Recipes that you can make from memory, no—by heart—have a lot of things in common. They’re usually quick (5 minutes), have just a few ingredients (just 4!), and they’re always darn good. Equally as good as my spaghetti aglio e olio, this garlic and butter sauce is worth memorizing for all your favorite garlic lovers.
Don’t freak out when you see how loaded this buttery, rich sauce is with garlic. It’s spread out across a half-pound of pasta and everyone you are serving it to is going to be in the same boat as you.
Just provide some breath mints with dessert.
⇢ What to serve alongside pasta with garlic and butter: fresh arugula salad, baked chicken parmesan, or my mom’s crispy chicken recipe. Or give my eggplant parmesan stacks a try…so good!
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Easy from-scratch pasta sauce
Butter garlic sauce is one of those from scratch pasta sauces you’ll make from memory after making it one time.
Here’s why:
- Pasta shape friendly. This sauce works for pretty much every pasta shape. I also think garlic and butter pasta sauce for ravioli is one of the best combos on earth. Especially with a ricotta cheese ravioli.
- Crusty bread’s best friend. This buttery garlic sauce is begging to be dipped into! Make a batch of my crispy focaccia bread recipe and you’ll see what I mean.
- Versatile. Any pasta sauce recipe that can be paired with chicken, fish, shellfish or vegetables is worth bookmarking, right?
Ingredient spotlight
Just like this super popular butter and cream sauce, my simple homemade butter sauce for pasta calls for only a few ingredients.
🧈 Unsalted butter. A whole stick of butter (good quality butter, please!). Unsalted butter is also recommended so that you can control the salt (see the FAQ’s below).
🧄 Garlic cloves. 8 cloves sounds like a lot but all that fresh minced garlic adds so much flavor!
🧂 Kosher salt and black pepper. Start with less and add more to taste. The right amount of salt is important with pasta!
Quick butter sauce for pasta: step-by-step
This is going to move super fast so grab a large skillet, some butter and garlic and let’s get cooking!
- Melt the butter (a whole stick…you are making a butter-based sauce for pasta!) over low heat until it foams a bit. This should take a couple of minutes. (I told you…it’s a quick meal!)
- While the butter simmers down, finely mince the garlic and then add the garlic to the pan along with some salt and pepper.
- Simmer the garlic on low for 5 minutes.
- That’s it! So easy!
Pro Tip
Don’t leave the stove as the garlic is cooking. It’ll turn brown or burn really quickly and you’ll be starting over from scratch!
Cook some pasta
Pasta water
Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water to help “marry” the sauce and pasta together in the pan.
-Josie + Nina
Variations
You can use this butter garlic pasta sauce as the springboard for other dishes. Here are a few ideas:
- Lemon butter garlic pasta sauce. Squeeze in some lemon for bright zest of flavor. Serve with sauteed scallops or shrimp…so good!
- Pasta with garlic butter and mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms first and then add to the butter and garlic.
- Chicken and pasta with garlic butter sauce. Add some of my Foolproof Chicken and make it a whole meal!
- Vegetarian version with spinach, mushrooms, pepper and a little shaved truffle or truffle butter. YUMMO!
Storage, make ahead, reheat and freezer tips
Store
Use garlic butter pasta sauce within 3 days whether tossed with pasta or stored in an airtight container.
Make ahead
Garlic butter sauce can be made ahead and melted in a skillet or saucepan before tossing with hot pasta.
Reheat
Heat covered in the microwave in 30 second increments.
Freeze
Garlic butter sauce can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months.
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5 Minute Garlic-Butter Sauce for Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
- ½ lb spaghetti or linguine, cooked in salted water
- fresh parmesan cheese, grated; for serving
- fresh parsley, chopped; for serving
- crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Mince the garlic very finely.8 cloves garlic
- In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter until it foams.8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the garlic to the butter along with the salt and pepper and cook on a simmer or low for about 5 minutes. You don't want to brown the garlic.1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Toss the cooked pasta in with the butter and garlic sauce until all the pasta strands are coated with the sauce.½ lb spaghetti or linguine
- Sprinkle over fresh parmesan, chopped parsley and crushed red pepper if using. Eat immediately and enjoy!fresh parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, crushed red pepper
Notes
- Watch the garlic closely and use low heat/simmer setting on your stove. As soon as it’s brown, the flavor of the dish will change so don’t brown the garlic.
I loved the sauce! I did want to ask if the recipe is 8 oz of butter or 4oz? It says 8 but then in the directions you say you are using a stick of butter which would be 4oz or 1/2 cup. I used 2 sticks and feel like one stick would have been enough for the amount of pasta. I use your recipes often and have loved them all! Thanks.
Rhonda, you are 100% correct! It is 8 Tablespoons, not ounces as I had mistakenly written. As fast as this recipe is to prepare, clearly I needed to slow down when I shared it. The recipe card is corrected but I am glad to hear the extra butter didn’t get in the way of you enjoying the sauce.
Astonishing🤩🤩
I used potato gnocchi, it it paired perfectly!
I concur! I use my homemade gnocchi recipe which is part my grandma Nina’s recipe, part mine when I’m feeling like making it homemade – thanks for trying the butter sauce!
I’ve been flipping through bauuter sauce recipes and decided that yours is the one I want to try. I’m keeping 4 boys tonight under 13 and this looks like the perfect main for a crowd. Green beans and some garlic toast ought to hit the mark. Can’t wait to let you know the all-male rave reviews! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! Thank you so much! I feel very honored along with a wee bit of pressure but it’s the easiest darn pasta recipe in the world. And, you win Mom of the Year…feeding 4 boys under 13! I love and miss those days with my oldest and his friends who I fed on the regular😊 Hope you get some time for you too and let me know how the pasta goes! xo
I made your 5 minute garlic butter sauce for Pasta, for my husband & myself for dinner tonight & it was so delicious! We’re both big fans & I will make it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Judy
Yay! That makes me so happy! Glad you and your husband enjoyed it 😊 and thanks so much for taking the time to share Judy!