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    Recipes » Side Dish

    Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

    Published: Jun 7, 2021 by Marissa Stevens · 29 Comments

    Gluten FreeLow CarbVegetarianMediterranean

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    lemon garlic butter sauce on a spoon over a white bowl

    Made in less than 10 minutes, Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce transforms a few simple ingredients into a rich, silky sauce that elevates everything from pasta and vegetables to meat, fish and seafood.

    Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce served in a white bowl with a serving spoon on a white marble board

    Having a few versatile, creamy sauce recipes up your sleeve is a lifesaver, especially when you need to make a nice dinner fast. This bright, fragrant sauce with a delectably buttery texture is one of those recipes.

    Ingredients You Need to Make Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

    Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce Ingredients on a white marble board
    • Butter: salted or unsalted butter
    • Olive Oil: ideally good, extra-virgin olive oil
    • Fresh Garlic: Look for a firm, fresh head of garlic with large cloves and smooth skin.
    • Lemon: Ideally organic as you'll need both juice and zest.
    • Parsley: Fresh, flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley) - dried parsley is not a good substitute in this dish.
    • Kosher Salt

    This sauce shares many similarities with classic creamy sauces in Italian and French cuisines. Sautéing garlic in a rich blend of butter and olive oil creates a deeply flavorful base, but it's the fresh lemon juice and zest that makes all the difference. A Mediterranean element that lightens the sauce and adds bright flavor and aroma. (Your kitchen will smell amazing). A restaurant-quality lemon garlic butter sauce in 7 minutes flat.

    Serve With

    Though this vibrant, buttery sauce is ideal for seafood, its uses are endless. Add spark to a side of steamed vegetables or platter of grilled meat, drizzle over a tender fish fillet for an alluring lunch, or toss with your favorite pasta to feed your family fast or for a quick and easy date-night dinner. It's such a simple recipe that you'll learn it by heart.

    More Recipes You'll Love

    • Lemon Garlic Pasta
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    • Lemon Garlic Asparagus

    How to make Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

    In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir garlic in sizzling butter and olive oil until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest and fresh parsley. Season to taste with salt and serve.

    sizzling butter in small skillet
    adding garlic to melted butter in skillet
    sizzling butter and garlic in skillet
    adding parsley and lemon zest to butter and garlic in skillet
    lemon garlic butter sauce ready to transfer to serving dish
    Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce served in a white bowl with a serving spoon on a white marble board

    Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

    Marissa Stevens
    A versatile, buttery and bright sauce to serve with all kinds of vegetables, meats, fish and seafood! Made in less than 10 minutes.
    4.67 from 9 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 2 minutes mins
    Total Time 7 minutes mins
    Course Condiment
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 193 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 tablespoons butter
    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 6 large garlic cloves minced
    • 1 large lemon juice and zest
    • 1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
    • kosher salt to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Heat butter and olive oil in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat until sizzling. Add minced garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice, and parsley. Season with salt to taste and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 101mgPotassium: 44mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 410IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword easy
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Marian says

      August 07, 2023 at 10:53 am

      5 stars
      The most perfect sauce!!!
      So quick, easy and versatile and most of all, delicious!
      Thank you Marissa!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        August 08, 2023 at 12:58 pm

        aww...my pleasure, Marian. Thanks so much for your kind comment.

        Reply
    2. Steve says

      July 14, 2023 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      Made my favourite baked crumbed salmon with side salad . We spooned this dressing over golden crumbed salmon and it raised the flavour to the next level . Please make this , you won’t be disappointed. 5stars . Thank you .

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        July 18, 2023 at 10:42 am

        aww...thanks so much, Steve. I'm so glad you enjoyed this!

        Reply
    3. Peter Norman says

      June 29, 2023 at 5:57 pm

      4 stars
      Lovely on salmon or any fish. Also great on pasta or rice. Can’t wait to try it on linguine with clams.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 30, 2023 at 2:43 pm

        So glad you're enjoying the sauce, Peter!

        Reply
    4. Donna Norman says

      June 27, 2023 at 11:17 am

      3 stars
      You would think this simple sauce would be very flavorful, but its not.
      Don't know where I went wrong, but it's flavorless.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 27, 2023 at 11:53 am

        Hi Donna. I'm sorry to hear that this wasn't what you were hoping for.

        Reply
      • Peter Norman says

        June 29, 2023 at 5:59 pm

        Hey Donna,
        Did you use big cloves of garlic? Mine weren’t all that big so I used eight cloves to make up for size. Adding salt is also crucial to bump up the flavour.

        Reply
    5. Denise says

      June 10, 2023 at 10:45 am

      Can i use a pinch of sugar if i use salted butter..or no need

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 10, 2023 at 2:14 pm

        Hi Denise! No need to add sugar with salted butter.

        Reply
    6. Linda says

      March 20, 2023 at 2:03 pm

      Can I use basil instead of Italian parsley in garlic buttery lemon sauce

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        March 25, 2023 at 3:55 am

        Hi Linda! Sure!

        Reply
    7. Victoria says

      January 21, 2023 at 10:22 am

      5 stars
      So easy, and came out delicious! I put it over a seafood pasta.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 23, 2023 at 11:43 am

        Hi Victoria! So glad you're enjoying the recipe. Perfect pairing with your seafood pasta!

        Reply
    8. Ohliver says

      June 23, 2022 at 8:10 am

      Delicious as is.

      I tried this...Added 4 Tablespoons of heavy cream at the end, and poured it over cooked cubed potatoes, cooked carrots, and sliced fresh scallions. Mixed, then added a sprinkling of fresh flat leaf parsley on top. Delicious too.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 28, 2022 at 2:09 pm

        Sounds delicious, Ohliver!

        Reply
    9. Chris says

      February 24, 2022 at 10:28 am

      5 stars
      Made it today was delicious stirred on noodles with lemon sole for myself and chicken for my husband a side of mange tout so quick and easy

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 24, 2022 at 11:10 am

        Sounds wonderful, Chris! So glad you and your husband enjoyed this.

        Reply
    10. June says

      October 17, 2021 at 6:29 pm

      Is nutrition for entire amout-assumimg so as it doesn't mention a quantity-possibly clarify in recipe. Sounds good, thinking to try it. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        October 18, 2021 at 8:44 am

        Hi June. The recipe serves about 6 people, so the nutrition information represents 1/6 of the recipe.

        Reply
    11. Gina says

      July 23, 2021 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      Poured this on mahi mahi, easy and delicious! I still have some left over-Can it be frozen for later use?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        July 23, 2021 at 8:47 am

        So glad you enjoyed this, Gina! Yes, you can absolutely freeze it for use later. For convenient portions, I like to freeze it in an ice cube tray and transfer to a freezer safe container once frozen.

        Reply
        • Jojo says

          July 15, 2022 at 4:30 pm

          Hello, great recipe! Do you think I can make it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator? If so how long do you think it will last before it goes bad?

          Reply
          • Marissa Stevens says

            July 15, 2022 at 8:39 pm

            Hi Jojo! You can make this up to 5 days in advance - just store in the refrigerator in an airtight container before reheating.

            Reply
    12. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

      June 08, 2021 at 5:23 pm

      5 stars
      Such a delicious versatile sauce Marissa! I love sauces like this. Only a few ingredients, yet so much fresh flavor!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 11, 2021 at 1:23 pm

        Thank you, Mary Ann. It's such a great back-pocket sauce - I keep finding new ways to enjoy it!

        Reply
    13. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      June 07, 2021 at 5:17 pm

      Beautiful and aromatic sauce - perfect for so many summer dishes! I love using the same combination (But with thyme or rosemary instead of parsley) for pasta sauces!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 11, 2021 at 1:24 pm

        Thanks, Ben! Those herbs are a great way to riff on this recipe.

        Reply

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