Garlic Butter Sauce

Tanya Eisenwasser

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A basic garlic butter sauce for vegetables, pasta, or fish.

Prep 5 min

Cook 5 min

Serves 4

Gluten-free

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Melt the Butter

1. Add butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Let it melt gently without browning.

Add the Garlic

1. Once the butter is melted, add the minced garlic.
2. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned.
3. Browning the garlic will make it bitter, so keep the heat low.

Finish the Sauce

1. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh parsley.
2. Season with salt.
3. Use immediately while warm.

Tips & Substitutions

• Keep the heat low. Browning the garlic makes it bitter. Medium-low heat is all you need.
• Use ghee if you are sensitive to dairy proteins. Ghee has most of the milk solids removed, making it easier to tolerate for some people. It is still a dairy product, but many who react to butter do better with ghee.
• Start with 1 clove of garlic if it tends to bother you, then increase next time if you tolerate it well.
• Add other fresh herbs at the end. Basil, thyme, or rosemary all work well stirred in after removing from heat.
• Swap butter for olive oil if you want a fully dairy-free version without ghee. The flavor will be different but still tasty.

Why This Works

Butter. Fresh butter is generally lower in histamine than aged dairy products like cheese. Some people with histamine intolerance tolerate butter well, especially when it is fresh and high quality.

Fresh garlic. Contains quercetin, a compound sometimes discussed in mast cell research. However, garlic can also act as a histamine liberator for some people, so it is listed as adjustable. Start small and see how you respond.

Fresh parsley. Low in histamine and generally well tolerated. It adds color and a mild, fresh flavor.

Minimal ingredients. With only four ingredients, this sauce is easy to troubleshoot if you have a reaction. Fewer ingredients means less guesswork.

Storage

Best used immediately while warm. This sauce does not store well, as butter sauces tend to separate and lose their texture. If needed, refrigerate for up to 1 day and gently reheat over low heat, whisking to recombine. Making a fresh batch takes only 5 minutes, so it is worth preparing just before serving.

Not sure if an ingredient is safe? Histamine Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with histamine ratings to help you cook with confidence.