Garlic Herb Butter for Turkey
Rub your Thanksgiving turkey with this compound Garlic Herb Butter for added flavor and moisture. Prepare the herbed butter in advance to save yourself time on the big day!
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Our Favorite Compound Butter to Use on Thanksgiving!
The recipe I’m sharing with you today is a garlic herb compound butter that’s ideal for any cut of turkey. To make it, softened butter is combined with fragrant fresh herbs like rosemary and sage as well as minced garlic.
The one “secret” ingredient? Olive oil! Adding a little olive oil to the herb butter keeps it smooth and spreadable, making it so much easier to rub beneath the skin of your turkey.
Here’s why it deserves a spot on your holiday table:
✔ Quick and Easy: Once the butter has softened, it gets mixed with the garlic and herbs in less than 5 minutes.
✔ Super Moist Turkey with Crispy Skin: Rubbing butter under the skin of a whole turkey or turkey breast before roasting is a guaranteed way to infuse the meat with tons of fresh flavor, lock in moisture, and crisp up the skin.
✔ Make-Ahead Friendly: Compound butters last for several days in the fridge or for up to 2 months in the freezer. This makes prepping for a big holiday dinner SO easy!
Happy Thanksgiving!
-Katie
The Key Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need a handful of simple ingredients to make the herbed butter for your turkey. A full list of ingredients with their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter — If you’ve brined your turkey, I recommend using unsalted butter so as not to add extra unnecessary salt. Also, you must use softened butter to make the garlic herb butter for your Thanksgiving turkey (here’s my tutorial on how to soften butter quickly).
- Olive Oil — This is what keeps the garlic herb butter nice and spreadable, so don’t omit it.
- Garlic — Freshly minced garlic is a must. Don’t substitute with garlic powder or your herbed butter won’t taste as “fresh.”
- Fresh Herbs — Take your cue from Simon and Garfunkle and use a blend of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. If you don’t have all four herbs, use what you do have on hand. If possible, please use at least two types of fresh herbs to create the most flavorful turkey. (If you only have dried herbs, use one-third the amount that the recipe calls for.)
How to Make Herbed Garlic Butter for a Turkey
This garlic herb compound butter comes together in about 5 minutes and can be refrigerated for later or immediately slathered under the turkey skin.
- Make the herb butter: Combine the softened butter, garlic, olive oil, and chopped fresh herbs in a mixing bowl.
- Shape into a log (optional): If you wish to shape the butter and store it for later, transfer the butter mixture to a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap and shape into a log. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Rub under the skin of the turkey: If you chilled the butter mixture, bring it back to room temperature. Gently loosen the turkey skin before rubbing the garlic herb butter around the bird and inside the cavity. (You want the butter to be rubbed directly onto the meat, beneath the skin.)
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- I like to wear gloves when loosening the skin of the turkey and slathering on the compound butter to keep my hands cleaner.
- If frying the turkey, I recommend only placing the butter under the skin and not in the cavity or the exterior.
- If smoking the turkey, I recommend placing a drip tray under the turkey while in the smoker to collect the excess butter as it melts. This helps keep the smoker cleaner because it produces less grease.
- Planning to make an old-fashioned stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving? The end results will be delicious so long as you take the proper precautions to cook the stuffing properly! Check out my tutorial on How to Roast a Stuffed Turkey so your bird turns out moist and juicy and the stuffing gets fully cooked through.
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
How much butter should I rub over a turkey?
The amount of herb butter you should use for different areas of the turkey will vary depending on how large your bird is.
For an average sized turkey (12 to 14 pounds), start with the below measurements, then adjust adding more according to your preference:
- 2 tablespoons for turkey breast
- 2 tablespoons inside of cavity
- 3 to 4 tablespoons for all over turkey exterior
Should I use salted or unsalted butter on my Thanksgiving turkey?
If your turkey has been brined or injected with a marinade that contains salt, I suggest sticking with unsalted butter. Otherwise, salted butter works!
Can I add salt and/or pepper? If so, how much?
Yes, but only add a pinch! Remember that turkey brine is very salty, so if you’re brining your turkey then you really don’t need extra salt in the garlic herb butter.
And if you’re using salted butter, you definitely don’t need to add extra salt to the mixture.
Can I use this on turkey breast vs whole turkey?
Of course! However, you’ll need roughly 2 tablespoons of the butter herb rub if using on just a turkey breast.
Storage Instructions
If you wind up with leftovers, they will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Only store leftover butter if it has not touched the raw turkey! Once the butter comes into contact with the raw turkey, it needs to be used or thrown away.
Leftover butter can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it firm up in the fridge (sealed within parchment paper or plastic wrap) before transferring to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
More Ways to Flavor Your Holiday Turkey
Be sure to check out the Thanksgiving recipe index for all of my tried and true sides, gravies, entrees, desserts, and more!
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Garlic Herb Butter for a Turkey
Rub your Thanksgiving turkey with this compound Garlic Herb Butter for added flavor and moisture. Prepare the herbed butter in advance to save yourself time on the big day!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter (I prefer Kerrygold)*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped sage
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Instructions
Making the Herb Butter
- Bring the butter to room temperature. If you forgot to do so, here’s a guide on how to soften butter quickly.
- Then, add the softened butter to a mixing bowl. Using a microplane grater, grate the garlic cloves into the bowl with the butter.
- Next, add the olive oil and chopped herbs. Combine the ingredients. You can do this using a fork, pastry cutter, or handheld electric mixer.
Shaping the Herb Butter (Optional)
- If you wish to shape the butter, once the ingredients are all combined, transfer the butter mixture to a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
- Shape the butter mixture into a log, then roll up in the plastic wrap or parchment paper. After you’ve shaped the butter, place it in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm.
Using the Butter for Turkey
- You want to use softened butter for this, so if you’ve made it in advance and refrigerated the mixture, you’ll need to soften it first.
- Carefully loosen the skin on the turkey by using your fingers to separate the skin from the breast meat.
- I recommend starting on the side of the turkey closest to the cavity and working your way to the end of the breast by gently sliding your fingers under the skin once separated. Work slowly and carefully so you don’t tear the skin.
- Then, rub some of the softened herb butter over the breast meat (under the skin). Rub more butter inside the cavity of the turkey as well as all over on the outside of the turkey.
- Proceed with cooking the turkey according to your preference.
Notes
*Butter: If you've brined your turkey or are using a salt injected turkey, I recommend using unsalted butter so as not to add extra unnecessary salt. Also, you must use softened butter to make the garlic herb butter for your Thanksgiving turkey (here’s my tutorial on how to soften butter quickly).
Shaping the compound butter is only necessary if you're preparing it for later use or want to serve it on your holiday table alongside dinner rolls, etc. (i.e. as a flavored butter than as a rub for your roast turkey.)
Try Making an Herb and Butter Rub for Your Turkey This Year!
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