Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce Recipe (2024)

This delicious Cajun garlic butter sauce recipe is a showstopping accoutrement that only takes a few minutes to make and could not be easier to make! This versatile recipe can be used at your next shrimp boil, drizzled over veggies, or as a steak sauce.

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This sauce is the combination of two recipes that I use all the time, my homemade Cajun seasoning and my easy garlic butter sauce with white wine. It is a year-round favorite that I can't get enough of!

📖Why This Recipe Works

In order to get a superior garlic flavor, we need to skip the garlic powder and the prechopped garlic. Instead, this recipe uses fresh garlic cloves. And a lot of them.

The key to this delicious sauce is the caramelization of the fresh garlic.

A rich sauce made with butter needs an appropriate amount of acid to cut through the delicious fat. I like to use fresh lemon juice because it provides a bright flavor.

It is the perfect spicy garlic butter sauce for your next Cajun seafood boil.

🧾Ingredient Notes

This easy Cajun butter sauce only requires a few simple ingredients. And with such a simple cooking technique it is critical that they are of good quality. Let's start with butter!

Unsalted Butter- Always use unsalted butter when baking or cooking from scratch. In this recipe, I recommend using European-style butter. In the EU, unsalted butter has to be at least 82% fat. While in the US, butter only contains 80% fat, and the rest is water.

Unsalted butter also will have a higher fat content than salted butter. More fat equals more flavor! Whichever style you get, just make sure it is a high-quality butter.

Fresh Garlic Cloves- This recipe calls for 4 cloves of finely minced garlic. Use medium to large cloves. And feel free to add additional minced garlic as desired.

The garlic needs to be finely minced or you can use a garlic press or a microplane.

Cajun Seasoning Mix- For this recipe, I use my homemade blackening seasoning. But you can also use storebought.

One thing to note, my seasoning uses white pepper instead of black pepper. White pepper adds more heat and has a smoother finish.

Lemon Juice- I use fresh lemon juice, but you can absolutely use bottled. Add a little lemon zest if you want a punchier flavor.

Parsley- Adding fresh parsley gives the sauce a bit of green and a pop of brightness.

While this is a spicy sauce, you can feel free to jazz it up with a little extra sauce or crushed red pepper flakes.

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

⏲️How to Make Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce

The best part of this recipe is how easy it is to make. Resist the urge to make this recipe in the microwave. I know that may seem like the easy way, but you will miss out on the sweetness of the sauteed garlic.

Step 1-Carmelize the Garlic

A quick and gentle saute of the raw chopped garlic will sweeten the flavor of the sauce. No need to use olive oil. Instead, take one tablespoon from your stick of butter and add to a small saucepan (or saute pan).

Melt the butter over low heat. Once it begins to sizzle add the garlic. Stirring constantly, cook the garlic for a minute.

Step 2- Deglaze

The garlic should turn light brown. Pour in the lemon juice, reduce the burner to low heat, and simmer for a minute.

Step 3- Melt the Butter

Add the remaining butter, fresh parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Allow the butter to fully melt over low heat. Season to taste but rarely do I find it needs salt or pepper.

🥗How to Use Cajun Butter Sauce

This simple sauce is more than just melted butter and can add so much flavor to a wide array of dishes. Here are just a few ideas:

• Add it to your next crab or crawfish boil.
• Drizzle over roasted zucchini, grilled sweet corn, roasted red potatoes, or fresh cooked green beans.
• Spoon over lobster tails or use as a dipping sauce for shrimp, snow crab legs, or crawfish.
• This sauce complements my blacked cod recipe and many other seafood recipes.
• Or swap out the garlic herb butter on my gluten-free garlic bread recipe. New Orleans garlic bread? Yes please!
• Use it to baste cast-iron seared steaks.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tip

Using unsalted European-style butter or American cultured butter will result in a creamier texture and better flavor.

🌡️Storage

The leftover Cajun sauce will keep for 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

My favorite way to store leftover sauce is in the freezer where it will keep for 2 to 3 months. I use small silicone ice trays to hold the sauce. Pop them out whenever you need a quick sauce.

I personally save the leftovers for brushing on hamburger buns before toasting. They make my favorite Wagyu beef burger and spicy chicken sandwiches just that much better!

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💬Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe Card