Benihana Garlic Butter Recipe - Copycat

If you love garlic butter, you are in for a treat! This Benihana garlic butter recipe is made up of oven roasted garlic, black pepper, soy sauce and lemon juice mashed up with sweet, whipped butter. It's the secret to that distinct Japanese steakhouse flavor!

For those who don't know, Benihana is a Japanese restaurant chain which is very popular in the United States. The chefs use a wonderful savory butter in their cooking which makes their food taste incredibly good. This garlic butter is the big secret - it's what transforms Benihana dishes to the next level!

Why is this Benihana Garlic Butter recipe so special?

The secret to that depth of flavor in Benihana cooking is their special roasted garlic butter. Normally, minced garlic is sautéed in butter or oil to flavor the oil. Benihana uses a compound butter where roasted garlic, sweet, whipped butter, freshly ground black pepper, soy sauce and lemon juice is mashed up with whipped butter.

Many Benihana copycat recipes call for minced garlic mixed with butter. Don't be fooled - the oven roasted garlic, soy sauce and other ingredients mixed in with the whipped butter is what makes the difference. This special butter is not hard to make and is a fantastic pantry staple that can easily used to flavor non Japanese cuisine for more flavor.

Ingredients

You just need a few simple ingredients which are staple pantry items and can be easily found in any local grocery store. They include whole fresh garlic bulbs, sweet, whipped butter, freshly ground black pepper, soy sauce and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

While regular soy sauce is typically used in this recipe, you can also use light soy sauce if you prefer. The fresh lemon juice is optional but does add a solid umami flavor which really balances out the flavors. Either black or white pepper can be used.

What if you can't find whipped butter?

If you can't find whipped butter - just make your own. It's pretty easy:

1. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk to 8 ounces of room temperature sweet, unsalted butter.
2. Beat with an electric or stand mixture until light and fluffy.

HOW TO MAKE BENIHANA'S GARLIC BUTTER

Step One: Preheat oven to 350°F

Step Two: Cut about a third off the top of each head of garlic. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake the garlic for about 30 minutes or until they are soft inside.

Step Three:  Press out the soft, roasted garlic cloves into a medium bowl and mash with a fork or spoon so that there are no large chunks of garlic. You can also use a hand mixer or blender if you want the butter to be absolutely smooth. Wait for the mashed garlic to cool.

Step Five: Add about two tablespoons of room temperature whipped butter to the cooled mashed garlic. Beat with a spoon until fully combined. Add the remaining butter in half cup portions and continue mixing until all the butter has been added. Add the freshly ground black pepper, soy sauce and lemon juice and mix well. Taste for seasoning - add a pinch of salt if needed.

Nutrition

This Benihana Garlic Butter recipe has about 114 calories with 9.6g of carbohydrates, 7.1g of fat and 2g of protein per serving.

This recipe yields approximately 16 servings. The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.

Storage

Store garlic butter in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last about 2 weeks in the fridge. To freeze garlic butter, put it in a freezer bag or airtight container and label with the date. Frozen butter can last in the freezer for about 3 months.

If the refrigerated garlic butter looks grainy, just re-whip with a little room temperature butter. I usually use about 1-2 teaspoons per 4 ounces of garlic butter.

Uses

You can use Benihana garlic butter in many dishes. I am particularly addicted to this recipe because it pairs beautifully with savory dishes like roast chicken, grilled burgers and even fish. It makes a particularly delicious, toasted garlic bread.

The Benihana restaurant franchise uses their delicious butter to grill a variety of menu items like their Hibachi Fried Rice, Benihana Chicken and Hibachi Vegetables. While other Japanese hibachi restaurants have their own proprietary combinations for flavored oils and fats, I like the Benihana version the best because its literally finger-licking good!

10-minute fried rice recipe with Benihana Garlic Butter

This quick fried rice is made with common ingredients that can be found in your own kitchen. It is one of my favorite dishes that I often make on repeat - it's a tasty way to use up leftovers.

• Heat a large wok or large skillet for at least 5 minutes until it is smoking hot.
• Add a little bit of vegetable oil like olive oil to the wok or large frying pan.
• Break some eggs into a small bowl and scramble. Transfer to the wok. Fry. Push to the side
• Add some chopped chicken - leftover or raw chopped chicken breast is fine. Sauté until golden brown. Push to the side.
• Add vegetables that you have on hand- like frozen diced carrots and peas, broccoli, peppers and onions (I love onions in fried rice) - leftover cooked vegetables can be used too. All vegetable should be cut into small pieces. Mix everything well.
• Add the cooked rice about half at a time and mix well.
• Add the Benihana garlic butter, some soy sauce and sesame oil. You can add a pinch of sugar or a few drops of lemon juice if needed. Mix thoroughly. Taste for seasoning. Top the cooked with sliced green onions, bean sprouts or sesame seeds.

Tips: For best results, always make fried rice with day-old rice. However, if you need to cook rice the same day as the fried rice, you can still get great results by spreading it across a baking sheet and letting it dry for as long as you can. The idea is to dry the rice so it absorbs as much of the delicious flavor as possible. This easy recipe works for both brown and white rice.

More Hibachi Recipes

Benihana Hibachi Chicken Recipe (Copycat). This Hibachi Chicken Recipe takes less than 30 minutes to come together and tastes like you just ordered it from Benihana! Juicy, succulent chicken is seared in that fabulous roasted garlic butter then drizzled with oodles of magic mustard sauce! Simple, yet absolutely delicious!

Hibachi Fried Rice Recipe - Benhinan Copycat. If you'd like to recreate some of that Benihana magic at home - look no further. This is the perfect Hibachi Fried Rice Recipe - Benihana Copycat!

Hibachi Vegetable Recipe - Learn how to cook this Hibachi Vegetable Recipe with that distinct Benihana flavor in the comfort of your own home. Ready in 15 minutes. No grill needed.

FINALLY, IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE

I’d love to hear how it went – please leave a comment and rate this recipe. Above all, I love hearing from all of you and will do my best to answer each and every comment! And of course, if you do make this recipe, please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! It will make my day!