Ribeye Steak with Garlic Herb Butter (Cast-Iron Keto Recipe)

Rich, pan-seared ribeye finished with a garlic and herb compound butter that melts into every crevice of the crust. This is steak-night cooking stripped back to its best: a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet, a good cut of beef, and butter doing what butter does.

It’s one of the 20 recipes inside our Keto Cookbook, and we’re sharing this Ribeye Steak with Garlic Herb Butter in full so you can taste the standard before you buy the book. It’s naturally keto, ready in under half an hour, and reads far fancier than the effort it asks.

Why this recipe works

The technique is all in the sear and the baste: you dry the steaks, hit a smoking-hot skillet for three minutes a side to build a deep crust, then drop the heat and spoon melted compound butter over the top so the garlic and herbs perfume the meat as it finishes. A six-minute rest lets the juices settle before you slice against the grain.

Ingredients

Steak

• 2 ribeye steaks, 250g each, 3cm thick
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp beef tallow or ghee

Compound Butter

• 80g unsalted butter, softened
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Optional Garnish

• Flaky Maldon salt for finishing

Serves 2 · Prep 10 min · Cook 12 min · 685 kcal per serving

Instructions

1. Prepare compound butter. Mash softened butter with grated garlic, parsley, and thyme. Roll in parchment into a log and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
2. Temper and season. Rest steaks at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. Sear the ribeye. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add tallow, then lay steaks away from you. Sear 3 minutes per side, basting fat cap against the pan edge.
4. Butter baste and rest. Reduce heat to medium, top each steak with a thick slice of compound butter, and spoon melted butter over the top for 1 minute. Rest 6 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Keto tip

Dry brine uncovered in the fridge for 4 hours before cooking — surface moisture is the enemy of a deep mahogany crust.

Get the full Keto Cookbook

Loved this one? It’s a single recipe from a 20-strong collection of keto cooking built the same way — clear ingredients, exact times, no guesswork. Grab the full Keto Cookbook below.