Anchovy Butter Pasta (Easy 10 Minute Recipe)
Apr 22, 2026
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If you have butter, a tin of anchovies and some pasta in your kitchen, you are only minutes away from a rich, silky and incredibly simple anchovy butter pasta. It’s the kind of pantry dinner that feels a little bit fancy without any extra effort.
Why you’ll love this anchovy butter pasta!
This pasta could not be easier or quicker to make! It comes together in minutes using simple pantry staples, but tastes rich, silky and full of flavour thanks to the anchovies melting into the butter. If you love this kind of no fuss cooking, it sits right alongside some of my favourite pantry pastas like my tomato butter pasta, easy pastina and pasta e piselli.
Ingredients For Anchovy Butter Pasta
As I keep on saying, you really don’t need much to make this anchovy butter pasta! You most likely already have all these ingredients sitting in your pantry at home!
- Pasta – I love using spaghetti or linguine here so the silky anchovy butter sauce can really coat every strand, but any pasta you have on hand will work.
- Anchovies – A good quality tin in olive oil is key. Don’t worry, they melt into the butter and don’t taste fishy, just deeply savoury and rich.
- Butter – This is the base of your sauce, so use the best you can!
- Garlic – A few cloves, finely sliced or minced. It adds that warmth and flavour that works so well with the anchovies.
- Lemon – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end lifts everything and cuts through the richness.
- Parmesan – Finely grated, for serving. It adds saltiness and ties everything together.
- Parsley – Freshly chopped for a bit of colour and freshness at the end.
how TO Make Anchovy Butter Pasta
This is one of those recipes that comes together in minutes with barely any effort. The key is to whisk the anchovies through the butter to get them beautifully melted.
Step 1: While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large fry pan on a medium – high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring quite often.
Step 2: Add the anchovies to the pan and stir through until they have broken down and melted into the butter. You can do this with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Turn the heat to low and add the pasta to the sauce, along with a splash of pasta water. Stir through until you have a silky and glossy sauce. Slowly add more pasta water if needed.
Step 4: If using lemon, parsley and parmesan, squeeze the lemon over the top followed by the parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.
FAQ’s
No, the anchovies melt into the butter and create a rich, savoury flavour rather than a strong fishy taste.
Spaghetti, angel hair pasta or linguine work best as they hold onto the silky butter sauce, but any pasta you have on hand will work.
Yes, you can leave the garlic out (you can also leave the lemon, parmesan and parsley out if you like), but it does add a beautiful depth of flavour that pairs perfectly with the anchovies.
Anchovies in olive oil are best for this recipe as they melt more easily and we also use the oil from the tin in the recipe!
How To Serve
Serve this anchovy butter pasta straight from the pan while it’s hot and glossy, finished with a generous sprinkle of parmesan, fresh parsley and an extra crack of black pepper. I love it with a simple green salad on the side and some warm bread to scoop up every last bit of that buttery sauce.
How To Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When reheating, add a splash of water and warm it gently on the stove to bring the sauce back to life and keep it silky.
More Simple Pasta’s To Love!
If you make this anchovy butter pasta, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations! If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Anchovy Butter Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 8 anchovy fillets, + olive oil from the tin
- 10 oz spaghetti
- 1 lemon , optional
- parmesan, optional
- fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Boil pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta as per the instructions on the pasta packet. Be sure to cook the pasta 2 – 3 minutes less than the suggested time on the packet as we want it to be very el dente when drained. Drain the pasta and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
- Melt butter: While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large fry pan on a medium – high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring quite often.
- Anchovies: Add the anchovies to the pan and stir through until they have broken down and melted into the butter. You can do this with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Be careful with the salt as this sauce is already salty from the anchovies (salt may not even be needed!)
- Pasta: Turn the heat to low and add the pasta to the sauce, along with a splash of pasta water. Stir through until you have a silky and glossy sauce. Slowly add more pasta water if needed.
- Serve: If using lemon, parsley and parmesan, squeeze the lemon over the top followed by the parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Anchovies are the hero here — use a good quality tin in oil as they melt better and give a smoother, richer sauce.
- Stir the anchovies through the butter with a wooden spoon or whisk to make sure they are broken down and melt into the sauce.
- Reserve your pasta water — this is what helps create that silky, glossy sauce.
- Be generous with the butter, this is a simple recipe where each ingredient really matters.
- Cook your pasta just to al dente as it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Taste before adding extra salt, the anchovies and parmesan are already quite salty.
- Best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be gently reheated with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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