Brown Butter: A Complete Guide

Elevate your dishes with the rich, nutty flavor of brown butter. Learn how with this easy step-by-step guide.

or read on for common questions and answers

What is brown butter?

Brown butter, also known as beurre noisette in French, is butter that has been cooked until the milk solids caramelize, resulting in a rich, nutty flavor and aroma.

What dishes can you use brown butter in?

Brown butter can be used in both sweet and savory applications, and can pretty much be substituted in any recipe that calls for regular melted butter.

It adds depth of flavor to dishes like pasta, roasted vegetables, cookies, pastries, and sauces.

Substitute it for bacon fat in my bacon fat Brussels recipe or regular butter in my buttered potato wedges recipe. For more ideas, see the recipe ideas for brown butter section.

Can you use salted butter to make brown butter?

Definitely, and it’s what I prefer to use.

Most recipes out there will tell you to use unsalted butter, but they always call for salt later in the recipe anyway, even baking recipes. Why not kill two birds with one stone? 

If substituting with salted butter, just make sure to leave out any salt that’s called for, especially in baking recipes.

What can you do if you accidentally burn the butter?

Unfortunately, nothing. Burnt brown butter has a bitter taste that will ruin your dish.

It’s best to discard it and start over.

Pay close attention and make sure to remove the butter from the heat as soon as it starts to turn brown and smell nutty.

How long does brown butter last?

Once cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few weeks.

You can also freeze it for longer storage. Frozen brown butter should last for a few months. 

Should you strain the milk solids from brown butter?

I usually leave the milk solids in, but it’s a matter of preference and the intended use.

Strained brown butter has a smoother texture and cleaner flavor.

Unstrained brown butter has a deeper and more complex flavor from the caramelized milk solids. So it’s really up to you.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, salted or unsalted

Equipment

• Saucepan and heat source

Makes: ½ cup Cook: 5 min

How to make it

Step 1

Start cooking butter in a saucepan.

Place the butter in a saucepan and start to cook over medium-high heat.

Step 2

Gently swirl and keep an eye.

Continue to cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, and watch as the butter goes through these stages: 

• Melting - heat melts the butter into a liquid.

• Foaming - it begins to foam as the water content evaporates.

• Clarifying - milk solids separate from the fat. The foam clears revealing a clear, golden liquid underneath.

• Golden Brown - milk solids begin to caramelize, creating a nutty aroma, and changing the color to a golden brown.

• Hazelnut Brown - milk solids caramelize further, adding depth and intensity, and changing the color to a hazelnut brown.

Step 3

Take off heat once brown specs appear.

Once you see brown specs at the bottom of the pan and smell the nutty aroma, it’s at the golden brown stage. Take it off here, or give it another minute to get to the hazelnut brown stage if you want a deeper flavor. 

Keep a close eye, the butter can go from brown to burnt very quickly! 

Transfer to a bowl to cool as the hot pan will continue cooking the butter off the heat.

Step 4

Cool, then use in recipes.

Once cool, it’s ready to use. 

If you’re not using it immediately, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to a few weeks or freeze it for up to a few months.

Can you make brown butter in the microwave?

Yes, making brown butter in the microwave is as easy as making it on the stove.

1. First, place one stick of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a lid or plate because it can splatter as it cooks.

2. Microwave for 3 minutes, then check and continue cooking in 30-second intervals until it’s golden brown or hazelnut brown and has that signature nutty aroma.

3. Let it rest for a couple of minutes before handling and wear oven mitts to avoid burning yourself.

Brown Butter Recipe Ideas

Try substituting brown butter for regular butter or oil in your favorite recipes. Here are some ideas for savory and sweet applications.

Savory

• Brown butter sage sauce for pasta or gnocchi

• Polenta with fresh summer corn (use brown butter in place of regular butter)

• Brussels sprouts with onions and mushrooms (use brown butter in place of bacon fat)

• Grilled buttered potato wedges (use brown butter in place of regular butter)

• Brown butter hot sauce

• Compound butter with roasted garlic and herbs

• Risotto with mushrooms

• Cheddar and jalapeno cornbread

• Brown butter for dipping lobster, crab, or scallops

• Buttery popcorn

Sweet

• Chocolate chip cookies

• Brown butter blondies

• Banana bread

• Brown butter frosting

• Brown butter tarts

• Pecan pie

• Salted caramel

• Rice crispy treats

• Apple crisp

A Powerful Flavor Booster

Brown butter is not just an ingredient, it's a flavor bomb! Whether sweet or savory, it elevates every dish with its rich, nutty flavor and aromatic depth.

So, give it a try next time you whip up a batch of cookies, gnocchi, or Brussels sprouts. Once you've tasted the golden goodness of brown butter, you'll wonder how you ever cooked without it.

Do you love brown butter as much as I do? Let me know in the comments!