Add an extra dose of nutty, caramelized flavor to your recipes with brown butter! Learn how to easily brown butter with these detailed step-by-step instructions, tips, and video!
Brown butter is the one-ingredient secret sauce that can elevate the flavor of cookies, cakes, and so many more recipes!
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What is brown butter?
Brown butter (or browned butter) is butter that has been cooked beyond its melting point, until the water in the butter evaporates and the milk solids in the butter become toasted and browned. This process of cooking the butter alters its flavor, adding a toasty, nutty, caramelized taste.
Learn how to easily brown butter by following these detailed and step-by-step directions.
Equipment & Ingredients
Butter - Cut the butter into cubes to help it melt evenly and more quickly. Since the butter can spit a bit as it browns, don't try to brown more than 1 cup of butter at a time.
Light-colored skillet - A light-colored skillet (or sauté pan) has lots of surface area for toasting the milk solids, and you'll be able to easily see the color changing. Avoid coated or cast iron pans, since their dark color makes it hard to monitor the browning of your butter. A saucepan can work in a pinch, but it's not ideal because of its smaller surface area.
Rubber spatula - You'll need a heat-safe rubber spatula for stirring the butter as it browns. A wooden spoon or silicone whisk works as well.
Heat-safe bowl - Have a heat-safe bowl ready before you begin so that you can immediately stop the cooking process by transferring the butter to the bowl when it reaches the proper toastiness.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Melt the butter over medium heat.
Step 2: As you continue to cook the butter, it will begin to bubble and the butter will become bright yellow.
Step 3: The bubbles will turn to foam, and the milk solids will begin to toast.
Step 4: The butter is perfectly browned when the milk solids are a light amber color and the butter begins to turn from yellow to golden.
Step 5: Immediately (but carefully) pour the browned butter into the heat-safe bowl to stop it from cooking further. Be sure to scrape all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl with the butter. Let the browned butter cool slightly before using.
Allison's Top Tips
Do not look away from the pan. This is my number one tip for browning butter. The transformation happens quickly, especially once the butter begins to foam, so avoid any distractions and resist the urge to look away or you'll risk burning the butter.
Stir the butter or gently swirl the pan as the butter cooks. This helps to keep the milk solids from sticking to the pan and helps you to see what's happening under the bubbles or foam on top.
Don't leave browned bits in pan! These toasted milk solids hold most of the flavor of browned butter, so be sure to scrape them into the bowl with the butter.
To keep butter from burning, be sure to transfer the brown butter to a bowl as soon as it's perfectly browned, or it will continue to cook in the hot pan. If you're nervous about burning the butter, you can even remove the pan from the heat when it's getting close and let the residual heat from the pan finish the browning process.
Recipe FAQs
Perfectly browned butter will be a warm golden color with amber colored milk solids and will have a rich, nutty, and beautifully caramelized flavor. Butter that's still yellow with light brown milk solids is under-browned and will have a lightly nutty flavor. If the butter begins to turn brown with deep brown milk solids, the butter has burned and will have a bitter flavor.
The amount of time needed to brown butter will depend on the amount of butter you're browning and the type of pan used. If you're browning ½ cup of butter that's been cut into cubes in a large skillet over medium heat, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.
Yes, but with one caveat. Since the water is cooked out of the butter as it browns, some volume will be lost and you will be left with less liquid than if you had melted the butter. Therefore you will want to brown slightly more butter than the recipe calls for so that you end up with the correct amount. For example, if the recipe calls for "½ cup butter, melted", you'll want to brown an extra ½ to 1 Tablespoons of butter and measure your butter after browning it to ensure you still have a full ½ cup of butter.
Uses for Brown Butter
- Use it in cookies or cakes. Be sure to let it cool to room temperature first if the recipe calls for room temperature instead of melted butter.
- Use it in buttercream or cream cheese frosting. I recommend only browning about a third of the butter needed so that the flavor doesn't overpower. Remember to let the browned butter cool to room temperature before mixing or your frosting will melt!
- Spread it on bread.
- Use it in savory dishes like pasta, potatoes, or veggies with herbs such as sage or thyme.
Storage Instructions
Let brown butter cool completely before sealing in an airtight container and storing.
Refrigerator: Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing: Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
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Recipe
Brown Butter
Special Equipment
- Light-colored skillet or sauté pan
- rubber spatula
- Heat-safe bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup (114 grams) butter cut into cubes (or whatever amount of butter your recipe calls for)
Instructions
- Place butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat and melt the butter.
- As you continue to cook the butter after it's melted, it will begin to bubble as the water cooks out of the butter, and the butter will become bright yellow. Stir the butter occasionally during this phase, and be careful of any splatter.
- The bubbles will turn to foam, and the milk solids will begin to toast. Stir the butter more frequently during this step and keep a very close eye on the color of the milk solids and butter.
- When the milk solids are a light amber color and the butter begins to turn from yellow to golden in color, remove the pan from the heat and immediately (but carefully) pour the browned butter into the heat-safe bowl to stop it from cooking further. Be sure to scrape all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl with the butter.
- Let the browned butter cool slightly (5-10 minutes) before using so it's not too hot when mixed with the other recipe ingredients, or let it cool completely before storing.
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