How to Brown Butter

Does brown butter make everything better? That line sounds like an advertising slogan we’d normally slap down in an instant, but to be honest, I think it might be true. The rich, nutty aroma of butter browning is hands-down one of my best memories from culinary school. These days, when I catch a whiff of it in my kitchen at home, I feel like I am doing something right. Here’s what you need to know about one of the best ingredients for savory and sweet cooking and baking.

Frequently asked questions

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is butter that is melted and then cooked further, until the water in the butter evaporates and the milk solids become brown and toasty. The French call brown butter beurre noisette, or hazelnut butter, as a nod to its deep brown color and nutty, complex aroma and flavor. This deep toasted flavor is what makes browning one of the best things you can do to butter to improve your baking and other cooking.

How do you make brown butter?

You can make brown butter on the stove in about 10 minutes. Cooking it slowly over medium-low heat is important to achieving evenly browned butter. Keep an eye on the butter so it doesn’t burn, and swirl the pan every minute so it browns evenly.

To brown butter in the microwave, place one or two sticks of butter in a large microwave-safe bowl (a large bowl will contain any splatters). Cover the bowl with a lid or a plate (do not use plastic wrap, which may melt if it comes in contact with the hot butter). Microwave the butter on HIGH for 2 minutes, then check to ensure that it has browned enough to your taste. Continue to microwave the butter in 1-minute increments until the butter is browned sufficiently.

How do I stop brown butter from burning?

Butter can go from brown to burnt in seconds, so it’s important that you keep monitoring it throughout the cooking process. If you are new at browning butter, stop cooking it when it is light brown to stay on the safe side. The butter will continue to cook in the hot pan, so turn off the heat, and pour the browned butter into a heat-safe bowl. You can slip a small piece of cold butter into the browning butter to slow down the process.

How do you bake with brown butter?

If you are baking with brown butter, you will likely need to get it back to solid form, especially if your recipe calls for creaming butter and sugar together. Since you can’t cream melted butter, you’ll need to cool it down so it solidifies. To cool brown butter quickly, pour the browned butter into a heat-proof bowl that is also freezer-safe, and freeze it for about 30 minutes. Place the bowl with the solidified butter in a larger bowl filled with warm water for 10 seconds to release the butter.

Make ahead

You can (and should!) make brown butter in advance and store it until needed. Pour brown butter into a heat-safe bowl, then after it cools to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container. Brown butter will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.

How do you use brown butter?

For starters, you can simply spoon brown butter over vegetables, eggs, pasta, or anything you think will be enhanced by its flavor — it’s that easy. We use brown butter in both savory cooking and sweet baking. Amp up your everyday scrambled eggs by cooking them in browned butter. It’s also the key to the crispy mushrooms served over this polenta. And, when in doubt, add a sturdy herb like sage leaves, rosemary, or thyme to the butter as it browns to infuse the butter with flavor and create one of our favorite simple pasta sauces. You can also infuse spices in brown butter, as in this recipe for Spiced Brown Butter Apples.

Brown butter is fantastic for baking, too. It takes these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Vanilla–Brown Butter Sablé Cookies to new levels, and is an easy upgrade to homey treats like Brown Butter Blondies, Brown Butter Banana Bread, and this Gooey Butter Cake. We even use it in pancakes for these Brown Butter Pancakes with Sheet Pan Berry Syrup. 

And don’t forget to brown your butter for cake and brownie frostings. Hetal Vasavada uses it to build on the nutty flavor of her spiced carrot cake with a brown butter cream cheese frosting. And brown butter adds toffee-like richness to offset the earthy sweetness of the beets in Tanya Holland’s Red Velvet Beet Bars with Brown Butter Sour Cream Frosting. 

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

We prefer using a stainless steel or light-colored saucepan so we can better keep an eye on the butter as it toasts and watch it brown.

To make extra-flavorful brown butter, add milk to the pan while cooking it. We add 1/4 cup whole milk to a cup of butter while it is browning on the stove, and the extra milk solids make it taste richer and nuttier. Doing this will mean it takes longer to brown the butter — about 20 minutes on medium-low heat — but the extra time is worth it. You also get slightly larger flecks of the caramelized milk solids which taste great.