How to Brown Butter

Overhead view of a skillet of brown butter with a spoon inside on a linen napkin.

Learn How to Brown Butter in a few easy steps! This delicious ingredient instantly adds layers of mouth-watering nutty flavor to sweet and savory recipes. You only need one ingredient, a pan, and less than 10 minutes!

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Total Time 11

Servings tablespoons

Calories 116kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Medium skillet or saucepan, with a light colored interior.

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter (113g)

Instructions

Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon-sized pieces. (This is important for even browning.)
Place the butter in a light-colored medium skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. (The light interior color of the pot or pan will help you see how deeply the butter is browning.) Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until melted and bubbling.
Continue to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring frequently or swirling the pan to move it around, until it is light to medium amber in color and the milk solids are medium brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the butter into a heatproof bowl. Stir it around in the bowl to help stop the cooking. If the milk solids at the bottom of the pan are still medium-brown, you can scrape them into the browned butter, if you like.

Notes

Cut the butter into small pieces. For even melting and the smoothest browning process, slice the stick of butter into one tablespoon or smaller pieces.
Stir if the solids stick to the pan. As they brown, the milk proteins can stick to the bottom of the pan. If this happens, gently stir the butter using a silicone spatula to release them.
Don’t walk away from the pan. The butter goes from golden brown to burnt very quickly. Keep a close eye on it throughout the cooking time so you can remove the pan from the heat as soon as it has browned.
Check the butter with a spoon. If the butter foams excessively or you don’t have a light-colored pan, it can be hard to gauge the progress. You can check the color by scooping it with a light-colored spoon.
Immediately remove the butter from the heat. Once it has achieved a golden brown color, pour the butter into a heat proof bowl to cool. This prevents the pan’s residual heat from over-browning or burning it. Once in the bowl, you can stir the butter occasionally to speed up the cooling process.
Add flavorings immediately after browning. If you want to flavor the butter, stir in flavorings, such as vanilla beans or spices, immediately after pouring it into the bowl. The heat will help bloom spices and infuse the flavor into the butter better. Be careful of the butter bubbling up when stirring flavorings in.

Nutrition