How to Brown Butter
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If there’s one small kitchen trick that instantly makes baked goods taste richer and cozier, it’s brown butter. Learning how to brown butter takes just a few minutes, but flavor warm, nutty, and slightly caramel-like flavor makes such a difference. Whether you’re making chocolate chip cookies, pasta or pancakes on the weekend, brown butter is one of those small details that makes everything feel homemade and special.
What is Brown Butter?
I discovered brown butter many years ago and use it often in my dessert recipes, like my Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread and even in my Fudge Brownie Recipe. It’s simply butter that’s been melted and gently cooked until the milks solids turn golden brown. The little toasty bits at the bottom of the pan are where all the flavor comes from.
What You’ll Need
- Butter – unsalted butter works best so you can control the salt in the recipe.
- A light-colored saucepan or skillet – this helps you see the color of the butter change quickly. There’s no turning back if the butter burns.
- A whisk or spatula
- A few minutes and a little patience
How to Brown Butter (Step-by-Step)
Tips for Success
- Watch carefully – the browning process happens quickly.
- A light pan makes it easier to see when it’s ready.
- For baking, let the brown butter cool before using.
- If it smells burnt or turns very dark, it’s best to start over.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the brown bits. That’s flavor!
- Brown butter solidifies as it cools, so pop it in the fridge until it’s firm again and then beat it like regular butter. This works for recipes that don’t call for melted butter.
Ways to Use Brown Butter
Once you know how to brown butter, you’ll want to use it on everything. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it.
- In Cookies – it adds a richness and nutty caramel flavor that is out of this world. I love it in chocolate chipless cookies, brown butter oatmeal cookies, and any cookie that has cinnamon or maple in it.
- Vegetables – drizzle it over roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots or butternut squash.
- Pasta – Toss it with cozy herbs like thyme, rosemary or sage, garlic and parmesan cheese for simple weeknight pasta dinner.
- Baking – Try it in cakes, frostings or brownies for a cozy twist.
How to Substitute Brown Butter in a Recipe
You can swap brown butter for regular melted butter in most recipes, with a tiny adjustment. All you have to do is add an extra tablespoon of butter than the recipe calls for. When butter browns, a small amount of water cooks off, which means you end up with a little less liquid than you started with. So, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter, you’ll want to start with a 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of butter before browning it. That way, you’ll end up with close to the same amount the recipe needs.
I hope this how to brown butter guide helps you master the simple technique and add that rich, nutty flavor that takes your favorite recipes to the next level. Enjoy!
How to Brown Butter
Browning butter is a simple technique used to elevate the flavor in recipes. It has a rich, nutty and caramel-like flavor.
Ingredients
- Room temperature unsalted butter
Instructions
- Place room temperature butter in your light colored skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
- The butter will melt, then start to foam. Give it a stir every so often so it cooks evenly.
- After a few minutes, you'll notice golden specks forming at the bottom of your pan. The butter will go from pale yellow to a deep amber color. You will also start to smell a rich, nutty aroma.
- Once it turns golden brown, take the pan off the heat right away and pour into a heat-safe bowl. Scrape any excess brown bits off the bottom of your pan and add them to the bowl.
- Serve over veggies, pasta or potatoes. Cool and use melted brown butter in baked good that calls for regular melted butter. Or bring to room temperature and chill to solidy and use in place of regular butter in dessert recipes.
