How To Make Brown Butter

Brown butter seems to have soared in popularity due to both its simplicity to make and the amazing flavor it adds to baked goods, pasta sauces, etc.

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is just butter that has been cooked over medium/low heat until it reaches a golden brown color. This cooking process essentially carmelizes the milk solids, which creates a rich, nutty aroma and flavor. It can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. I love using brown butter to enhance cookie recipes!

How to make brown butter

Start by placing unsalted butter in a pan over medium/low heat. A light colored pan works best so you can clearly see how brown it’s getting, but a dark pan will work as well. This process generally only takes about 10 minutes, so make sure to watch the butter closely!

Once the butter has melted, it should start to get very foamy.

Next, the butter will begin to bubble.

The butter will change to a golden brown color quickly at this point. The milk solids will fall to the bottom of the pan and begin to brown. Swirl the butter around in the pan occasionally to ensure even browning. In this photo, I used a spatula to clearly show the color of the butter underneath the bubbles and foam. Once the butter has reached this color and has a nutty aroma, it is ready to be removed from the pan.

Immediately transfer the butter to a heat-safe bowl to stop the cooking process.

Make sure to scrape out the golden bits at the bottom of the pan!

Let the butter cool to room temperature to be used in your recipe. Alternatively, you can store the browned butter in the refrigerator so that you have it ready when you want to use it!