The short answer: melt unsalted butter in a light-coloured pan over medium heat and keep swirling. It foams, goes quiet, and then the milk solids on the bottom turn golden brown and smell of toasted nuts. That takes about 8 to 12 minutes for 225 g. Pour it into a bowl straight away so it stops cooking.
Brown butter, or beurre noisette in French, is butter cooked a few minutes longer than melted. The water boils off and the milk solids toast, which gives it a deep, nutty, caramel taste. One pan, one ingredient, and it lifts everything from cookies to pasta to the sweet potatoes on your holiday table.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 8 to 12 minutes for 225 g (1 cup), less for smaller amounts |
| Heat | Medium |
| You lose | About 15 percent of the weight, as water |
| Keeps | 5 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer |
What you need
- Unsalted butter: any amount, from 2 tablespoons to 450 g
- A light-coloured pan, stainless steel or enamel, so you can see the colour change
- A heatproof bowl to pour it into
Cut the butter into even pieces so it melts at the same rate. Salted butter browns too, but it foams more and is harder to judge.
How to make brown butter
- Melt. Put the butter in the pan over medium heat and let it melt, swirling the pan now and then.
- Foam. It bubbles and foams loudly as the water boils off. Keep swirling.
- Listen. When the crackling goes quiet, the water is gone. This is the moment to watch closely.
- Brown. Small specks form on the bottom and turn from golden to hazelnut brown within a minute or two. It smells of toasted nuts and caramel.
- Stop. Pour it straight into the bowl, scraping in all the brown specks. They hold most of the flavour. Left in the hot pan, it can burn within 30 seconds.
How to use brown butter in baking
Brown butter can replace butter in most recipes, with two adjustments:
- Weight: you lose about 15 percent as water. Brown about 15 percent more butter than the recipe asks for, or add about 2 tablespoons of water back per 225 g if the dough seems dry.
- Temperature: for recipes that cream soft butter with sugar, chill the brown butter until it is solid but soft, about 1 hour in the fridge. For recipes that use melted butter, let it cool for 10 minutes.
8 ways to use brown butter
- Brown butter and sage: drop a handful of sage leaves into the butter in the last minute. Spoon it over squash, ravioli or gnocchi.
- Chocolate chip cookies: replace the butter for a deeper, toffee-like cookie.
- Mashed potatoes: stir in a few spoonfuls instead of plain butter.
- Sweet potatoes and squash: drizzle over roasted cubes with a pinch of salt.
- Green beans: toss with brown butter, lemon zest and toasted almonds.
- Pancakes and waffles: use it in the batter and drizzle a little on top with maple syrup.
- Popcorn: toss with brown butter and flaky salt.
- Fish: spoon over pan-fried fish with capers and lemon.
Why brown butter tastes nutty
Butter is about 80 percent fat, around 16 percent water and a few percent milk solids: proteins and milk sugar. While the water is still boiling off, the butter cannot get much hotter than 100 °C. Once the water is gone, the temperature climbs and the milk solids start to brown. That browning, the Maillard reaction, is the same one that colours toast and seared steak, and it is where the toasted-nut and caramel notes come from. It is also why the brown specks matter: scrape them all into the bowl.
Common mistakes
- A dark pan: you cannot see the colour change in cast iron or non-stick black. Use stainless steel or enamel.
- Walking away: the step from brown to burnt takes less than a minute. Stay at the stove once the foam goes quiet.
- Leaving it in the pan: the hot pan keeps cooking it. Pour it out as soon as it smells nutty.
- Heat too high: it browns unevenly and the outside burns. Medium heat is enough.
Brown butter, ghee and clarified butter
| Brown butter | Clarified butter | Ghee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk solids | Kept and toasted | Removed | Toasted lightly, then removed |
| Taste | Nutty, caramel | Clean, buttery | Lightly nutty |
| Best for | Flavour: baking, sauces, finishing | High-heat frying | High-heat frying, curries |
A herb-infused variation
For a holiday table, infuse dried herbs into butter first and brown it afterwards. Our herb butter for turkey shows how to make a slow-infused herb butter, either on the lowest heat or with the NOIDS Herb Lab Oil function. Strain it, then brown it in a pan as above.
Storage
- Fridge: in a closed jar for up to 5 days. Stir before it sets so the brown specks stay spread through.
- Freezer: in an ice-cube tray, then in a bag, for up to 3 months.
Questions
How do I know when brown butter is done?
The foam has gone quiet, the specks on the bottom are hazelnut brown, and it smells of toasted nuts. Take it off the heat then; it keeps darkening for a few seconds.
What if my brown butter burns?
Black specks and a bitter, acrid smell mean it has burnt. Start again: it cannot be saved.
Can I brown salted butter?
Yes, but it foams more, which makes the colour harder to see. Reduce the salt elsewhere in the recipe.
Can I make brown butter ahead?
Yes. It keeps 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
