How to Make Brown Butter

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is butter that has been heated just past the melting point, but before its smoking point, to cook out some water, and toast the milk solids. What you’re left with is a clarified butter that has a delicious nutty flavor. Brown butter can be used to flavor both savory and sweet dishes.

What Kind of Butter Should I Use?

Most butter sold in the United States is 80% butterfat and 15% water. Irish and European butters contain 82% butterfat. And, if you can find it in your area, Amish butter contains 84% butterfat.

I suggest using a butter with a higher percentage of butterfat. More butterfat means more delicious toasty milk solids.

How to Brown Butter

Equipment and Ingredients

• Sauté pan with light colored surface
• Knife
• Heat proof bowl
• Heat proof spatula
• Unsalted butter

Step 1

• If you are starting with cold butter, cut it into smaller pieces so it melts faster.
• Place butter in a light colored pan over medium-low heat. Don’t use a dark colored pan, as it’s more difficult to tell when your milk solids are done browning and you risk burning them.

Step 2

• Slowly melt butter over medium-low heat.

Step 3

• Once butter is fully melted, turn up heat to medium.
• At this point, slowly stir butter with spatula or swirl sauté pan.

Step 4

• Butter will start to bubble and foam.
• Milk solids will begin to form on surface.
• Continue to slowly stir with spatula or swirl sauté pan.

Step 5

• Some milk solids will sink to bottom of pan.
• Continue to slowly stir with spatula, or swirl sauté pan.

Step 6

• Milk solids will begin to darken.
• Once milk solids are the color of brown sugar, remove the pan from heat.
• Keep a close eye on your butter at this point. The milk solids can go from delicious and toasty to burnt garbage very quickly.

Step 7

• Immediately pour butter into a heat proof bowl to stop cooking process and prevent burning.

How Long Does it Take to Brown Butter?

It depends on how much butter you are browning. I browned a cup of butter and it took about 10 minutes, including taking pictures for y’all. If you are browning a couple tablespoons, it’ll only take a few minutes.

Browning butter is one of those things you want to watch closely so you don’t burn your butter, make a mess in your kitchen, and have to start over.

How Long Does Brown Butter Last?

If you don’t strain out the milk solids, brown butter will keep at room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator until the expiration date of the butter. If you strain out the milk solids, you can leave the butter at room temperature for up to a week before it goes rancid. You can also freeze browned butter for up to 3 months. I suggest freezing in ice cube trays so butter is pre-portioned.

Do You Strain Out the Milk Solids?

It depends on what you are using your brown butter for. If you’re making brown butter to sauté vegetables in, strain out the milk solid to prevent them from burning when you reheat the butter. If you are using the butter for baking, leave in those delicious, crispy, caramelized, browned bits!