How to Brown Butter

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If you’ve ever come across a recipe that called for brown butter and thought to yourself “what is brown butter?” or “how can I make brown butter?”, this is the post for you!

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is essentially a toasted butter (more on this later). It gives butter a deeper, caramelized flavor that adds depth (and delicious flavor!) to recipes.

How do I Make Brown Butter?

To make brown butter, butter is heated until it melts and the milk solids toast and turn a golden brown. These toasted milk solids turn the butter from mild, to rich, nutty, and caramelized.

Making brown butter is simple and takes only about 10 minutes. Using a light colored pan, cook butter over medium heat, stirring frequently until the milk solids toast and turn a golden brown. You’ll notice several stages throughout the browning process, explained below:

1. Melting – the butter will first melt down into a liquid.
2. Simmering – it will then start to simmer loudly as it heats up and moisture evaporates. The milk solids will start to separate and sink to the bottom. Some foam will appear on the surface.
3. Little bubbles and foam – after a few minutes the simmering will quiet down and more foam will appear on the surface. Most of the moisture has evaporated, but small bubbles will continue to rise. The milk solids will begin to toast.
4. Silence and browning – as the milk solids toast, you’ll notice that things get a bit quieter and the foam subsides. Once it gets quiet, you know the butter is almost ready. The moisture has evaporated off and the important part has begun. The milk solids will turn golden brown and it will start to smell a bit nutty. Stir constantly until you reach the desired level of toastiness.

Brown Butter FAQ

What are the brown specks in brown butter?

The specks that you see in brown butter are milk solids. As the butter cooks, the milk solids separate out from the butter and toast, forming little brown specks. This is what gives brown butter its delicious nutty, caramel-like flavor.

Will moisture loss impact recipes? / Can I use brown butter in place of regular butter in recipes?

As you cook butter to create brown butter, moisture evaporates out. This means that if you start with 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) of butter, you will not end up with 1/2 cup of brown butter; it will be closer to 6 or 7 tablespoons.

If a baking recipe calls for butter and you want to swap it with brown butter, a typical rule of thumb is this: for every 1/2 cup of butter, add back 1 tablespoon of milk for cakes and 1 to 2 teaspoons for cookies. Sometimes, however, the moisture loss won’t impact the recipe and you can use it 1:1.

For recipes calling for brown butter, if it says:

“1/2 cup butter, browned” – start with 1/2 cup of butter to make the brown butter and use whatever remains.

“1/2 cup browned butter” – start with about 10 tablespoons of butter to make the brown butter and measure 1/2 cup once it’s browned.

Can brown butter burn?

Yes, brown butter can burn. Once the milk solids start to toast, you want to be sure to stir the butter continuously and keep a close eye on it. In the final stage of making brown butter, the milk solids can go from golden brown to black relatively quickly.

Do I need to let brown butter cool before baking with it?

Usually, yes. Especially in cookies and cakes, you’ll want to let the butter cool before using so it can properly cream with the sugar. Refer to your recipe for specifics.

What can I make with brown butter?

Brown butter is a wonderful ingredient that adds a delicious nutty, caramel-like flavor to baked goods. Below are some recipes that use brown butter:

View our full collection of brown butter recipes.

Equipment

I enjoy using a light-colored pan when making brown butter. A stainless steel skillet or an enameled cast iron pan are some good options. The light color allows you to see when the milk solids have turned golden brown. I also enjoy using a flexible rubber scraper to get all of those amazing brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

If you make brown butter, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comment section below.