How To Make Brown Butter (Beurre Noisette)

5 from 4 votes

How To Make Brown Butter (Beurre Noisette)

Here to show you How To Make Brown Butter. By mastering this simple kitchen technique you'll transform your cooking. The nutty, bold, warming flavours of brown butter will elevate your baked goods to another level.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Ingredient

Cuisine: Global

Servings: cup

Calories: 1649kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

Saucepan or High-sided fry pan
Whisk
Rubber spatula

Ingredients

230 g unsalted butter room temperature or cold

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Cut the butter into small evenly sized pieces. Heat a nonstick light-coloured saucepan or high-sided fry pan on medium heat. Add the butter and whisk it occasionally to ensure that it melts evenly.
As the butter melts, it will start to bubble, pop and splatter. The milk solids and fat will start to separate and you'll see the white milk solids fall to the bottom. Continuously whisk. The water in the butter starts to evaporate and the butter will foam up.
Watch the butter closely. The milk solids caramelise on the bottom of the pan and the butter will turn from a bright yellow to light amber, to golden through to a deep rich brown.
When it starts to smell intensely buttery and nutty, and the butter is a deep golden brown then remove the pan immediately from the heat and pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl. If left in the pan, the butter and milk solids would continue to cook in the residual heat and burn to create a bitter-tasting butter.
Use straight away if melted brown butter is called for. Or leave to cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To store: Once browned, leave the butter in a heat-proof bowl to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks

To freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Freezing brown butter is a great way of getting ahead for the holiday season.

TIP 1: Use the best quality butter you can afford. Better quality = better-tasting browned butter.

TIP 2: Cut butter into small pieces. Cutting the butter into small pieces, it allows the butter to melt quicker but also more evenly.

TIP 3: Use a light-coloured pan. This makes a huge difference in being able to see how golden brown the butter is turning.

TIP 4: Don't stop stirring. Constantly stirring the butter allows the heat from the bottom of the pan to be evenly distributed and will prevent the solids from burning before the rest of the butter has browned.

TIP 5: Take your time: don't rush the process of browning the butter as you can go from lovely golden browned butter to burnt butter very quickly. Patience is definitely a virtue here.

TIP 6: Keep the brown bits. When scraping out the butter from the pan when freshly browned, or when spooning it out of the container when chilled in the fridge, make sure to catch all the brown bits at the bottom. They're like magic dust!

Nutrition