46 Tempting Brown Butter Recipes

Brown-Butter Figgy Pudding Recipe

The figgy pudding of holiday carols comes alive in this dense cake filled with dried Mission figs and served with a brown-butter hard sauce.

Sliced Pork Chops with Brown Butter-Golden Raisin Relish Recipe

This savory meal starts in the slow cooker. Prepare the pork chops in the slow cooker and then finish them in the skillet. Served with a side of sweet potatoes and a raisin-olive relish, this dish is filled with rich flavors. We also paired the pork chops with a side of couscous but you could swap it out for your favorite grain.

Brown-Butter Lobster Bisque Recipe

Lobster bisque—basically decadence in the form of soup—turns extra indulgent with cooked rice blended in as a thickener. Take the time to brown the butter to give it added nutty dimension, then garnish with halved claws for a show-stopping starter.  

Brown Butter Cake with Cocoa Recipe

A good bit of salt enhances all the flavors here.

Pasta with Browned Butter, Anchovy, and Kale Recipe

Match the hearty taste of whole-grain noodles with anchovy, red pepper, and pecorino Romano cheese. Lest those flavors get too heavy, brighten with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Gnocchi with Browned Butter Recipe

Bastianich loves fresh sage with buttery gnocchi.

Browned Butter Asparagus Recipe

A hint of tarragon adds unique, fresh flavor to the dish, but you can use any herb you like.

Brown Butter Cornbread Muffins Recipe

There’s something magic about brown butter. It takes butter—something already delicious—and transforms it into something that’s somehow even better: Nutty, aromatic, and, honestly, pretty luxurious. When you combine brown butter’s special powers with the hearty texture and subtle sweetness of cornmeal, you’ve got just the thing for your Friendsgiving bread basket. And, because they happen to be gluten-free, a lot of people will be glad to see these come to the table. Pass these perfectly portioned cornbread muffins around, and use them to sop up anything extra on your plate. I hope I don’t need to remind you to slather them with butter. 

Brown Butter Cornbread Muffins

Roasted Turnips with Sage Browned Butter Recipe

Sage and browned butter is a classic pairing that enhances roasted turnips (which look like white, oversized radishes). Toss with the butter mixture as soon as the turnips are done.

Brown Butter Will Make Oatmeal Great Again Recipe

If I hear one more person passionately describe how healthy their oatmeal is, I’ll start to shake. While everyone should feed themselves as they see fit, I don’t know why oatmeal has been adopted into the bland-but-nutritious diet—sorry, I mean wellness—food darling. To me, oatmeal is the stick-to-your-ribs breakfast my mother encouraged me to eat before walking to school in the winter. It was creamy and thick, dotted with raisins and brown sugar, sometimes topped with a float of half-and-half if we happened to have an open carton in the fridge. While I’m all for sweets at breakfast, the real reason those bowls of oatmeal were so good was the richness. Which is why when I’m looking for comfort, I make brown butter oatmeal. When left to bubble in a hot pan, butter takes on a brunette hue and a nutty scent. It coats whatever it’s cooked with in a golden blanket, and you should try it in your oatmeal.

You Should Use Brown Butter in Every Pancake You Make Recipe

Most people enjoy their pancakes drenched in syrup and soaked in butter. That’s because plain pancakes are pretty... plain. But they don’t have to be, and the solution is brown butter. You already know how easy it is to make brown butter. The Maillard reaction, a.k.a. browning, is what makes brown butter taste so nuanced. At its simplest, the Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between a reducing sugar and an amino acid. The Maillard reaction is responsible for many tasty culinary delights, from the grill marks on your ribeye to the golden sheen on a fresh-baked brioche and golden brown pancakes.

Brown butter blows the already great taste of butter out of the park. When you brown butter, you’re not browning the butter as a whole, only the milk solids. As you brown, the milk solids break down into smaller, tastier molecules that vary in flavor from toasty, nutty, sweet, floral, and butterscotchy. The smell alone is intoxicating and worth making this recipe for. While it takes good timing to not burn the butter, it’s a pretty simple step in this straightforward recipe.

Brown Butter Buttermilk Pancakes

Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Garlic Tomato Sauce Recipe

Browned butter is the quick cook's best-kept secret: It takes less than 2 minutes to caramelize the milk solids in butter for a fragrant, nutty note in any dish.

Browned Butter Pears Recipe

These buttery-sweet and delicately nutty pears are an excellent accompaniment to pork, but also make for an easy dessert for a fall dinner party (especially spooned over ice cream). We preferred to have a little bit of firm bite remain in our pears when testing the recipe, but if you’d prefer them to be a touch softer, simply continue cooking the fruit until your desired texture is reached. 

Chicken Fricassee with Browned Butter Noodles Recipe

This French-country-meets-retro classic gets a weeknight twist with quick-cooking chicken cutlets and egg noodles. Keep the sear on the chicken to a light golden color so it won't darken the delicate white wine sauce.

Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting Recipe

Nutty Browned Butter Frosting meets tender pecan cake in this showstopping three-layer dessert. When browning the butter for the frosting, pour the butter into a bowl as soon as it turns golden brown, or it will continue to cook and get too dark.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apples, and Figs with Sage Brown Butter Recipe

If you only want to use one sheet pan and make 4 servings, divide this recipe in half, and save the extra half of your par-cooked butternut squash for a soup, roast, or stuffing.

Brown-Butter Crab Benedict with Old Bay Hollandaise Recipe

Blackberry, Browned Butter, and Almond Tart Recipe

"It's like a cookie on the outside and a cake on the inside with pockets of juicy blackberries," says Steffan.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter Recipe

Brown butter takes these rich, seasonal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to the next level, adding a nutty, fragrant flavor that is absolutely perfect for fall. Canned pumpkin puree lends moisture to these fluffy, cake-like treats while warm chocolate chips fill every bite. Make these for a Halloween party or a fall dinner party, and be sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Browned Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze Recipe

Old-school form meets new-school flavors in this twist on carrot cake. Browning the butter intensifies its flavor, making it nutty and caramel-rich. The Bundt cake form makes for a much easier—but still delicious—dessert, freeing you from the fuss of stacking and frosting layers. We call for shredding the carrots on the smaller holes of a grater for more delicate strands that incorporate better into the batter. You can bake the cake ahead and freeze it, unglazed; wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in a ziplock plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months (glaze the thawed cake).

Radishes in Browned Butter and Lemon Recipe

The peppery flavor of radishes shine in this simple recipe for Radishes in Browned Butter and Lemon.

Browned Butter Whole-Wheat Muffins Recipe

Bakery muffins often hide plenty of refined sugar and flour (what gives them that cakelike crumb). While oversized, they rarely keep you satisfied for long. Our basic muffin bumps up the fiber and protein with whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, and yogurt so you’ll stay fueled throughout the morning. A ripe mashed banana adds sweetness and moisture without much noticeable flavor (these are not banana bread muffins). We also brown the butter for extra nutty depth. Add any combo of nuts, fruit, grated vegetables, or warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Enjoy as is, or split and gently toast before adding your favorite spread.

Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Chile, and Honey Recipe

"Raw radishes and fresh butter are a classic pairing, but here we cook the two together until toasty and nutty," says chef Joshua McFadden of Ava Gene's in Portland. "A splash of vinegar, a pinch of chile, and a drizzle of honey create a delicious tension that makes this dish unexpectedly satisfying."

Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce Recipe

You can substitute your favorite hearty winter greens, but don't skip the hot and tangy sauce--it makes the dish.

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Browning the butter with spices lends a deep, nutty flavor to this Southern classic.

Sautéed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter Recipe

The full-bodied flavor of sage browned butter dresses up classic sauteed chicken in this 25-minute supper.

Sweet Potato Stacks with Sage Browned Butter Recipe

Holiday sweet potato sides can lean toward too-sweet territory; a dose of salty, nutty Parmesan balances the flavor in these adorable, delicious stacks. Get the kids to help by having them stack the slices and cheese in the muffin cups as you follow behind with the browned butter.

Roasted Rockfish with Artichokes, Citrus, and Lemon-Caper Browned Butter Recipe

Rockfish--also known as Pacific snapper or rock cod--is one of the most sustainable and widely available fish in the West, and has a mildly sweet flavor. Vermilion rockfish, with their scarlet hue, are especially pretty and tasty. For a large feast-worthy fish, order ahead of time from your seafood shop or counter.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies with Brown Sugar and Butter Recipe

You're just 4 ingredients away from the easiest perfect game day appetizer ever.

Frosted Brown Butter Blondies Recipe

Brown Butter Lobster Rolls Recipe

Potatoes with Sage Brown Butter Recipe

Clare Carver of Big Table Farm winery in Oregon loads up garden potatoes with crisp sage leaves--but feel free to use less if you prefer a milder flavor.

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts Recipe

Pair pasta-like potato gnocchi with spinach and Parmesan for a light and flavor-packed dish in minutes.

Brown Butter Apple Pie Recipe

Browned butter adds a subtle nutty flavor to the crust, and the filling gets a sweet makeover from two types of apples, rich brown sugar, and just the right amount of warming spices. For the best flavor and texture, mix it up: we chose Granny Smith for tartness and Honeycrisp for sweetness. Serve warm with cold vanilla or butter pecan ice cream for the ultimate Southern dessert. Don't be afraid of trying the lattice crust; in just four easy steps you will have the braided look completed. 

Ricotta Pancakes with Brown Butter-Maple Syrup and Blueberry Compote Recipe

The welcome addition of ricotta in these fluffy flapjacks give a light and airy texture like you won't believe. Serve with maple syrup and Blueberry Compote.

Seared Soft-shell Crab with Brown Butter Sauce Recipe

Here is a basic recipe for cooking soft-shell crabs. You can mix it up by adding chopped hazelnuts and a brown butter sauce.

Grilled Grouper with Browned Butter-Orange Couscous Recipe

Enjoy this dish year round by preparing either inside on a grill pan or outside on the grill. A simple spice rub blend highlights the grouper's  naturally delicious flavor, but the browned butter-orange couscous is really the star of this easy dinner. Dress it up with a glass of your favorite Riesling.

Ruby red pomegranate seeds are a colorful and delicious addition to the couscous, but you can omit them if they are out of season. Using a stainless steel pan makes it easier to watch the browning process to prevent the butter from burning, but a dark-surface nonstick skillet can be used as well.

Cider-Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter-Pecan Rice Recipe

With chicken cutlets and boil-in-bag rice, this unique take on the chicken-and-rice dinner couldn’t be easier (or faster!) to make.

Browned Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Flake Salt Recipe

Not your everday chocolate chip cookie. This recipes adds brown sugar and coffee granules to the batter, mixes in rich chunks of semisweet chocolate, and finishes with a light dusting of flake salt. Are you drooling yet?

Cranberry-Orange Tart with Browned Butter Crust Recipe

For a pretty presentation, top the tart with sugared cranberries: Steep whole berries in simple syrup in the refrigerator 8 hours, then roll in sugar and let stand 1 hour to dry.

Lemon-Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf Recipe

Thin pieces of spaghetti are traditional in Armenian-style pilaf. If you can't find basmati rice, any long-grain white rice will work. Keep an eye on the butter mixture as it browns--it can burn quickly.

Herbed Browned Butter Couscous Recipe

Mix browned butter into couscous to add flavor to this simple side dish. 

Carrot Soup with Brown Butter, Pecans, and Yogurt Recipe

This soup brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots.

Pan-Seared Grouper with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce Recipe

This is the secret to restaurant-quality fish. The magic happens on the bottom of the pan where the fish forms an even, crisp crust. The sauce seals the deal.

Fettuccine with Mussels and Brown-Butter Leeks Recipe