Beurre Noisette: How to Make Brown Butter in 10 Minutes

Quick Summary: Beurre noisette, or brown butter, is butter cooked until the milk solids caramelize, turning it amber with a nutty, roasted hazelnut aroma. It takes about 10 minutes and needs nothing but butter and a pan.

Discover all the tips, tricks, and techniques of how to brown butter without burning and make perfect beurre noisette (aka hazelnut butter). Due to its delicate hazelnut flavor, it is perfect for adding to your favorite desserts.

What is beurre noisette (brown butter)?

The name comes from the French for hazelnut butter: beurre means butter and noisette means hazelnut, a nod to the toasted, nutty notes it develops. As the butter heats, the water cooks off, and the casein (a milk protein) toasts and caramelizes, which is what gives beurre noisette its signature color and flavor rather than any added nuts.

The two names describe two things: the term brown butter refers to its color, while beurre noisette (hazelnut butter) refers to its taste. Both point to the same rich, amber-hued ingredient.

Brown butter vs. clarified butter

Brown butter (butter noisette) is melted and gently caramelized butter with a unique roasted hazelnut flavor, while clarified butter is melted butter with the foam and whey removed.

Why you should try this recipe

• The beurre noisette recipe is simple and basic, a must for home or professional bakers.
• It takes 10 minutes flat to make the brown butter.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Butter: Use sweet or salted butter with 82% fat content. However, be aware that salted butter produces more foam. So, closely monitor any color changes as you heat. Avoid vegetable butter.

Note: Pay close attention to the butter as a recipe ingredient. The recipes usually list the butter amount in a solid state while requiring making brown butter out of it.

Due to water evaporation, the butter loses its volume: the final volume of brown butter is not identical to the initial volume of butter. A standard US stick of butter equal to 8 tablespoons (113 g) will yield approximately 5.5-6 tablespoons (83 g) of brown butter.

How to make beurre noisette or brown butter

Step 1: Start browning the butter by cutting it into small, even pieces. Butter pieces of equivalent size will melt faster and cook at the same rate.

Step 2: Place butter in a light-colored, heavy-bottomed saucepan (or frying pan) to easily monitor color changes and any mild sediments.

Step 3: Melt butter over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. At first, the butter will melt and get opaque (photo 1); continue stirring.

Pro tip: Alternatively, gently swirl the butter mixture in the pan, holding it by the handle and moving it in a circular motion.

Step 4: Then the butter will start to sputter or "sing" and turn yellow (photo 2). You will hear a crackling noise which will gradually decrease.

This stage means the water evaporates, indicating that the water content is evaporating and the fat is popping.

Pro tip: Decrease the heat if necessary. Be careful with standing close: the butter may spit. Also, listen to the butter sounds: as long as it sings, it is not ready. But as soon as silence returns, get ready to stop cooking.

Step 5: The next stage of butter melting is the formation of a white foam from casein, a milk protein. The butter will turn golden (photos 3-4). Continue mixing it.

Pro tip: If you have a cooking thermometer, you can monitor the butter's browning. The melting point of butter is 104°F (40°C), it boils at 158°F (70°C), and water evaporates at 212°F (100°C).

Step 6: Finally, the butter will turn a beautiful chestnut-amber color (aka noisette color), with golden bits at the bottom of the pan (photos 5-6), and a hazelnut flavor.

Pro tip: Butter at 248°F (120°C) turns brown and develops a hazelnut flavor. If heated over 248°F (120°C), it risks burning and becomes unfit for consumption. I recommend using a cooking thermometer.

Step 7: Immediately transfer the butter to a cold, heatproof bowl to prevent further cooking from residual heat. You can also add a small piece of cold butter to stop the cooking.

Pro tip: Alternatively, you can immerse the bottom of the saucepan in icy cold water.

Step 8: To remove the brown bits of the liquid butter, let it sit for 3 minutes so the suspended particles settle to the bottom. Then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve or Chinois strainer into the bowl.

Pro tip: Alternatively, strain the browned butter with a coffee filter.

Step 9: Leave it to cool to room temperature. Use it in a liquid state, or reserve it in the refrigerator and use it in a solid state.

Expert Tips

1. Opt for a light-colored heavy-bottomed saucepan. The light-colored pan makes it easy to see the color changes, while the heavy bottom ensures even heat distribution.
2. Make sure to cut the butter into pieces for even cooking.
3. Always heat the butter over medium-low heat and watch it closely as it cooks.
4. Continue stirring continuously to observe the mixture's color under the bubbles.
5. Keep an eye on the butter and trust your senses: watch for color changes, the appearance of browned milk solids, and the smell of roasted hazelnuts.
6. Be careful with butter spits and splashes. Do not touch the contents of the pan. Wear a long-sleeve shirt.
7. Take the pan off the heat once the golden brown color is reached. You must stop cooking; otherwise, it will continue to brown and thus burn. Carbonization will result in burnt butter or black butter (beurre noir). You cannot use it for baking.
8. Remember that the best way to brown butter without burning is to use a cooking thermometer.

Storing and freezing

Store brown butter in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Can you freeze brown butter? You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Pour beurre noisette into an ice cube tray and let it freeze. Place the cubers in a freezer bag, label it, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you need it, melt the butter cubes gently in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat.

What are the brown specks in brown butter?

Brown specks in brown butter are caramelized milk solids. They result from the amalgamation of milk proteins (casein) through precipitation and caramelization reaction of the sugars (lactose).

It is a pyrolytic chemical reaction (different from the Maillard reaction) that produces a typical brown color and a unique aroma in the butter.

Should you strain brown butter?

You can take an extra step and filter brown butter to remove residual brown flecks. But should you strain it not?

If you use hazelnut butter for baking or in a cooked dish, you do not need to filter out the brown butter solids. Make sure to scrape those from the bottom of the pan for the most beautiful aroma. Filter beurre noisette when coating the dishes for an appealing aesthetic.

Substituting brown butter with butter

Use brown butter in any recipe that calls for butter, melted or solid.

• If a baking recipe calls for '100 g melted butter,' swap it for brown butter in a 1:1 ratio.
• If a recipe calls for '100 g butter, melted,' keep in mind that browning the butter will result in some moisture loss. The amount of melted butter out of 100 g of solid butter is not the same as that of brown butter out of 100 g of butter. To compensate, add 1-2 tablespoons of butter before browning or 1 tablespoon of water or milk after browning.

To substitute softened butter in a recipe, use brown butter in solid form. Simply make brown butter, pour it into a jar, and let it solidify in the fridge.

Ways to use brown butter

Brown butter is a delicious and versatile staple of French cuisine.

• It is used in many preparations, such as classic financiers, French madeleines, crepes, and other recipes requiring regular melted butter.

• Beurre noisette is amazing for making chocolate chip cookies, scones, muffins, blondies, a pie crust, and even brown butter buttercream.

• Adding noisette butter to a cake batter (instead of melted butter) brings a wonderful nutty aroma and taste.

• On the salty side, hazelnut butter is perfect for flavoring meat, accompanying pan-fried fish, and roasted or pureed vegetables, or for making beurre noisette (brown butter sauce).

• Add some lemon juice to make the famous meunière sauce, which goes well with white fish, shellfish, scallops, etc.

Recipe FAQ

What does beurre noisette mean?
Beurre noisette is French for hazelnut butter. Beurre means butter, and noisette means hazelnut, describing the toasted, nutty aroma the butter develops as it browns, even though no hazelnuts are involved.

Can you brown salted butter?
Yes, you can brown salted butter for sweet or savory dishes. Unsalted butter is easier to work with because it foams less, making color changes easier to see and giving you better control over the final taste.

How long does it take to brown butter?
Browning butter takes about 10 minutes over low to medium heat and needs very little effort, just steady stirring and close attention as it moves from foaming to golden to amber.

What is the difference between beurre noisette and beurre noir?
Beurre noisette is butter browned to a golden, nutty amber stage. Beurre noir (black butter) is cooked further until it is very dark. If beurre noisette is heated past about 248°F (120°C), it burns and becomes unusable for baking.

How do you substitute brown butter for melted butter?
Use brown butter in a 1:1 ratio for melted butter. Because browning evaporates some moisture, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra butter before browning, or stir in 1 tablespoon of water or milk afterward, to keep the amount consistent.

Where can you buy brown butter?
Some grocery stores sell solid brown butter, and it is also available online. Be careful not to confuse it with clarified butter or ghee, which has the milk solids removed and lacks the nutty flavor. Making it at home is quick and inexpensive.

Love brown butter desserts? Try these next!

• Pistachio financiers
• Raspberry financiers
• Blackberry friands
• Raspberry friands
• Or browse all the teacake recipes

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.