6 Epic Brown Butter Recipes

Brown butter might be the biggest flavor upgrade hiding in plain sight. Through a few extra minutes over heat and a little alchemy, butter transforms from simply rich to nutty, toasty brilliance. And yet, while it feels like kitchen magic, there’s real science behind what’s happening. Before diving into the recipes below, it helps to understand why this small step delivers such outsized payoff.

Brown butter gets its name from both its color and the process behind it. As butter melts, water evaporates and the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pan, where they toast and develop a deep, almost hazelnut-like character. Brown butter moves fast at the end of the process, so attention matters: Look for the foam to subside and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan to turn deep golden-brown. The aroma should shift from milky to warm and toasted. Pull it from the heat just before it smells fully done. 

Spoon brown butter over mashed potatoes, stir it into pancake batter or fold it into pasta just before serving. Once you start using it, it tends to find its way into everything—and we're just fine with that. Below, find six of our favorite ways to feature this clever culinary transformation.

1. Seared Garlic Scallops with Butter, Corn, Bacon and Avocado

Brown butter pulls double duty in this quick, summery dinner. Butter goes straight into the pan with the corn, where it toasts alongside the kernels and deepens their sweetness. Then, after searing the scallops until golden, more butter joins the party, turning nutty as its spooned overtop to finish the cooking. If the lesson here is anything, it’s this: If butter is already in the pan, let it go a little further. The same move works wonders with green beans, zucchini or whatever else is in season.

2. Brown Butter Apple Pie

Classic apple pie already has a lot going for it. That said, brown butter has found a way to make it even better. In the crust, browned and chilled butter replaces the usual cold cubes, creating a dough with deeper flavor and a crisp, delicate snap when sliced. The filling gets the same treatment, with apples mingling with brown butter before they hit the pastry.

3. Skillet Strawberry and Brown Butter Crumble

A great crumble topping strikes a balance between cakey and crisp. Choosing melted butter over chilled cubes pushes the crust toward crunchy, while still keeping just enough tenderness. Here, the butter goes a step further, cooked until browned to bring caramel-like notes to the crumble that play beautifully against the just-sweet-enough strawberry filling. Top with strawberry ice cream if you like, but butter pecan really drives the point home.

4. Honey Brown Butter Cornbread

If we leave you with one thing to think about today, it’s that where there is melted butter, there could be brown butter. Case in point: this easy cornbread, which takes about 10 minutes to stir together. Top wedges with salty-sweet honey butter for the full effect. It’s especially good alongside fried chicken or served as part of a Southern-style brunch.

5. Skillet Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Yes, cream cheese frosting is already a superior pick, but add brown butter and it leaves the competition in the dust. Here, it adorns a single-layer skillet carrot cake (made in your 4.5QT Hybrid Deep Sauté Pan), though the frosting is worth remembering for anything that could use a savory-sweet finish. Bookmark it for red velvet cupcakes, chocolate espresso cake or pumpkin-spiced whoopie pies. The cake itself is packed with pecans, crushed pineapple and golden raisins alongside the shredded carrot.

6. Toasted Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats

Brown butter and toasted marshmallows are a match made in bake sale heaven. Here, broiled marshmallows bring campfire vibes, while brown butter adds a toasted backbone to the nostalgic treat. A splash of bourbon (or vanilla) pushes the whole thing firmly into grown-up territory. If you’re already thinking s’mores, a cup of chocolate chips makes it official. Fold them in when the second round of cereal goes into the pan.

Consider yourself warned: Plain butter might never cut it again.