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Home Blog Cooking Basics

Lemon Butter Sauce

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 02/17/21 Updated: 12/17/21
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K Keto LC Low Carb

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This lemon butter sauce is deliciously lemony and buttery, but with a rich nuttiness that takes this sauce to the next level! Perfect on fish, chicken, or pasta, the easy brown butter base of this sauce gives it a restaurant-quality flavor with minimal effort.

Lemon butter sauce drizzled over fish on a white platter

What Makes This Sauce So Good

  • Bright lemon and rich butter are a match made in heaven. The flavors meld beautifully, creating a tangy, refreshing sauce that elevates any dish.
  • It’s thin without being watery and velvety smooth without being heavy. A literal dream!
  • It’s so, so easy to make! Just a few minutes and a little whisking are all you really need. Perfect for those busy weeknights when dinner was the last thing on your mind!
  • It’s a great make-ahead sauce to keep on hand. Just refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze it in an airtight container up to three months! When you’re ready, reheat the lemon butter sauce on the stovetop over low heat. Let frozen sauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight first, though.

Key Ingredients

Browned Butter – Butter is great, but browned butter is out of this world. It gives the sauce a slightly nutty flavor (it’s completely nut-free, though!) that’s complex and basically incredible. You might look at the recipe and think “oh great, another step” but do. not. skip. this!

Lemon Juice – You can’t have a lemon butter sauce with lemon juice! I recommend using juice from fresh lemons if you can, to really get that crisp lemony flavor. If you like a lighter flavor, though, go with store-bought, prepackaged juice.

Chef’s Tips

  • Use a small saucepan with a light base, so you can tell really see when the butter starts to brown.
  • The butter needs a lot of attention while it’s browning, so don’t walk off. Whisk it, or swirl the saucepan gently, to keep it from sticking and burning. Be careful not to let it burn – it can happen fast.
  • If your heat is too high, the lemon butter sauce will separate. It’ll still taste delicious, but it won’t have the look you’re going for. The key is to use a medium-low heat (except when you boil the lemon juice), and resist the urge to rush things.

More Delicious Sauce Recipes

  • Keto Alfredo Sauce
  • Microwave Hollandaise Sauce
  • Béarnaise Sauce Recipe
  • Healthy Soy Sauce Substitute Recipe (Whole30, Paleo)
  • Homemade Taco Sauce
  • Au Jus Recipe

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

A spoon drizzling lemon butter sauce into a stone bowl

Lemon Butter Sauce

Prep:5 minutes
Cook:10 minutes
Total:15 minutes
This lemon butter sauce is deliciously lemony and buttery, but with a rich nuttiness that takes this sauce to the next level! Perfect on fish, chicken, or pasta, the easy brown butter base of this sauce gives it a restaurant-quality flavor with minimal effort.
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4 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice approximately 2-3 lemons' worth
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon hot water

Equipment

  • Small saucepan (2, or 1 and paper towels)
  • Small bowl
  • Whisk

Instructions 

  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook 2 tablespoons butter until it smells nutty and just barely turns brown. Don't let it burn.
    Browned butter in a silver saucepan
  • Immediately remove pan from heat and transfer butter to small bowl. Wipe out saucepan with paper towel, or use another clean saucepan.
  • Boil lemon juice with salt and pepper until liquid is reduced to approximately 1 tablespoon.
  • Remove saucepan from heat and immediately whisk in 2 pieces of chilled butter. Set pan over very low heat.
    Lemon juice and chilled butter in a silver saucepan with a whisk
  • Whisk in remaining butter, one piece at a time, making a thick, creamy sauce.
    Lemon butter sauce in a silver saucepan with a black whisk
  • Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in browned butter.
    Lemon butter sauce in a silver bowl
  • Immediately before serving, whisk in 1 tablespoon of hot water in ½ teaspoon increments.

Notes

  • Make it Whole30/Paleo/Lactose-Free: Use ghee in place of the regular butter, and follow our other recipe to make Brown Butter Ghee!
 
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Nutritional values shown reflect information for 1 serving. Macros may vary slightly depending on the specific brands of ingredients used.
To determine the size of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed, then weigh the entire finished recipe . Divide the total weight of the recipe (not including the weight of the bowl, pot, or plate the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 154kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 441mg, Potassium: 21mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 526IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

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Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

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