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4.9 from 21 votes

Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce

šŸ‹šŸ§ˆšŸ˜ Learn how to make this buttery white wine sauce with hints of lemon and shallots and impress your friends and family! Beurre blanc sauce is delicious served over chicken, fish, seafood, and vegetables. It elevates any ordinary dish to the next level and makes it taste elegant and fancy!Ā 

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Additional Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 116 kcal
Course: Others
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • Ā½ cup dry white wine Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio
  • 1 shallot very finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter sliced into about 16 thin slices or cubed small and very COLD
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper optional and to taste
  • salt if needed and to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large, high-sided, heavy saute pan or saucepan, add the wine, shallots, lemon juice, and cook over high heat until the volume has reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons. This will take about 35 to 40 minutes. The mixture should be bubbling and boiling pretty vigorously; stir intermittently and check on it frequently.
  2. After the mixture has reduced, add the heavy cream, and cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat, and add 1 pat or cube of cold butter, whisking vigorously until it has melted and incorporated. Do not stop whisking. Do not add more butter until the first has melted.
  4. Add the butter, one slice or cube at a time, until all the butter has been whisked in and the sauce is silky smooth.* (See Notes for Avoiding a Broken Sauce)
  5. Optionally, you can strain the shallot out, or leave it in.
  6. Transfer sauce to a serving pitcher, and optionally sprinkle with cayenne, and/or optionally add salt to taste if desired.
  7. Serve immediately over chicken, fish, seafood, or vegetables. Beurre blanc sauce needs to be kept warm and served warm or it will break, and it's not able to be made in advance. If you have extra sauce, it will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. Tip - It's best not to try to reheat it or it will break. Instead, treat it as a compound butter and put a pat of it on hot chicken, fish, seafood, or vegetables as you would do with a pat of butter on hot food.

Notes

  • Ā 
  • Storage:Ā 
  • Lemon beurre blanc sauce needs to be kept warm and served warm. Therefore itā€™s not a great keeper. Store leftover sauce in an airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  • Treat it as a compound butter, slice off a little hunk or pat, and add that to hot oven-roasted vegetables, freshly cooked chicken, seafood, or fish that is nice and warm.
  • TheĀ heavy creamĀ helps the sauce not break as easily. Donā€™t try to substitute half-and-half or milk for heavy cream for this reason. Fat is your friend here.
  • Keep theĀ butter very COLD and in small cubes.Ā I slice a stick of butter into about 16 slices, or about 1/2 tablespoon each.
  • Only add one slice or cube of butter at a time and whisk vigorously and intensely until it melts.Ā Donā€™t add more butter andĀ donā€™t stop whisking!Ā Although this seems tedious, itā€™s worth it.
  • It is important to stay with the sauce at all times when cooking.Ā You may be tempted to walk away, but it will be that moment that the sauce breaks.
  • To fix a broken sauce,Ā remove from the andĀ whisk in a few ice chipsĀ until the sauce re-emulsifies and comes back together.Ā However, this isnā€™t a guarantee.Ā Itā€™s a Band-Aid. Better to prevent a broken sauce than to try to fix one.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 116kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 33mg (11%) Sodium 40mg (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 116

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 116kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 1g 0%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Cholesterol 33mg 11%
Sodium 40mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.