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You know that phrase ‘you had me at…’. Well, brown butter is it for me! I simply cannot get enough of the stuff! Put it in everything as far as I’m concerned! This Warm Lemon Brown Butter Vinaigrette is a rich, tart and delicious exclamation point on so many dishes! It combines the rich and nutty flavor of brown butter with fresh garlic and bright tart lemons. This one is special, friends!

A small glass bowl of lemon brown butter vinaigrette on a bright pink napkin next to lemons.

Why I think you’ll love this vinaigrette:

IT’S DIFFERENT – This is not your typical salad dressing! This vinaigrette is meant to be used like a sauce to level-up your fish, your meats and your cooked vegetables. Imagine drizzling this over a piece of salmon, a pile of roasted brussels sprouts, or some grilled potatoes – YUM!
IT’S PERFECT ALL YEAR LONG- Use it over grilled salmon or steak or drizzle it over oven-roasted meats and vegetables. Total versatility!
IT’S BLOODY DELICIOUS – There’s no other way to say it! The way that the hot nutty butter gently cooks the minced garlic with its residual heat and then pops with the brightness and acidity of fresh lemon – WOW!

Recipe ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Lemon Brown Butter Vinaigrette:

An overhead view of the ingredients required to make lemon brown butter vinaigrette.

Note: This recipe calls for UNSALTED butter. If you choose to use SALTED butter, then you will need to reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe.

Let’s Make Lemon Brown Butter Vinaigrette Together: STEP BY STEP

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list in the recipe card below

What to Serve this With

I first created this vinaigrette to go with this Air Fryer Salmon and Asparagus, but there are so many ways that it can take your cooking to the next level.

Grilling Season: As you work your way through grilling season, this sauce can work with so many things. Consider it with grilled fish and shellfish or a juicy steak – in the same way that you would add a dollop of compound butter as an instant sauce (it will marry with the juices of the meat – yummm!). Oh, and don’t forget about the vegetables! Grilled eggplant, zucchini or potatoes would welcome this punchy flavorful sauce with a scattering of fresh herbs.

Roasting Season: It’s no different here. As we head into cooler seahis sauce can be a lovely final touch for a roasted chicken, a pan of roasted vegetables, a roasted pork loin or a slow-roasted piece of fish. Allowing the roasting juices in the pan to marry with the rich but sharp lemony brown butter is a little bit of magic!

Chef Natalie Marble in her home kitchen.

Natalie’s Tips

This recipe calls for UNSALTED butter. However, if you use SALTED butter, you will need to reduce the amount of added salt when blending the sauce.
This small amount of butter (4 tablespoons) will brown quickly, so don’t leave your pan unattended. It will go from delicious brown to bitter black in no time!
Don’t skip the step of quickly transferring the browned butter to a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking process. If you leave the butter in the pan it will continue cooking and turn from brown to black quickly.
An immersion stick blender is optimal for the small amount in this recipe. This is the one that I use (I’m not an affiliate or anything – just wanted to show you what I use). A small food processor would likely work well, too. A blender, on the other hand, may be too large.

Storage & Reheating

STORAGE: Store this sauce in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.

REHEATING: You can use a microwave, in 30 second intervals, to gently reheat this. You will also need to blend it again to achieve the right consistency.

Additions & Substitutions

ADDITIONS:

Heat – You could add some red chile flakes to the brown butter when you add the garlic for a touch of heat. How much you add is entirely up to you.

A little sweetness – If the vinaigrette is too tart for you, add some honey or brown sugar when your blending the vinaigrette.

Fresh herbs – To add a touch of freshness, feel free to add some chopped when blending the vinaigrette. Parsley, thyme and rosemary would all be nice and stand up to the assertive flavor.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Other citrus – Using oranges or limes instead of lemons, you can change up the flavor profile of this sauce. Have fun with it!

FAQs

This recipe is based on unsalted butter. Generally speaking, I cook with unsalted butter, as I feel like I have better control over seasoning. However, if you use salted butter, you will likely need to reduce the salt amount in the recipe.

You can, but not more than a few hours before you’re going to use it. As it sits and cools, it will start to solidify, which you don’t want. So, if you make it a little ahead of time, keep it at room temperature and know that you might have to blend it again.

I hope you love this Lemon Brown Butter Vinaigrette! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!

Warm Lemon Brown Butter Vinaigrette

This Warm Lemon Brown Butter Vinaigrette is a rich, tart and delicious exclamation point on so many dishes! It combines the rich and nutty flavor of brown butter with fresh garlic and bright tart lemons. This one is special, friends!

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 172 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat until the butter starts to foam and the milk solids separate and turn golden brown on the bottom of the pan. (With this small amount of butter, this will typically happen within a few minutes, so don't leave it unattended).
When the butter is done, quickly transfer it to a heat-proof bowl to cool – this will help to stop the cooking process.
To the hot butter, add the chopped garlic. It will sizzle and start to smell delicious.
Once the butter has cooled for a few minutes, add it and the lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, and avocado oil to a blender, food processor or use an immersion blender to blend until really well combined.

Video

Notes

If you used salted butter, you will need to reduce the amount of salt added to the vinaigrette when blending.
Don’t leave the butter unattended as it’s browning. Four tablespoons will brown quickly!
Don’t skip the step of quickly transferring the browned butter to a bowl as soon as it’s done. If you allow it to remain in the pan, it will turn into black butter (very bitter!).
An immersion stick blender or small food processor are optimal for this recipe, if you have one, as the amount of sauce is quite small for a blender.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 0.5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 293mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 357IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.2mg

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