Bright and tangy, this Lemon Butter Sauce will elevate your meal! Delicious on fish, pasta, salmon, lobster, chicken, and vegetables! Easy to make with simple ingredients.
Here’s another cooking basics recipe that will come in handy at mealtime! The preparation is quite simple, yet it feels elevated. Melt butter in a saucepan, saute garlic and shallot until fragrant, whisk in freshly squeezed lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
Fresh herbs add great flavor to the rich, tangy sauce, and we enjoy using a mix for variety. Drizzle over seared branzino, toss with pasta and parmesan cheese, or use it as a dipping sauce for shrimp or artichokes. The versatility and vibrant flavor make this lemon butter sauce an easy staple.
Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice. Taste the lemon to make sure it isn’t bitter.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter. If using salted butter, don’t add salt to the sauce. Taste and adjust at the end.
- Shallots and garlic: Add deep aromatic flavor.
- Salt and pepper: A simple way to deeply enhance the flavor.
- Fresh herbs: Use a mix for the best flavor! Parsley, chives, dill, thyme, tarragon, sorrel, lovage, basil, or mint.
How to Make Lemon Butter Sauce
1. Melt butter and sauté aromatics. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in salt, lemon juice, and black pepper.
2. Add fresh herbs. Transfer the sauce to a dish and stir in the fresh minced herbs.
3. Thin the sauce. As it cools, the sauce will thicken. To thin it, place the bowl of sauce in a larger bowl with warm water at the bottom. Stir to keep the sauce incorporated.
Butter Sauce Variations
- For a creamier, thicker sauce, Add a little whole milk or cream.
- For a bit of spice, add red pepper flakes or Aleppo Chile flakes.
- For complexity and aromatic flavor, Add dry white wine when sautéing the shallot and garlic cloves. Cook at medium heat to cook off the alcohol.
- To enhance the lemon flavor, Sprinkle lemon zest over top.
- For extra richness and depth, Add a little chicken broth.
- For extra garlicky, double or triple the garlic.
Storage
Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For reheating, warm gently over low heat in a saucepan.
Ways to Use Lemon Butter Sauce
Lemon Butter Sauce is the perfect accompaniment for fish, poultry, pasta, and vegetables. It elevates rather than overpowers delicate fish like halibut, tilapia, red snapper, trout, sole or salmon. You can also use it as a dipping sauce for shellfish- shrimp, crab, lobster, or grilled artichokes! Here are some of our favorite dishes to use this sauce.
- Easy Branzino Recipeo
- Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Scallops
- Baked Cod
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Roasted Cauliflower Spaghetti
- Sautéed Asparagus
- Grilled Artichokes
- Steamed Broccoli
- Roasted Asparagus
- Grilled Broccolini
- Roasted Broccoli
- Blistered Green Beans
FAQs
The ingredients are simple! The basics are lemon, butter, salt and pepper. We add shallots and garlic for aromatic flavor. Fresh herbs add a nice, flavorful touch!
Don’t skip the butter, but if you’d like the sauce to be creamier, you can add whole milk or a little heavy cream to create a thicker consistency.
The butter is the key thickening agent. Use cold, cubed butter for best results.
Have fun with this creamy, delicious Lemon Butter Sauce! Be sure to let us know what you do with it!
More Favorite Sauce Recipes to Try!
Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup
- Category: Sauce, Cooking Basics
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Bright and tangy, this Lemon Butter Sauce will elevate your meal! Delicious on pasta, seafood, poultry, and vegetables. Simple ingredients and easy to make in minutes!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon shallots, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- black pepper to taste
- 2–4 tablespoons fresh herbs, minced: parsley, chives, dill, thyme, tarragon, sorrel, lovage, mint – a mix is lovely
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small saucepan slowly over low heat. Add shallots and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in salt, lemon juice and black pepper.
- Place in a dish and stir in the herbs.
- The lemon sauce will thicken as it cools. To thin it, set the bowl of sauce in a larger bowl with a little warm water at the bottom. Stir to keep the sauce in cooperated as it loosens.
Notes
If using salted butter omit salt from sauce. Taste and add to taste.
The sauce will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop in a saucepan to warm and loosen, giving a quick whisk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 108
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 81.6 mg
- Fat: 11.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.5 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 30.5 mg
This looks delicious. Would it work well with olive oil instead of butter? I’m vegan, so considering it for vegetables. Any thoughts on keeping the creaminess that butter would otherwise offer? Thanks!
What about trying it with vegan butter? I don’t think olive oil will work the same. Our recipe for gremolata is delicious and vegan.
This lemon sauce was so yummy. I used fresh thyme and tarragon.
Yay! Glad you gave it a try.
This sauce took roasted veggies and rock fish to the next level. Eating the left over sauce tomorrow with blanched green beans. A little dab of this on just about anything adds brightness with a touch of richness. Oh, so yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome Gina! I know what you mean- hard to go wrong. Really appreciate you taking the time to review!
You are my “go to ” for recipes. I’m always sharing your dishes followed by sharing your link.
Thanks so much! Really nice to hear this.
Sounds delicious & easy. Shall be trying it tonight. 👍
Awesome Jan! Love to hear what you think.