This delicious brown butter sage sauce brings together sweet and nutty brown butter with fragrant sage and aromatic garlic. It’s a sauce that will make your taste buds sing.
All you need to do to make the sauce is add garlic, sage, and salt to browned butter. It takes so little time, yet it can transform anything from meats and veggies to starches and pasta.
Whether you’re looking for a sauce to toss with pasta, spoon over pork or chicken, or drizzle over roasted vegetables, this simple brown butter sage sauce will elevate anything that’s on your plate.
What is Brown Butter Sage Sauce?
Brown butter sage sauce is a rich butter-based sauce that is simultaneously sweet and earthy. It’s the perfect accompaniment to pasta, and it can take nearly any protein, vegetable, or starch to the next level.
Why You’ll Love Sage Butter Sauce
If you’re a lover of butter and fresh, herbal flavor, you’re going to adore this easy sauce.
- Simple to make: With only a short ingredient list and only a handful of steps, this sauce couldn’t be easier to prepare.
- Easy to change up: You can use this sauce on nearly any savory dish you want to whip up.
- Convenient: You can make this sauce quickly on busy weeknights or prepare it and store it in the fridge and freezer to use whenever you want.
Ingredients
Since there are only a few simple ingredients, it’s important to make sure that they’re all fresh and high-quality so their flavors can shine.
- Clarified butter or ghee: This rich, flavorful fat is the base for this sauce. Clarified butter has the milk solids removed. I always prefer to use unsalted butter.
- Fresh sage leaves (julienned): Sage leaves contribute their signature earthy flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic cloves (thinly sliced): The aromas given off by garlic gives the sauce a deep flavor.
- Coarse kosher salt: Salt helps to bring out the other flavors of the other ingredients. It also balances the sauce.
Variations on Sage Brown Butter Sauce
There are a bunch of ways to make this recipe your own signature sauce. Here a few suggestions.
- Lemon: Brighten the sauce with a little bit of lemon juice or lemon zest.
- Wine: Use your favorite white wine to build even more flavor in the sauce.
- Parmesan: Add a bit of nutty flavor with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese.
- Honey: Add a touch of sweetness with a bit of honey.
What To Serve Brown Butter Sage Sauce With
We love to serve this sauce over pork chops, but it’s also a great way to elevate any protein from grilled chicken or turkey to steak or duck. The earthy and garlicky sauce is also an easy way to upgrade traditional buttered noodles or homemade gnocchi, and it’s the perfect sauce to channel fall flavors over butternut squash ravioli or sweet potato gnocchi.
You can also drizzle it over veggies. We love to toss it with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, or mushrooms or spoon it over top of spinach, pumpkin or squash. The nutty aroma adds so much.
And if you’re looking for a way to make your starches even more irresistible, try dressing up your sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes with a drizzle of this simple sauce.
How to Make Brown Butter Sauce
It doesn’t take long to make this easy sauce, but be sure to keep a close eye on it and stir occasionally throughout the cooking process to get the best results.
- Brown butter. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Then, continue to cook the butter until it browns over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic. Add the garlic to the butter in the pan and cook briefly. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Remaining ingredients. Add the sage and salt. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature before storing. You can remove sage with a slotted spoon if desired.
Storage and Freezing
Easy brown butter sage sauce is a great way to use up lots of sage from your garden. You can easily store it in the fridge or freezer.
How to Store Sage Sauce
Store leftovers sage butter sauce in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Can I Freeze Sage Sauce?
Freeze the sauce in a freezer-safe container, resealable freezer bag, or ice cube tray covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 months.
Common Questions About Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Sage sauce is a combination of butter, fresh sage, salt, and sometimes black pepper. This recipe also incorporates fresh garlic.
Brown butter sauce is sweet, nutty and rich. The addition of sage gives it an earthy flavor, as well.
If you find yourself out of sage and there’s no time to go to the grocery store, try substituting thyme, another earthy herb. Other fresh herbs you can try are rosemary, marjoram, or oregano.
Other Savory Sauces
If you know me, you know how much I love a good sauce. Here are some of my favorites that I know you’ll love too.
Copycat Chick-fil-a Sauce
Chinese Chili Oil
Jerk Sauce
Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup clarified butter or ghee
- 1/4 cup sage leaves julienned
- 4-6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt the clarified butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Allow the butter to brown for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and remove from the stove. It will sizzle and crispy up a bit. Temperature should be low enough that it browns, but does not burn.
- Remove from heat and stir in the sage and salt.
- Serve over pork chops, steaks, fish, vegetables or pasta.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
WOW – so much flavor! I can think of so many ways I’d love to use this sauce!
We had this on steak last night and it was TO DIE FOR! Absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.
We are having seafood for dinner and I think this butter sauce will be the perfect addition to the menu!
This butter sauce added so much flavor to a simple oven-baked salmon recipe. Can’t wait to try it on other recipes.
Oh this sauce looks so so good! I know how brown butter makes everything flavor rich and yum! So giving it a try.