Lemon Butter Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 fresh lemon zest and juice, divided
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon flat parsley chopped, optional
Instructions
- Melt the 1 cup unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the zest from 1 lemon, grated 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Take the sauce off the heat and whisk in the fresh juice from the zested lemon, 1 tablespoon heavy cream and chopped 2 teaspoon flat parsley, if using.
- Use immediately or set aside and reheat when ready to use.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
If you’ve been on the hunt for a way to take nearly any savory meal to the next level, your search is over! This easy lemon butter sauce is an elegant, smooth sauce you’ll want to pair with all of your proteins, pasta, veggies, and anything else you can find!
Ingredients
Just a handful of ingredients is all you need to make this luscious lemon butter sauce. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter – The base of the sauce, butter makes it rich, creamy, and full of buttery flavor.
- Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest – Lemon lends its bright and tangy taste to the sauce. The acidity and freshness beautifully balance the richness of the butter.
- Garlic
- Coarse kosher salt
- Ground white pepper
- Heavy cream
- Flat parsley
Perfect Pairings
This rich lemon butter sauce can brighten up so many dishes! Try it on seafood like salmon, lobster, cod, tilapia recipes or shrimp, or use it to make a more elevated version of buttered noodles.
It’s also perfect for tossing with roasted vegetables, asparagus, cauliflower, and broccoli or as a dipping sauce for nearly any type of bread. You can also drizzle it over meats like chicken, steak, or pork.
- Salt – I like to add a pinch of coarse kosher salt to help bring out the other flavors of this lemon butter sauce.
- Seasonings – Try adding crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper powder for a spicy kick. You can also use blends like Thai or Cajun seasoning.
- Swaps – Instead of lemon, try making an orange, lemon or grapefruit sauce instead for a different flavor profile. Add fresh herbs like thyme, tarragon, dill, or basil or a dried herb blend like herbes de Provence. Sprinkle in some parmesan cheese for a nutty cheese sauce.
- Senses – Silky and fragrant, lemon butter sauce melts with creamy richness, bright citrus tang, and a buttery aroma that awakens the senses.
Storage and Freezing
Place the leftover lemon butter sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container or a silicone ice cube tray for up to three months.
Common Questions About Lemon Butter Sauce
If you finish the sauce and realize that the lemon is overpowering, you can balance it out by adding a bit more melted butter or cream.
The best way to increase the thickness of a sauce is to use a slurry. Mix either cornstarch or flour with water and add it slowly to the sauce until it is the consistency you are looking for. Never mix the cornstarch or flour in directly — it will form lumps.
Lemon butter sauce may separate if you have the temperature turned up too high. Make sure to keep the temperature on a lower setting to avoid separation.
More Savory Sauces
There’s no meal that a good homemade sauce can’t elevate. Here are some of our favorites.
Oh yum! Such a wonderful easy and versatile sauce. It sounds perfect for pairing with pasta.
Served this over pasta last night and the whole family loved it! Such a flavorful sauce. Delish!
This Lemon butter sauce look amazingly delicious. Thanks for sharing.
I love how quick and easy this is to make! Thank you so much for sharing!
This was really good on chicken and asparagus. I’ll definitely be making it again soon!