17 Savory Recipes That Prove Brown Butter Makes Everything Better

If you’re ever melting butter on the stovetop and walk away only to return to an overly browned liquid, don’t panic. What you’ve just created is actually one of the most delicious ingredients in cooking, brown butter. It has a slightly nutty flavor that can be used in sweet or savory recipes (especially quick pasta dishes), and it couldn’t be easier to make. Heck, you just did it on accident! Take a look at these 17 savory recipes that prove that brown butter makes *everything* better.

Brown Butter and Gorgonzola Pumpkin Pasta

This fall-inspired pumpkin pasta has to be on your dinner menu STAT. If pumpkins happen to be out of season when you get the itch, spiralized butternut squash would be a delicious alternative. (via Donna Hay)

Browned Butter and Lime Salmon

If you get in a salmon rut from time to time, this might just be the dish to snap you out of it. Tart lime and slightly sweet brown butter may seem like an unlikely pair, but the two are a winning combination on top of fresh fish. (via Recipe Diaries)

Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts Pasta With Hazelnuts

Brussels sprouts dressed with brown butter are tasty enough all on their own. Add pasta, Parmesan, and hazelnuts to the mix and it’ll be hard to beat. (via Two Peas and Their Pod)

Brown Butter Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo With Fried Cheese

Oh, hey there, food coma. Obviously, you signed yourself up for this dish at the mention of fried cheese, but the brown butter and pasta aren’t too shabby either. (via Half Baked Harvest)

Brown Butter Seared Burgers With Bourbon Mushrooms, Bacon, and Gruyere

Alliteration has never tasted so good. These seared burgers are a prime example of how well brown butter works with ultra-savory dishes. (via Cooking for Keeps)

Brown Butter and Thyme Potato Torte

The minimal amount of ingredients in this torte make brown butter the star. Be sure to thinly slice the potatoes so that every layer can soak up the flavors. (via Mantitlement)

Browned Butter Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is a great blank canvas to add some of your favorite flavorings to. Toast it up with brown butter and a pinch of salt, and this three-ingredient recipe is bound for side-dish stardom. (via Cupcakes and Kale Chips)

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli With Browned Butter and Oregano Bread Crumbs

If you’ve been searching for the perfect date-night meal that makes you look like a chef de cuisine, you can stop right now. This has everything from homemade pasta to drunken goat cheese and everything in between. (via Half Baked Harvest)

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells With Brown Butter and Sage

Do a quick Google search of brown butter and you’ll quickly learn that sage is a very popular side kick. Pour the two over jumbo shells stuffed with whipped butternut squash to make them utterly irresistible. (via Ciao Chow Bambina)

Crispy Lemon Chicken With Brown Butter Greens and White Beans

This isn’t your average fried chicken and greens. If you have trouble getting your family to eat their kale, there’s no way they can turn their nose up at them when they’re dripping with brown butter. (via Cooking for Keeps)

Garlic-Parmesan Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

If you’re not sold on brown butter quite yet, prepare to be converted. Give these garlicky mashed potatoes a try and you’ll *instantly* taste the difference. (via Cafe Delites)

Grilled Radishes With Brown Butter, Thyme, and Sea Salt

Have you ever wished that you liked radishes but they’re just a little too spicy for you? Try tossing them in brown butter, thyme, and sea salt to balance their intense flavor. (via Recipe Runner)

Brown Butter Lobster

Butter is all you need to make lobster the best version of itself. (via Better Happier St. Sebastian)

Sautéed Brown Butter Garlic Rainbow Carrots

If the rainbow colors of these carrots aren’t enough to entice your family to eat them, the scent will be. (via The Recipe Critic)

Roasted Mushrooms in a Browned Butter, Garlic, and Thyme Sauce

It should be illegal for a side dish this incredible to be so easy. Whip it up to go alongside a roast chicken at your next dinner party and everyone will be asking for the recipe. (via Closet Cooking)

Brown Butter Scallops With Parmesan Risotto

If you think this dish is too fancy for you to recreate, you’re wrong. Get your love in the kitchen with you and cook it together with your favorite wine in hand. Best. Date. Ever. (via Pinch of Yum)

Pear and Vanilla Bean Brown Butter Roast Chicken

No need to adjust your screen; you definitely read that recipe title correct. Step out of your culinary comfort zone and try this gourmet sweet and savory roast chicken that’ll take your skills to a whole other level. (via Adventures in Cooking)