Beurre Blanc Sauce Recipe
Published February 13, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Beurre Blanc Sauce is a delicious white wine butter sauce that is incredibly easy to make and goes excellent with vegetables, pork, beef, chicken or fish.
If you are anything like my wife and like a little sauce with her food, then this one is for you. It’s got such complimenting flavors and honestly is fantastic on just about anything since it contains acid and fat which enhances greatly.
If you’re looking to make this and try it out then absolutely check out my Pan Seared Scallops, Pan Seared Salmon Recipe and Chicken Piccata.
What Is It
Beurre blanc literally translates from French to English as “white butter.” I always tell people, it’s simply a white wine butter sauce and it is much simpler to make than maybe you thought.
Does It Contain Alcohol
In the most classic form of the recipe, which is what this one is, yes it contains white wine. If you are looking to do a non-alcohol version simply replace the wine with water and lemon juice.
What’s the Difference Between Beurre Blanc and Hollandaise Sauce
There is a vast difference between the two sauces, which are:
Beurre Blanc – It is cooked in a pot by reducing white wine, vinegar, and shallots and then whisking in whole butter.
Hollandaise – it is cooked over a double boiler and contains egg yolks, clarified butter, and lemon juice.
How to Make Beurre Blanc
Add some dry white wine to a medium-size saucepot.
Pour in the white wine vinegar to the pot.
Add in the roughly minced peeled shallots.
Cook over low to medium heat until there is about 2 tablespoons of liquid left.
Add the cold cut up butter to the pot.
Immediately and vigorously begin to whisk and whip the mixture until the butter is just about melted.
Remove the pot and put on your countertop and continue to whisk until it’s smooth.
Season it with sea salt.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer until it is smooth, keep warm and serve.
Lemon Beurre Blanc Variation
If you want to make a lemon beurre blanc simply add a squeeze of ½ lemon at the end when whisking the sauce on the countertop before seasoning it.
What Does It Go With
It really does go well with just about anything, and here are some of my favorite things to finish it on:
How to Keep the Sauce From Breaking
The cream is needed to keep the sauce from breaking and it will be able to remain warm for hours without doing so. Here is what you need to do in the procedures to make this happen:
Once the white wine and vinegar mixture in the shallots have been reduced to 2 tablespoons, add in ½ cup heavy whipping cream.
Cook it over low to medium heat until it becomes very thick, like alfredo sauce.
Complete the remaining steps of the sauce by adding in butter, whisking, seasoning, straining and serving.
chef notes + tips
- The sauce only has a certain amount of time before it breaks and the butter separates. It is advised to immediately serve it once it is finished.
- When there is a little bit of liquid left in the pot when you are reducing the white wine, vinegar, and shallots, it’s known as “au sec,” or almost gone.
- You do not have to strain the sauce, the shallots provide an additional excellent flavor to it.
More Awesome Sauce Recipes
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Beurre Blanc Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ peeled small diced shallot
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut up
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the white wine, vinegar, and shallots to a medium-size saucepot and cook over low to medium heat until there are about 2 tablespoons of liquid left.
- Add in the butter and immediately begin to vigorously whisk the mixture until the butter is almost completely melted.
- Remove from the heat and whisk until the mixture becomes melted and smooth.
- Season with salt and optionally strain and serve.
Notes
- The sauce only has a certain amount of time before it breaks and the butter separates. It is advised to immediately serve it once it is finished.
- When there is a little bit of liquid left in the pot when you are reducing the white wine, vinegar and shallots, it’s known as “au sec,” or almost gone.
- You do not have to strain the sauce, the shallots provide an additional excellent flavor to it.
Thank you, Chef. This recipe is a great lesson! And a great addition to my repertoire!
Yes!
How come your actual recipe? Doesn’t say anything about the half cup of heavy, whipping cream?
Because that’s not a classical ingredient to use. I’m only providing options if needed.
You have changed me from a very plain meat and potatoes girl into a gourmet cook.. My husband thanks you… everything I serve him he devours…. And ohhhhhh those sauces he asks for now…. Thank you from a wife of 51 years…. Mom nana and great nannie…💜💜
I am like your wife need a little sauce with most of my food.. I used ready make so called quality sauces for a long time and one was white wine sauce
.. for the past year working from home 🏡 I stayed to make my sauces from scratch saying I now have time .. actually always had time very easy to do like you said once you understand the basic fundamentals it’s easy and I am so much more happier
Food is still great says the family but homemade sauces make it some much better
Thank you Chef!!
Now collecting all my scraps and making my vegetable stock as well making sure to use tomatoes 😃 always made my chicken broth but now making my vegetable stock as well 🏡👍
Your faithful follower