Beurre Blanc Sauce
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This Beurre Blanc Sauce is a creamy white wine butter sauce I make with shallots, white wine, vinegar, and unsalted butter. It’s simple to prepare in just 15 minutes and always adds a touch of elegance to fish, vegetables, pork, or chicken.
My wife loves a little sauce with just about every meal. I mean, think about classic eggs Benedict, you really can’t serve it without hollandaise, right? She’s now added this beurre Blanc sauce to her collection, and I can tell you, it’s a simple and delicious way to elevate just about any dish.
What is Beurre Blanc Sauce?
Beurre Blanc literally translates from French to English as “white butter,” which sounds fancy, but I always tell people not to let the name fool them. At its core, it’s just a white wine butter sauce. That’s it. No tricks, no flour, no cream, just a handful of ingredients and a bit of attention.
Another question I get a lot is whether beurre Blanc and hollandaise are the same sauce, and the answer is no, not at all. They might both be classic French sauces, but they’re built very differently. I make beurre Blanc by reducing white wine, vinegar, and shallots in a pot, then whisking in whole butter to create a smooth, velvety sauce. Hollandaise, on the other hand, is made over a double boiler using egg yolks, clarified butter, and lemon juice. They each have their place, but the methods and flavors are completely distinct.
If you’ve never made a beurre Blanc sauce before, I encourage you to give it a try. It might sound fancy, but it’s actually pretty straightforward when you follow the steps and use my tips.
Ingredients and Substitutions
With just five simple ingredients, you can create a sauce that’s both flavorful and elegant. Here’s exactly what I use to make this beurre Blanc:
- Dry white wine – I use a crisp, dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, it gives the sauce a nice acidic base.
- White wine vinegar – Just a splash sharpens the flavor and balances the richness of the butter.
- Shallot – Dice it small so it melts right into the reduction.
- Unsalted butter – I always go with unsalted so I can control the seasoning. Cold butter is key for the emulsion to work.
- Sea salt – I season at the end, just enough to bring everything together.
How to Make Beurre Blanc Sauce
Add the Wine: I pour the dry white wine into a medium-size saucepot and set it over medium heat.
Add the Vinegar: The white wine vinegar goes straight into the pot with the wine.
Stir in Shallots: Then, I add the roughly minced, peeled shallots to the pot.
Reduce Liquid: I let everything simmer over low to medium heat until the liquid cooks down. Once there’s about two tablespoons left in the pot, it’s right where it needs to be.
Add Butter: I drop the cold, cut-up butter into the pot a few pieces at a time.
Whisk Butter: Right away, I start whisking the mixture vigorously. The goal here is to keep it moving so the butter emulsifies gently as it melts.
Finish Whisking: I take the pot off the heat and set it on the countertop. Then I keep whisking until the sauce turns smooth.
Season Sauce: I finish by adding a pinch of sea salt.
Strain and Serve: I pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to catch any bits for a smoother texture. Then I keep it warm and serve it right away while it’s at its best.
chef tip + notes
To help keep the sauce from breaking and hold it warm for longer, I recommend adding half a cup of heavy whipping cream after reducing the white wine and vinegar to about two tablespoons. Let it cook over low to medium heat until it thickens to a texture similar to Alfredo sauce. From there, continue with the usual steps, add the butter, whisk until smooth, season, strain if you’d like, and serve.
- Prep ahead: I like to have all my ingredients measured and ready before I start. Once the reduction is done, things move fast.
- Au sec: When there’s just a small amount of liquid left after reducing the wine, vinegar, and shallots, that’s called au sec. It means “almost dry” and it’s the perfect stage to start adding the butter.
- No straining: I don’t always strain the sauce. The shallots add great flavor and a little texture I actually enjoy.
- Lemon variation: For a lemony twist, I squeeze in about half a lemon right at the end while whisking. It brightens up the sauce in a really nice way.
Serving Suggestions
I always serve this sauce warm, right when I’m done cooking, which usually means the family is already at the table waiting. It doesn’t hold well and will break if you try to reheat it later. That’s just the nature of it. It’s meant to be enjoyed fresh.
This beurre Blanc sauce works really well with all kinds of dishes. I like it with my pan-seared salmon or even something like chicken piccata, the buttery flavor just fits. It’s also great over roasted vegetables, especially this easy roasted brussels sprouts, which taste even better with a spoonful of this sauce on top.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: I don’t usually make beurre Blanc too far ahead because it’s best served fresh and warm.
How to Store: Leftovers don’t reheat well since the sauce can break, so I try to make just what I’ll use in the moment.
More Awesome Sauce Recipes
Beurre Blanc Sauce
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.
just a bit confused, early in the notes cream was mentioned, but in the recipe it doesn’t appear. Is it an option to use or not?
cream is mentioned as the incorrect way to use it which a lot of folks do these days. My recipe is for the classical traditional version.
Love your sauce’s ChefBilly 😁😋👋🤩
Thank you 😊
my pleasure!
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 🏡👍
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