Beurre Blanc Sauce
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This Beurre Blanc Sauce is a classic, creamy white-wine butter sauce made 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.
To say it plainly, my wife loves her meals with sauce. 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. It’s actually one of the first sauces I ever learned to make when I was just a line cook back in St. Louis.
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. Beurre Blanc is made 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, you are in for a treat. It might sound fancy, but it’s very straightforward when you follow the steps and use my tips. You’ve got this, my friends.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Dry white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio, works perfectly with this. I tend to go for Chardonnay most often for this.
- White wine vinegar – Just a splash sharpens the flavor and balances the richness of the butter.
- Shallots are for sure the classic allium to make. However, finely minced white, sweet, red, or yellow onions will definitely work.
- 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 to taste at the end, just enough to bring everything together.
How to Make Beurre Blanc Sauce
Add the Wine: 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 the Shallots: Then, I add the roughly minced, peeled shallots to the pot.
Reduce the Liquid: Let everything simmer over low to medium heat until the liquid cooks down a bit. When I see about two tablespoons left in the pot, it’s right where it needs to be. It’s also ok if there’s a little more or a little less in the pot.
Add the Butter: I drop the cold, cut-up butter into eyeballed teaspoon-sized pieces all at once.
Whisk in the Butter: Right away, grab your whisk and mix vigorously. The goal here is to keep it moving so the butter emulsifies gently as it melts. Be sure to do this over low heat.
Finish Whisking: I take the pot off the heat and set it on the countertop. Then I keep whisking until the sauce turns smooth. As it begins to slightly cool away from the heat, the sauce will really start to come together.
Season the Sauce: I finish by adding a pinch of sea salt.
Strain and Serve: I pour the sauce through a chonise, or fine-mesh strainer, to catch any shallots, resulting in a smoother texture. Then I keep it warm and serve it right away while it’s at its best.
chef tip + notes
For a little insider tip, here’s how to keep the sauce from breaking and keep it warm longer. Add half a cup of cold 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. Then continue with the same steps, add the butter, whisk until smooth, season, strain, and serve. This is how I did it in my restaurant days so that the sauce could hold all night during service,
- Au sec: I know I said this word in the video below, and it means “almost dry” in French. It’s essentially the perfect stage to start adding the butter for emulsifying.
- No straining: Believe it or not, I don’t always strain the sauce. The shallots can add great flavor and a little texture. We used to serve it like this at Malmaison, a French restaurant where I worked in Missouri, and people loved it.
- Lemon variation: It’s funny because most people think this has lemon in it, but classically, it does not. To brighten the sauce up a bit, I like to squeeze in about half a lemon right at the end while whisking. If you love lemony flavors, then this tip is for you.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this sauce warm, right when I’m done cooking. It doesn’t hold for very long and will break if you try to reheat it later. That’s just the nature of it. The sauce is truly 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, like 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
Video
Beurre Blanc Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ peeled small diced shallot, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut up into teaspoon sized pieces
- 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.
This is so delicious and family approved!!!!
Amazing!
Love it!
Many thanks!
It was delicious but I was expecting it to be more of a creamy texture. Next time I will add a bit of whipping cream. I used it over the broccolini as well!