10 minute brown butter sauce for pasta

Name: 10 minute brown butter sauce for pasta
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 150 g butter (cubed (see notes)); 20 sage leaves (see notes); Salt to taste if using unsalted butter

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5 from 19 votes

This 10 minute brown butter sauce is the easiest way to make pasta taste restaurant-worthy. The butter turns nutty, toasty, and golden in just a few minutes, and crispy sage takes it to another level. It’s simple, fast, and unbelievably delicious on any pasta shape or ravioli with a mountain of parmesan on top.

White plate with rigatoni pasta in a brown butter sauce. Crispy sage on top and a fork resting into dish.

Why you'll love this sauce

Only takes 10 minutes (or less)
Two ingredients, huge flavor
Works with any pasta shape
Easy to customise
Clear steps, zero guesswork

Brown butter turns into the dreamiest, foamy, nutty sauce with almost no effort and it’s one of my absolute favorite ways to make pasta taste special. Once the butter hits the pan and the sage gets crispy, you’ve got a sauce that works with any pasta shape and never fails. If you love quick, simple butter based sauces, you’ll also love my 10 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta and my White Wine & Butter Pasta Sauce.

This is a sauce I make constantly, it feels restaurant-worthy but takes less time than boiling the pasta. It’s the most perfect sauce for store-bought or handmade ravioli and you can also drizzle it over vegetables or fish for an easy, elevated dinner.

What is brown butter?

Brown butter (or beurre noisette) is butter cooked until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty. As the butter melts, it foams, the water evaporates, and the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan. When those solids toast and turn brown, the butter becomes rich, aromatic, and full of deep, nutty flavour. It's so perfect for pasta.

Once you recognise the foaming, browning, nutty-smelling stages, it becomes a very easy technique to master.

Ingredients:

Butter - You can use salted or unsalted butter. Unsalted gives you the most control, but you’ll need to season the finished sauce yourself. If you have a salted butter you love the flavor of, feel free to use it. Remember the butter is the whole sauce here, so choose one you enjoy.

Sage - Sage is really the only herb that crisps beautifully in brown butter, which is why it’s the classic pairing. You can use thyme or rosemary, but they won’t get that same crispy texture and can burn. You can leave the herbs out entirely.

Pasta - Use any shape you like, a short or long pasta (brown butter spaghetti is pretty great!) Cook to package directions, undercooking by a minute if you like it really al dente.

Add-Ins and Finishing Touches

Walnuts – Toast the walnuts in the brown butter at the same time as the sage. They add a rich, nutty flavour and perfect crunch. Hazelnuts or pine nuts also work well.

Lemon zest – A little lemon zest on top brightens the sauce and cuts through the richness. Add it right before serving.

Black pepper – Freshly cracked black pepper is incredible with brown butter and sage (Cacio e Pepe lovers, this is for you). Red pepper flakes are great if you want a touch of heat.

Parmesan – A generous shower of freshly grated parmesan on top is always a good idea. I never skip it.

How to make brown butter for pasta

Full ingredient measurements and method are in recipe card below. Brown butter is easy once you know the signs. Trust the color and the nutty smell more than the clock.

Cubes of butter melting in a stainless steel pan.

1. Add the butter to a light colored skillet and melt over medium heat until it starts to gently sizzle.

Melted cubes of butter sizzling with fresh sage leaves.

2. Once the butter is sizzling, add the sage leaves.

3. Continue cooking, swirling the pan often to help the butter cook evenly and keep the foam intact.

Butter bubbling with sage leaves starting to crisp.

4. The butter will crackle loudly at first. Keep swirling so the milk solids don’t settle and burn. The leaves will start to crisp and curl at the edges.

Crisp sage leaves in a foamy brown butter.

5. After a minute or two, the crackling will quieten down and the large bubbles will turn into a thick foam. The butter will smell nutty, reduce the heat if needed.

Stainless steel pan with a brown butter and crisp sage leaves. Butter has a layer of foam on top.

6. Keep swirling so you can see underneath the foam. Once the milk solids are golden brown (not black), remove the pan from the heat. The whole process takes about 4–5 minutes.

Expert tips for the perfect sage brown butter

Use a light-coloured pan
A stainless steel or light-coloured skillet makes it easy to see the milk solids browning. Dark pans hide the colour and make it more likely you’ll overcook or burn the butter.

Swirl the pan often
Swirling helps the butter brown evenly and keeps the foam intact. Stirring with a spatula can break up the foam and make the butter cook unevenly.

Watch the colour under the foam
Lift and swirl the pan so you can peek underneath the bubbles. You want the milk solids golden brown, not dark brown or black.

Don’t add pasta directly to the pan
Any water clinging to the pasta can steam the sage and make it lose its crispiness. Divide the pasta into bowls first, then spoon the brown butter on top.

Skim the foam for serving
Spoon some of the buttery foam over the pasta at the end. It gives the dish a glossy finish and adds extra nutty flavour.

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Love brown butter?

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It takes 5 minutes and you can put it on everything!

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Common questions

How do you know when brown butter is done?

The butter will foam, then the foam will settle and you’ll see the milk solids turning golden on the bottom of the pan. It will smell nutty and toasted, that’s your signal to take it off the heat. If the solids start turning dark brown or black, it’s gone too far.

Why did my brown butter burn?

Brown butter burns when the heat is too high or you stop swirling the pan. The milk solids can settle and scorch quickly. Use medium heat, swirl often, and peek under the foam to check the colour.

Should I use salted or unsalted butter?

You can use either, but unsalted gives you the most control over seasoning. If you use unsalted butter, be sure to season the finished sauce to taste. I personally use salted.

What pasta shapes work best with brown butter?

Brown butter goes with almost everything, but ravioli is one of my favorite choices because the filling cuts through the richness so the sauce never feels heavy. My Homemade Ravioli is perfect here!

Another fantastic option is my crispy gnocchi in brown butter but use pappardelle, rigatoni, or any shape you love.

Golden gnocchi in a foamy brown butter. Crisp sage on top and a fork resting into dish.

Brown butter recipes to try

Obsessed with brown butter? These are my favorite ways to use it.

Did you make this recipe?

I would LOVE it if you could leave a review and star rating down below. Also please tag me on Instagram if you share a photo of the dish!

Recipe

10 minute brown butter sauce for pasta

5 from 19 votes

Author: Emilie Pullar

Cook Time:10

Servings: 4 people

Print Recipe Pin Rate

An easy and quick 10 minute sage butter. A delicious foamy and nutty browned butter with crispy sage leaves for an addictive pasta sauce.

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Ingredients

150 g butter cubed (see notes)
20 sage leaves see notes
Salt to taste if using unsalted butter

Instructions

Make sure you check out my notes and photos above, it's all useful info I promise. There is a handy video below too.
Melt the butter in a frypan over medium heat and when it just starts to sizzle, throw your sage leaves in.
Continue cooking the butter, swirling the pan so it cooks evenly.
The butter will create big bubbles and crackle quite loudly. Feel free to turn the heat down if you think it is cooking too quickly.
The bubbles and noise will subside and then it will start to foam on the top.
Keep swirling the pan so you can see what is going on under the foam. It will take about 5 minutes.
We are looking for the specks on the bottom to be brown NOT black. Keep in mind it will continue to cook when you take it off the heat.
As soon as you see the specks at the bottom turn brown, take it off the heat and serve immediately.
I like to gently spoon the butter over the pasta and then skim the foam off the top of the pan to layer onto the pasta too. It's all about those foamy bubbles!

Video

Notes

Butter - Use salted or unsalted. I personally use salted but you obviously have more control over the seasoning with unsalted.

Sage - Sage crisps the best in brown butter and isn't really substitutable in my opinion. You could put sprigs of rosemary or thyme in purely for flavor and discard before serving.

Pan choice - Use a light colored pan so you can see the milk solids browning and avoid burning.

Don’t add pasta to the pan - Plate the pasta first, then spoon the brown butter on top so the sage stays crispy.

Optional add-ins - Lemon zest or toasted walnuts/pine nuts are delicious finishes.

Author: Emilie Pullar

Cook Time: 10

Course: Butter Sauces

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: brown butter sauce, sage butter

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