Our delicious and creamy Lemon Beurre Blanc is a classic sauce for serving with any type of white fish or salmon! Made with only 6 basic ingredients, this creamy sauce is so good!
The Best Lemon Beurre Blanc
A simple lemon beurre blanc sauce recipe is one of the 5 classic french sauces and surprisingly simple to make. With the option to make this butter-based sauce decadent with heavy cream or make a lemon buerre blanc without cream and use a lighter, dairy-free alternative. Either way it is the perfect way to level up your dinner and impress a crowd at your next special occasion!
Looking for More Homemade Sauces?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Garlic White Sauce!
What You Will Need
- cold butter – a main ingredient with the option to use regular or plant-based to bring great flavor and creaminess.
- shallots – highly recommend adding this mild onion flavor.
- white wine – just pick-up your favorite dry white wine or (i.e. sauvignon blanc) cooking wine at your local grocery store for a subtle sweetness.
- fresh lemon juice & lemon zest – a little bit of acidity really helps to amplify all the flavors.
- cream – feel free to use heavy cream, half and half, or a dairy-free alternative!
How To Make Lemon Beurre Blanc
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather all of the basic ingredients.
Now bring a large skillet or medium saucepan to a medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter to melt, and sauté the shallots. Pour in the wine and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce.
Next, whisk in your cream of choice and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until it reaches your desired thickness. Then add each piece of butter to melt with continuous whisking. Finally, whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Option to add a sprinkle of kosher salt and/or pepper.
Pro Tip
For an extra smooth finish, you can pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer before serving. Up to you!
Best Ways To Serve Lemon Beurre Blanc
This lemon beurre blanc sauce is the perfect compliment to a variety of different fish recipes. We love to serve ours with some pan seared halibut, cooked wild rice, and steamed asparagus! You could also easily enjoy with grilled salmon or your favorite fish fillets. A lemon wedge on the side for that fresh citrus juice is also nice!
Recipe FAQs
- What is beurre blanc made of? Typically this velvety sauce is a mixture of melted butter, cream, and a splash of wine. Other flavors can also be added to the mix.
- What’s the difference between beurre blanc and hollandaise sauce? The main difference is that a big piece of hollandaise sauce is egg yolks, creating a much brighter yellow color. Lemon beurre blanc for fish is creamy with hints of lemon and wine. We do have a full post on how to make hollandaise sauce, if you are interested.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and TikTok account for some behind-the-scenes action and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more delicious recipe tutorials! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Other Easy Sauce Recipes You Might Like
Lemon Beurre Blanc
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: French-Inspired
Description
Our delicious Lemon Beurre Blanc recipe is perfect for elevating your favorite fish to the next level with only 6 simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided (regular or plant-based)
- 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream OR unsweetened/unflavored Nutpods
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- optional: kosher salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté: Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter to melt. Add the shallots to the hot pan and move around to soften.
- Simmer: Add the white wine and let it simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Pour in the cream and let simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Butter: Now add the remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk to emulsify as they melt.
- Taste: Finally, whisk in the lemon juice & lemon zest and taste to see if any flavors need to be adjusted to your liking. Option to add a little salt and pepper, if you want.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately – we love it over our Pan Seared Halibut!
Notes
- Dairy Free: simply use a plant-based butter and a dairy-free creamer.
- Consistency: option to pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to make it extra smooth.
- Storage: keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 138
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 4.8 mg
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 38 mg
Leave a Rating & Comment