Skip to main content
FREE DINNER EBOOK! Get your copy!

Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe Recipe

Bright and tangy, this Lemon Butter Sauce will elevate your meal! Delicious on pasta, seafood, poultry, and vegetables. Simple ingredients and easy to make in minutes!

4.8 from 161 votes
13 mins
Total Time
0.5
cup
Jump to Recipe
Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe

How to Make the Best Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe

This simple lemon butter sauce is one of those essential recipes every home cook should have in their repertoire. With just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, you can transform an ordinary dish into something truly special. The bright acidity of fresh lemon juice balanced with rich, silky butter creates a versatile sauce that complements nearly everything it touches.

What makes this lemon butter sauce so wonderful is its adaptability. Drizzle it over pan-seared fish for an elegant weeknight dinner, toss it with freshly cooked pasta for a light and satisfying meal, or spoon it over steamed vegetables to make them irresistible. The addition of fresh herbs adds layers of flavor that take this sauce from good to exceptional.

The key to a perfect lemon butter sauce is patience—melt the butter slowly over low heat and don’t let it brown unless you’re going for a beurre noisette variation. The gentle cooking of the shallots and garlic infuses the butter with aromatic depth, while the off-heat addition of lemon juice ensures the sauce stays emulsified and silky smooth.

Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe

Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe

Bright and tangy, this Lemon Butter Sauce will elevate your meal! Delicious on pasta, seafood, poultry, and vegetables. Simple ingredients and easy to make in minutes!

4.8 from 161 votes
CourseSauce
CuisineAmerican
Keywordlemon butter sauce recipe, easy lemon butter sauce, butter sauce, lemon butter sauce for chicken, lemon butter sauce for fish, creamy lemon butter sauce, lemon butter sauce for salmon, lemon butter sauce pasta
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time3 mins
Total Time13 mins
Servings0.5 cup
Calories108kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Lemon Butter Sauce

Instructions

Lemon Butter Sauce

  1. Melt butter in a small saucepan slowly over low heat. Add shallots and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in salt, lemon juice and black pepper.
  2. Place in a dish and stir in the herbs.
  3. The lemon sauce will thicken as it cools. To thin it, set the bowl of sauce in a larger bowl with a little warm water at the bottom. Stir to keep the sauce incorporated as it loosens.

Notes

  • This sauce pairs beautifully with grilled salmon, pan-seared chicken, or roasted vegetables.
  • For a creamier version, whisk in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream just before adding the herbs.
  • The sauce can be made ahead and gently rewarmed over low heat, whisking constantly.
Jump to Recipe