Beurre blanc

Name: Beurre blanc
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 shallots, very finely chopped; 100 ml dry white wine; 50 ml wine vinegar; 200 g unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 2 cm cubes; ¼ tsp salt; ⅛ tsp white pepper; 1 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Vegetarian

A sharp shallot, wine and vinegar reduction whisked with cold butter into a light, creamy, pale sauce — made for fish and shellfish.

Beurre blanc is a French sauce from France, ready in about 20 minutes and made with shallot and unsalted butter. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep: 5 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 20 min
Serves: 6
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 261

Ingredients

6 servings (about 40 ml each)

2 (60 g) Shallots (opens in a new tab), very finely chopped
100 ml Dry white wine (opens in a new tab)Dry, such as Muscadet.Swap: Fish stock (Alcohol-free; add a little extra vinegar.)Contains sulphites
50 ml Wine vinegar (opens in a new tab)White wine vinegar.
200 g Unsalted butter (opens in a new tab), very cold, cut into 2 cm cubesContains milk
¼ tsp (1.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
⅛ tsp (0.5 g) White pepper (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (15 g) Heavy cream (opens in a new tab) (optional)A restaurant trick that helps stabilise the emulsion.Contains milk

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Simmer the shallots (opens in a new tab), wine and vinegar in a small heavy saucepan (opens in a new tab) until only about 2 tablespoons of syrupy liquid remain.
- 8 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
2
Step 2
Add the cream if using and bubble for a few seconds. Turn the heat to low.
- 1 min
- low heat
3
Step 3
Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the cold butter a few cubes at a time, adding more only as each addition melts into a creamy sauce. Lift the pan off the heat now and then — the sauce should never get hot enough to bubble or turn oily.
- 6 min
- low heat
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
4
Step 4
Season with salt and white pepper (opens in a new tab). Strain out the shallots (opens in a new tab) for a smooth sauce, or leave them in as the Nantais do. Serve immediately.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Loire (Nantes area), France · Commonly attributedMore food from France
Dish: Dinner · Sauces
Cooking method: Simmered, Whipped
Taste: buttery, tangy, rich
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Cook more with: Shallot · Unsalted butter · Dry white wine · Wine vinegar · White pepper
Techniques: Simmering · Reduction · Emulsification

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter, heavy cream
Contains, can be adapted: Sulphitesfrom dry white wine, wine vinegar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

261 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 43 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 1%
Carbohydrate 3%
Fat 96%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	261 kcal	603 kcal
Protein	0.6 g	1.3 g
Carbohydrate	2.2 g	5 g
Net carbohydrate	1.9 g	4.3 g
Sugars	1 g	2.2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.3 g	0.8 g
Fat	27 g	62.4 g
Saturated fat	16.8 g	38.8 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	—	—
Sodium	103 mg	239 mg
Salt equivalent	0.3 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 56 mg
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 0.2 mg
Magnesium: 5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 228 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: heavy cream.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Keep warm in a thermos or over warm (not hot) water for up to 30 minutes.

Common mistakes

Letting the sauce get too hot melts the butter into grease instead of an emulsion.

Serve with

Poached or pan-fried white fish, pike or salmon
Scallops
Steamed asparagus or leeks

Storage

Best served immediately; does not keep well.

Variations

Beurre rouge (France): Made with red wine and red wine vinegar, for meat or salmon.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & DrizzleCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Shallot, very finely chopped2 piece · 60 g
Unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 2 cm cubes200 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

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