5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (2024)

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Are you ready for theBEST Lemon Butter Sauce recipe ever? How about THREE of the best lemon butter sauce recipes? I’ll show you how to make these delicious versatile sauces in just 5 minutes!

Suitable for Keto, Low Carb and Gluten-Free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (1)

Guys, I don’t know about you but it is busy around our house these days. Between juggling work and school, rushing here and there for various appointments and endless errands, I have been finding myself in a bit of a pinch when it comes to getting supper on the table.

Thankfully I have two stocked freezers (yeap, I like to be prepared) to rummage around in.

The challenge then becomes how to serve the unearthed frozen chicken or fish fillets in a way that is beautiful, delicious, and still super quick and easy. That is when my 5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways comes to the rescue.

This is suuuuch a great weeknight sauce, as it requires just 4 simple pantry staple ingredients and only 5 mins to make. Plus, you can make it on the stovetop or even make an Instant Pot Lemon Butter Sauce.

Lemon Sauce For Fish Awesomeness

This lemon butter sauce recipe is so versatile and perfectly complements anything from fish and chicken to pasta to vegetables (it is especially delightful on asparagus).

I have even been known to dip thick chunks of rustic bread straight into the saucepan and devour it on the spot (try it for yourself)!

And best of all, with 3 ways to make it, you can pick the lemon butter sauce you want to suit your mood that day. You can go for…

  • Lemon Butter Sauce
  • Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
  • Lemon Chilli Butter sauce

Lemon Sauce For Fish Tools

KITCHEN TOOLS, UTENSILS & APPLIANCES NEEDED

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Here are some of the items you will need to make this Mushroom Masala.

Ready to learn just how quick and simple it is to prepare these delicious sauces? Gather your ingredients and let me show you…

How To Make Lemon Butter Sauce

  1. Add butter to a light-colored saucepan (this is important so you can see that it does not burn) and melt over medium heat.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (2)
  2. Once the butter is melted, add the lemon juice, chopped herbs and pepper and simmer for 3 mins.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (3)
  3. Switch off the heat and serve over the lemon butter sauce fish, chicken, pasta or the vegetables of your choice.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (4)

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Butter Sauce

Making Instant Pot Lemon Butter Sauce is sooooooo easy.

  1. Select sauté function.
  2. Add cubed butter into the Instant Pot inner pot and let it melt.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (5)
  3. When melted, add in the rest of the ingredients, mix and let cook for a couple of mins.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (6)
  4. The switch of heat and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot so it does not continue to cook.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (7)

How To Make Lemon Garlic Sauce

  1. Add butter to a light-colored saucepan (this is important so you can see that it does not burn) and melt butter over medium heat.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (8)
  2. Once butter is melted, add lemon juice, chopped herbs, garlic purée and pepper and simmer for 3 mins.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (9)
  3. Switch off the heat and serve the lemon garlic sauce over fish, chicken, pasta or the vegetables of your choice.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (10)

How To Make Lemon Chili Butter Sauce

  1. Add butter to a light-colored saucepan (this is important so you can see that it does not burn) and melt butter over medium heat.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (11)
  2. Once butter is melted, add lemon juice, chopped herbs, chilli flakes and pepper and simmer for 3 mins.5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (12)
  3. Switch off the heat and serve over fish, chicken, pasta or the vegetables of your choice.

Tips For Making The Best Lemon Butter Sauce

  • Cut the butter into cubes so it will melt quicker.
  • I suggest using salted butter. But if you have saltless butter, go ahead and add a pinch of salt.
  • Mix and match the fresh chopped herbs. Rosemary, thyme and sage are all great options. Have fun experimenting with your favourites.
  • If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use 1 tsp dried instead.
  • Add in even more lemon if you want it sharper.

Lemon Sauce For Fish Serving Tips

  • This lemon fish sauce needs to be served warm, so simply reheat if it has gone cold.
  • Don’t forget to mix the lemon sauce for fish, chicken etc just before serving, as the lemon and herbs tend to settle at the bottom.
  • You can easily halve or double this lemon butter sauce to make as much or as little needed.

Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish

There really is no better flavor pairing for fish than lemon and butter. This sauce is fantastic drizzled over both white fish and salmon fillets.

5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (13)

The mini chefs especially love it when served as a dipping sauce for shrimp, because dipping is fun and it somehow makes anything taste better. And since I’m always looking to spice up my dishes, I often make lemon chili butter sauce when serving seafood.

Lemon Sauce For Chicken

Guys this also makes an awesome sauce for chicken. Simply whip up which variation you want and serve over some juicy chicken.

And if you want some ideas then why not try it with some of these chicken recipes below.

  • The Best Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe.
  • Instant Pot Whole Chicken.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with or on:

  • Lemon Butter Salmon Pasta.
  • Instant Pot Broccoli {Steamed Broccoli}
  • Instant Pot Cheesy Garlic Butter Spaghetti.
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
  • Air Fryer Salmon.

Other Quick Sauces

  • 5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce.
  • 5 Minutes Basil Pesto Sauce.
  • 5 Minutes Yum Yum Sauce.
  • 5 Minutes Honey Mustard Sauce.
  • 5 Minutes Remoulade Sauce.
  • 5 Minutes Ramps Pesto.
  • 5 Really Easy Sauces.
  • Pesto Aioli.
  • Chipotle Aioli.
  • Homemade Chimichurri Sauce.
  • Really Easy Sriracha Aioli.

Weight Watchers Points

There are just 2 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

Thank you for reading my 5 Minutes Instant Pot Lemon Butter Sauce recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Originally published October 2018. Updates April 2020.

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5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (14)

Print Recipe

5 from 10 votes

5 Mins Lemon Butter Sauce — 3 Ways

Make this easy and delicious Lemon Butter Sauce in just 5 mins!

Prep Time1 minute min

Cook Time4 minutes mins

Total Time5 minutes mins

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American, Western

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 61kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks (250g) salted butter cut into cubes
  • juice of 1 lemon or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (I like a parsley and cilantro/coriander mix)
  • black pepper to taste

Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

  • All of the above ingredients, plus:
  • ½ teaspoon garlic purée

Lemon Chilli Butter Sauce

  • All of the above ingredients, plus:
  • ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions

Lemon Butter Sauce (stovetop)

  • Add butter to a light-colored saucepan (so you can see that it does not burn) and melt over medium heat.

  • Once butter is melted, add the lemon juice, chopped herbs and pepper and simmer for 3 mins.

  • Switch off the heat and serve with chicken, fish, pasta or vegetables.

Lemon Butter Sauce (Instant Pot)

  • Select sauté function.

  • Add cubed butter into the Instant Pot inner pot and let it melt.

  • When melted, add in the rest of the ingredients, mix and let cook for a couple of mins.

  • The switch of heat and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot so it does not continue to cook.

Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

  • Add butter to a light-colored saucepan (so you can see that it does not burn) and melt over medium heat.

  • Once butter is melted, add the lemon juice, garlic purée, chopped herbs and pepper and simmer for 3 mins.

  • Switch off the heat and serve with chicken, fish, pasta or vegetables.

Lemon Chili Butter Sauce

  • Add butter to a light-coloured saucepan (so you can see that it does not burn) and melt over medium heat.

  • Once butter is melted, add the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, chopped herbs and pepper and simmer for 3 mins.

  • Switch off the heat and serve with chicken, fish, pasta or vegetables.

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Video

Notes

Tips

  • Cut the butter into cubes so it will melt quicker.
  • I suggest using salted butter. But if you have salt less butter, go ahead and add a pinch of salt.
  • Mix and match the fresh chopped herbs. Rosemary, thyme and sage are all great options. Have fun experimenting with your favourites.
  • If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use 1 tsp dried instead.
  • Add in even more lemon if you want it sharper.
  • This sauce needs to be served warm, so simply reheat if it has gone cold.
  • Don’t forget to mix just before serving, as the lemon and herbs tend to settle at the bottom.
  • You can easily halve or double this recipe to make as much or as little needed.


Weight Watchers Points

There are 2 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 84mg | Vitamin A: 55IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.2mg

5 Minutes Lemon Butter Sauce 3 Ways (2024)

FAQs

What is lemon butter sauce made of? ›

Lemon butter sauce is a decadent sauce made from lemon and butter, plus ingredients such as shallot, garlic, chicken stock, and parsley.

How to thicken lemon butter? ›

Some recipes say to use egg yolks or a combination of whole eggs and yolks. This creates a thicker mixture. I personally prefer just using whole eggs like we do in this recipe for lemon butter, as they slightly dilute the tartness of the lemon and makes the mixture smoother.

Why did my lemon butter sauce separate? ›

The single most important thing to remember is that you must simmer your lemon and butter mixture over low heat, as higher temperatures encourage separation. A low simmer is all you need to gently cook the juice and butter together without the butter curdling.

How do you keep lemon butter from separating? ›

The secret to this happy union is a combination of low temperature and vigorous whisking (wink, wink).

How do you thicken lemon butter sauce without cornstarch? ›

Use flour as a thickening agent by making a roux, a mixture of equal parts butter and flour. First, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then when the butter is bubbling, add in the flour. Cook the mixture until it's light brown. Whisk the hot liquid into the roux, use two ounces of roux for every cup of liquid.

What makes butter sauce thicker? ›

As we mentioned, flour and cornstarch are the most popular ingredients used to thicken butter sauce for pasta. After you've heated your butter and water combo in your skillet, turn your heat down so nothing scorches as you work in the dry ingredients. Then slowly whisk in your flour or cornstarch.

Why is my lemon butter runny? ›

Problem: My Lemon Curd is Too Runny

The curd wasn't cooked long enough to allow the egg to thicken, or not enough butter was added. How to fix it: What is this? To thicken runny lemon curd, put the curd back into your saucepan, place over the lowest possible heat, and stir constantly.

Why do you put vinegar in melted butter? ›

Acid is essential for brightening the base liquid and butter, and traditional beurre blancs use white wine vinegar. While the acid can be added at any point in the cooking process, I typically recommend adding the acid after emulsifying the butter. This makes it easier to correct for taste.

How to thicken a sauce? ›

Ways To Thicken Sauce
  1. Tomato Paste. If your soup or stew is watery, adding tomato paste may help! ...
  2. Arrowroot. You might prefer to avoid gluten in your recipes. ...
  3. Flour. ...
  4. Reduce Your Liquid. ...
  5. Puréed Vegetables. ...
  6. Egg Yolk. ...
  7. Yogurt. ...
  8. Rice.
Jul 15, 2022

Why is my lemon butter grainy? ›

Avoid Over-cooking The Curd

Your lemon curd could get chunky and grainy if you let it overcook. One thing you should remember while making lemon curd is that you should never let it reach a point where it starts boiling.

What is the shelf life of homemade lemon butter? ›

How long does lemon butter last? When sealed correctly in a sterilised jar, this lemon spread can keep in the fridge for two months. Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within 1-2 weeks.

Can you freeze lemon butter? ›

Lemon butter can be refrigerated in a sterilised jar or container for up to 2 weeks. Freeze lemon butter for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container.

Which of the four basic sauces has three basic ingredients like butter egg yolk and lemon juice? ›

Hollandaise sauce (/hɒlənˈdeɪz/ or /ˈhɒləndeɪz/; French: [ɔlɑ̃dɛz], from French sauce hollandaise meaning “Dutch sauce”) is a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice (or a white wine or vinegar reduction).

What is butter sauce made of? ›

It's basically a sauce made with butter, finely minced garlic, fresh herbs, salt and lemon juice. For extra POW. And to cut through the richness of the butter just a tad. You can leave out the lemon, if you wish but who doesn't love a good Lemon Butter Sauce drizzled on a piece of fish.

What sauce is good with fish and chips? ›

The traditional side dish is a tartare sauce and I've made it extra zesty and packed full of flavour. So, put down the phone – you don't have to get takeaway tonight!

What sauce is made from eggs butter and lemon? ›

Hollandaise sauce is one of the five “mother sauces” in French cuisine and consists of egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, and water whisked to creamy perfection over low heat.

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