This Lemon Butter Sauce is so rich and creamy, decadent, but with a mild tang from the fresh lemon juice, it is insanely delicious and effortless to make.
I am completely in love with Lemon Butter Sauce (Copycat Carrabba’s recipe), and seriously, our entire family could drink this by the gallons. We always make this to serve with chicken and noodles, but this lemon butter sauce works well with fish, especially an excellent sauce for salmon.
This recipe for lemon butter sauce put Carrabba’s Italian Grill on the map for us. My husband is obsessed with this sauce. The first time we had it was the night we thought I was going into labor with our daughter Jordan. We were sitting in Carrabba’s with Jake’s cousin, and she ordered this dish; when it came out, she told us we had to try it because it was the best sauce ever; oh, was she right?
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
From trusty pots and pans to handy gadgets, I’ve curated a list of products I use and love.
I can only think of one sauce that gives it some competition: their Marsala sauce. Seriously, both of them are delicious, the main ingredient being butter.
This Lemon Butter Sauce is on Carrabba’s most famous dish, Chicken Bryan. I have the (Copycat Carrabba’s) Chicken Bryan recipe here. It is our special occasion meal.
My husband is a picky pasta eater, always searching for the most incredible pasta dish. He tends to lean towards sauces with big, robust flavors, so this combination of garlic and lemon is perfect. At first, Jake wasn’t willing to try this lemon butter sauce until he learned it was all over their shrimp scampi. He devoured their scampi, so he was ready to give their sauce a try.
More Carrabba’s Recipes
We love almost everything at Carrabba’s, but this Lemon Butter Sauce recipe has become a staple in our kitchen. Making it to grace pasta, chicken, shrimp, salmon or even a bunch of veggies, either way, this sauce of awesomeness will soon become a favorite of yours as well.
What is butter sauce?
A butter sauce contains butter, broth, wine, and seasonings. Sometimes, flour is added to thicken the sauce. It is a versatile sauce that can be used in many dishes. It can also be used as a base for other sauces by adding ingredients, such as lemon juice, in this Lemon Butter Sauce.
How to make Lemon Butter Sauce?
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and let it melt. Stir in onion and garlic, cooking until onion is translucent (about 3 minutes). Add wine and lemon juice, bringing it to a boil over high heat. Cook until liquid reduces to about 1/4 cup (3-5 minutes).
Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter until completely melted. The goal is to create a slowly emulsified sauce, not rapid melting. Repeat this process with the remaining butter, adding 3 tablespoons at a time, except for the last addition which will be just 2 tablespoons. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then remove from heat.
Serve the sauce immediately or store it at room temperature for 2 hours. When reheating, use a low setting to prevent separation.
Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe Tips
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Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, divided
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and ground white pepper
Instructions
- Place a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter. Allow the butter to melt, add onion and garlic and cook stirring frequently. Cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to cook until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, add 3 tablespoons of butter at a time and whisk the butter in until it is completely melted. You want the butter to slowly soften into an emulsified sauce, not quickly melting; it is a process. Add the remaining butter 3 tablespoons at a time until all the butter has been added into the sauce. The last addition will be just 2 tbsp. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then remove from heat.
- Serve immediately or store sauce up to 2 hours at room temperature. If you are to reheat the sauce, do it over a low setting otherwise the sauce will separate.
- If it does separate remember the sauce will still taste the same, just not have the same look, it will look more like melted butter. After a few times of making the sauce, you will get the hang of it.
- Cooking this sauce on low heat is key.
Notes
This sounds awesome! I think I will try it for my daughter’s wedding reception.
How many shrimp would you use for this amount of sauce?
I did this and it was awesome!! My hubby said why go out to eat when I’ve got you? He and I really enjoyed it,
Outstanding! I was a manager at Carrabba’s and had to make this sauce in large batches. The ease and the ingredients proportion is right on the money. Great job! It’s not only good on shrimp, works great on chicken, fish and steaks not to mention bread. Thanks!
What kind of white wine is used!?
Hi Mariah, you can use any dry white wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. We generally use just white cooking wine from the grocery store so that will work as well. I hope you enjoy!
The recipe is pretty accurate. The only thing you areissung is the heavy cream. The lemon butter base is made with the onions, garlic, salt, white pepper, lemon juice and white cooking wine not drinking withe once the mixture is reduced at a boil to the consistency of oatmeal you ad some heavy whipping cream and stir in. You the let the base cool in the fridge until you need it or you then add the unsalted butter and slowly melt the butter until you have the correct taste. I also was an assistant kitchen manager at Carrabba’s in AZ
Just had this delicious sauce on my dinner last night at Carrabbas ( fettuccine weenie ). So so good.
Had to make it myself today on my leftovers . This sauce is easy to make and I will make it often. Thank you.
thats hilarious you called it the fettacuini weenie. it’s really the weesie. lol my gf made the same mistake.
This sauce is really good. It might be better than the original. I served it over grilled tilapia and asparagus , orzo with Gouda.
This looks amazing, I would love to try this on some grilled chicken. I bet this sauce would also taste wonderful on some grilled shrimp.
What wine did you use?
So good! My husband thinks I am a genius because I can follow a recipe, and this one is definitely genius category. Thanks mucho!
And it is true that all brilliant – easy! And I consider your sauce to be a real masterpiece. Simple ingredients there are in the house of each family. I already imagine the reaction of my family when I give this sauce to dinner. Thank you very much, for sharing your recipe!
Lol. Grmr nazi on a recipe WS! Maybe enjoy the content and purpose and get over the delivery. This could have been posted in Russian and I would have been fine with Google translate version if it means having this sauce at home. Clearly you do not use the interwebs much. Great post OP suace turned out amaze balls!
Great stuff!
Love your skills,
keep sharing things like this.
Thank you!
What kind of wine did you use?
We usually use white cooking wine that you can find at the grocery store, but you can also use any dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio. I’ve used both interchangeably in recipes and always had good results either way.
What can u use if u don’t have wine
You can use chicken broth or cooking wine in place of the wine. Enjoy!
Quick question: in the directions it has you adding 1 Tbsp. butter for the onions to cook in – that would leave you with 11 Tbsp. of butter. Later on, butter is added in increments of 3 Tbsp. Should it be 12 total tbsp. and the last addition is just 2 Tbsp or should it be 13 Tbsp. of butter total with 1 going with the onions and 12 going with the end? I hope that isn’t too confusing. Thanks in advance!
Hi Sarah! It should be 12 tablespoons total so the last addition will be just 2 tbsp. Sorry about the confusion, I updated it to make this clear! I hope you enjoy the recipe.
No worries! It looks absolutely fantastic 🙂
This sauce is making my mouth water! Will be perfect with chicken for dinner tonight; can’t wait to enjoy this!
Enjoy!
This sauce sounds absolutely divine! I bet it would be delicious with salmon too. 🙂
Thank you! It would definitely be delicious with salmon, or any fish! Enjoy!
This Lemon Butter Sauce looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Thank you, enjoy!
This sounds so good! Already thinking of all the things I could put this on
It really is perfect for almost any meal! Enjoy!
That looks really delish! A new favorite for weeknights.
Thank you!
I have so many things I can’t wait to try this with!
I hope you enjoy it!
This Lemon Butter Sauce sounds delicious! I think it will amazing with chicken!
It’ll definitely be delicious with chicken! Enjoy!
This is so delicious! perfect way to make our favorite dish without having to go out.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
Enjoyed this with dinner last night; it was easy and delicious and perfect for spring! Easily, a new family favorite dish!