When you think of French cuisine, what comes to mind? For many, it's the rich, delicious taste of butter. The most common way to say “butter” in French is, of course, beurre.

But the French love for this golden ingredient runs so deep that there are many other ways to talk about it!

From specific types of butter to fun, buttery expressions, knowing these variations will not only enrich your vocabulary but also give you a deeper taste of French culture. Let's spread the knowledge and explore 9 ways to say "butter" in French!

1. The Standard 'Butter' – Le Beurre

The most common and essential word for 'butter' in French is le beurre.

Le beurre is a masculine noun. This is crucial to remember because all articles and adjectives must agree with it. You will always see it as le beurre (the butter) or un peu de beurre (a little butter), never la beurre.

The pronunciation can be a bit tricky. The eu sound is similar to the 'u' in the English word 'fur' or 'burn'. The final rre is a soft, rolled 'r' sound typical in French. It sounds roughly like 'burr'.

In a French supermarket or fromagerie, you'll encounter a few key types of butter. The main ones to know are:

Le beurre doux: Unsalted butter, commonly used for baking.
Le beurre demi-sel: Lightly salted butter. This is the most popular type for spreading on bread, especially in regions like Brittany.
Le beurre salé: Salted butter, which has a higher salt content than 'demi-sel'.

You'll see le beurre everywhere in French cuisine. A classic French breakfast often includes a tartine, which is a slice of baguette with butter (du beurre) and jam (de la confiture). It's a foundational ingredient in sauces, pastries, and everyday meals.

Butter is so central to French life that it even appears in idioms. A famous one is vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre, which literally means 'to want the butter and the money from the butter'. It's the French equivalent of the English saying, 'to have your cake and eat it too'.

💡 * Je voudrais une tartine avec du beurre, s'il vous plaît.

Tu préfères le beurre doux ou le beurre demi-sel ?

Il faut faire fondre le beurre dans la poêle.

N'oublie pas d'acheter du beurre pour faire le gâteau.

The 'salted butter' – le beurre salé

Le beurre salé, which directly translates to "salted butter," is more than just a condiment in France; it's a cultural staple, especially in regions like Brittany (Bretagne).

In many French households and supermarkets, you'll find two main types of butter: le beurre doux (unsalted butter), typically used for cooking and baking, and le beurre salé, which is the star for spreading on bread, especially the morning tartine (a slice of bread with topping).

The passion for le beurre salé is most profound in Brittany, a region historically famous for its high-quality sea salt production (sel de Guérande). For the Bretons, using salted butter is a non-negotiable part of their culinary identity and regional pride.

You might also see le beurre demi-sel, which means "half-salted butter." It contains less salt than standard beurre salé but is still noticeably savory. The choice often comes down to personal taste and what you grew up with.

Beyond the breakfast table, le beurre salé is a key ingredient in many classic French recipes, particularly from Brittany. Think of the world-famous caramel au beurre salé (salted butter caramel) or savory crêpes (called galettes) cooked with a generous knob of it.

💡 * Pour le petit-déjeuner, je mange une tartine avec du beurre salé.

Tu préfères le beurre doux ou le beurre salé ?

Le caramel au beurre salé de Bretagne est délicieux.

N'oublie pas d'acheter du beurre demi-sel au supermarché.

The 'unsalted butter' – le beurre doux

When you're at a French supermarket or boulangerie, you'll encounter different types of butter. The standard term for unsalted butter is le beurre doux.

Literally, beurre doux translates to 'sweet butter' or 'mild butter.' In this context, doux means mild or unsalted, not sugary sweet. This is a key distinction from its counterpart, salted butter.

You will find le beurre doux is the preferred choice for most French pâtisserie (pastry-making). Using unsalted butter allows the baker to control the exact amount of salt in a recipe, which is crucial for delicate pastries like croissants and macarons.

If you're shopping and can't find it, you can ask: Je voudrais du beurre doux, s'il vous plaît. (I would like some unsalted butter, please). It's a fundamental staple in any French kitchen.

The opposite of le beurre doux is le beurre demi-sel (lightly salted butter) or le beurre salé (salted butter). Knowing the term doux is your key to getting the right butter for your baking needs.

💡 * Pour faire ce gâteau, il faut 100 grammes de beurre doux.

Je préfère le beurre doux sur ma tartine le matin.

Est-ce que vous avez du beurre doux bio ?

N'oubliez pas d'acheter du beurre doux pour la recette de croissants.

The 'melted butter' – le beurre fondu

The term le beurre fondu is the direct and literal French translation for “melted butter.” It’s a fundamental component in French cuisine, used across countless recipes from savory sauces to delicate pastries.

Unlike solid butter, le beurre fondu is butter that has been gently heated until it becomes a liquid. This simple transformation is key for achieving specific textures in baking, such as in madeleines or financiers, and for creating classic French sauces like beurre blanc or a simple pan sauce for fish.

You will frequently encounter le beurre fondu in recipe instructions. It is often used to brush over pastries for a golden finish, to bind ingredients in a batter, or as a finishing touch drizzled over vegetables or seafood to add richness and flavor.

💡 * Pour faire des crêpes, il faut 50 grammes de beurre fondu. (To make crêpes, you need 50 grams of melted butter.)

Arrosez les asperges avec un filet de beurre fondu et du citron. (Drizzle the asparagus with a little melted butter and lemon.)

La recette demande de mélanger la farine avec le sucre et le beurre fondu. (The recipe asks to mix the flour with the sugar and the melted butter.)

The 'clarified butter' – le beurre clarifié

The term le beurre clarifié is the direct French translation for 'clarified butter,' a fundamental ingredient in French gastronomy.

Le beurre clarifié is pure butterfat created by removing the milk solids and water from regular butter. This process gives it a higher smoke point and a longer shelf life.

In French cuisine, it's essential for high-temperature cooking, such as searing fish or scallops (Saint-Jacques), because it doesn't burn as quickly as whole butter. It's also the foundation for classic sauces like hollandaise and béarnaise.

The word beurre is masculine, so the term is always le beurre clarifié. When using it in a sentence, you might say 'j'ajoute du beurre clarifié' (I'm adding some clarified butter).

Making your own beurre clarifié is a common practice in French home cooking. It simply involves gently melting butter and skimming off the milk solids that rise to the surface.

For any learner of French cuisine, understanding le beurre clarifié is key. Use it when you need the flavor of butter without the risk of burning, ensuring a perfect golden-brown finish for your dishes.

💡 * Pour poêler les Saint-Jacques, le chef utilise toujours du beurre clarifié. (To sear the scallops, the chef always uses clarified butter.)

Le beurre clarifié a un point de fumée plus élevé que le beurre normal. (Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than regular butter.)

La base d'une bonne sauce hollandaise est le beurre clarifié. (The base of a good hollandaise sauce is clarified butter.)

Fais chauffer le beurre clarifié dans la poêle avant d'ajouter le poisson. (Heat the clarified butter in the pan before adding the fish.)

The 'brown butter' (literally 'hazelnut butter') – le beurre noisette

In French cuisine, one of the most foundational and flavorful ingredients is le beurre noisette, which translates literally to 'hazelnut butter' but is known in English as 'brown butter'.

Le beurre noisette does not actually contain any nuts. The name comes from the fact that when you gently cook butter, the milk solids toast and caramelize, giving the butter a deep golden-brown color and a rich, nutty aroma reminiscent of toasted hazelnuts.

This technique is a cornerstone of French cooking, used in both savory and sweet dishes. It serves as a classic sauce for fish (like sole meunière), vegetables, and pasta. In baking, it imparts a profound depth of flavor to pastries such as financiers and madeleines.

Remember, when you see beurre noisette on a menu or in a recipe, it refers to this technique of browning butter to enhance its flavor, not a spread made from hazelnuts. It's a simple process that elevates a dish from good to exceptional.

💡 * Arrosez le poisson avec le beurre noisette. (Drizzle the fish with the brown butter.)

La clé pour de bons financiers est d'utiliser un beurre noisette. (The key to good financiers is to use brown butter.)

Faites fondre le beurre à feu moyen jusqu'à obtenir une couleur noisette. (Melt the butter over medium heat until it reaches a hazelnut color.)

J'adore les pâtes avec une simple sauce au beurre noisette et à la sauge. (I love pasta with a simple brown butter and sage sauce.)

The 'pat of butter' – une noisette de beurre

The phrase for a 'pat of butter' in French is une noisette de beurre.

Literally translating to “a hazelnut of butter,” this charming expression is used to describe a small lump or knob of butter, roughly the size of a hazelnut. It's a common measurement in French cooking.

You will frequently encounter une noisette de beurre in recipes and culinary instructions. It’s a classic example of how French food culture influences the language, using descriptive, natural imagery for measurements.

💡 * Ajoutez une noisette de beurre dans la poêle chaude. (Add a pat of butter to the hot pan.)

Pour les pâtes, j'ajoute juste une noisette de beurre et du parmesan. (For the pasta, I just add a knob of butter and some parmesan.)

La recette demande une noisette de beurre pour faire dorer les légumes. (The recipe calls for a pat of butter to brown the vegetables.)

The 'peanut butter' – le beurre de cacahuètes

The “peanut butter” – le beurre de cacahuètes.

This is the most common and direct translation. Let's break it down: le beurre means “the butter” and de cacahuètes means “of peanuts.” So, it literally translates to “butter of peanuts.”

It's important to remember that beurre is a masculine noun. Therefore, you always use the masculine article le, making it le beurre de cacahuètes. When referring to an unspecified amount, you would use the partitive article du, as in du beurre de cacahuètes (some peanut butter).

While beurre de cacahuètes is universally understood, you might also encounter beurre d'arachide, particularly in Canadian French. Arachide is simply another French word for peanut.

💡 * J'adore les sandwichs au beurre de cacahuètes et à la confiture.

Peux-tu ajouter du beurre de cacahuètes à la liste de courses ?

Il est allergique aux arachides, il ne doit donc pas manger de beurre de cacahuètes.

Cette sauce est faite à base de beurre de cacahuètes, de soja et de gingembre.

1. The 'cocoa butter' – le beurre de cacao

The French term for 'cocoa butter' is a direct, literal translation: le beurre de cacao. This phrase breaks down into le beurre (the butter) and de cacao (of cocoa).

In French, beurre is a masculine noun. Therefore, you will always see it preceded by a masculine article, such as le (the) or du (some). For example, you would say le beurre de cacao for 'the cocoa butter'.

The pronunciation is approximately 'luh burr duh ka-ka-oh'. Note that the final 't' in beurre is silent, and the 'r' has a soft, guttural sound characteristic of French.

You'll most often find the term le beurre de cacao in culinary and cosmetic contexts. It is a fundamental ingredient in chocolate making, especially white chocolate, and is a popular component in skincare products like lotions and balms for its moisturizing properties.

💡 * Cette crème pour les mains est faite avec du beurre de cacao.

Pour cette recette de chocolat, il vous faut du beurre de cacao de bonne qualité.

Le beurre de cacao est excellent pour hydrater les peaux sèches.

J'ai acheté un baume à lèvres au beurre de cacao.

Are there other ways to say 'butter' in French?

Our list has covered the essential word you need: beurre. However, the world of French gastronomy is rich with specific terms. You may find variations based on region, salt content, or culinary use that go beyond the basic term.

You can explore further by doing an online search for 'types de beurre en France' or by looking into the culinary vocabulary of dairy-rich regions like Normandy and Brittany.

You might discover interesting terms like beurre de baratte (churned butter) or beurre cru (raw butter). Before using a new term, always check its specific meaning to ensure you're describing the right kind of butter for your recipe or conversation.

Pay attention as you browse French supermarkets, read recipes, or watch cooking shows. You'll start to notice the subtle but important distinctions the French make when it comes to this beloved ingredient.

For those passionate about French cuisine, exploring a culinary dictionary or a respected French recipe site like 'Marmiton' can provide a wealth of information on butter and other ingredients.

I hope this article was helpful for your French learning journey. We'll end with a sentiment every French cook understands, famously summed up by Julia Child: 'With enough butter, anything is good.'

'9 ways to say "butter" in French'