what temp does butter burn

Butter “burns” right around 350°F (about 175°C), when it hits its smoke point and the milk solids start to scorch and turn from brown to black.

Quick Scoop

• Regular butter:
  • Starts to smoke and brown at about 320–350°F (160–175°C).

* Once it goes past that into dark brown/black and smells acrid, it’s effectively burned.

• Clarified butter/ghee:
  • Has the milk solids removed, so it can handle much higher heat.
  • Smoke point is roughly 450–485°F (230–252°C), so it’s far more forgiving for frying and searing.

• Stove reality:
  • On a typical home stove, “medium” heat often keeps butter below its burning point if the pan isn’t preheated too long.

* Very hot, thin pans can have hot spots that push parts of the butter over 350°F quickly, so it looks like it “burns instantly.”

Simple rule of thumb

• If you see gentle foaming and smell a nutty aroma: you’re in browned butter territory (good for flavor, but you’re near the limit).
• If you see lots of smoke and dark specks turning black with a harsh smell: the butter is burning or already burned (past ~350°F / 175°C).

Quick tip: For high‑heat cooking (like searing meat), use oil for the main cook and add a knob of butter at the end for flavor, or use clarified butter/ghee instead.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.