Can Melted Butter Be Reused? Here’s the Truth

You can reuse melted butter, but its texture and taste will be different—and not in a good way.

Why Melted Butter Can Be Reused

Butter liquifies when it’s melted and solidifies again once left alone. Of course, if you want to make sure it turns back into a solid without becoming dangerous to consume, you should keep it in the refrigerator. If you keep it in a cool location, melted butter can sit out for around two hours, but afterwards, it needs to be refrigerated for it to remain safe to eat.

Melting butter that can be reused
She’s re-melting that butter—and she’s going to pay for it.

You also shouldn’t melt the butter, let it solidify, then re-melt it because it will affect the taste. Once the butter is melted, you should discard it within a couple of days.

Butter Tomorrow Is Not a Better Tomorrow

Melted and solidified butter never tastes as fresh as butter that has never been melted. You cannot continuously melt butter and let it turn to a solid again without affecting the taste of the butter. This doesn’t mean that the butter will be unsafe for you to eat. It should be fine as long as you refrigerate it and don’t keep it out for too long. But it will definitely affect the taste.

Can You Use Leftover Melted Butter?

If you find you’ve melted too much butter, don’t discard it because there are things you can do with it. You can use it as a dip for bread and as a baking ingredient and put it on toast. Just make sure it doesn’t stay on your countertop or in your fridge for too long.