sauté

American  

[soh-tey, saw-] / soʊˈteɪ, sɔ- /

adjective

1. cooked or browned in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.

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verb (used with object)

sautéed, sautéing

1. to cook in a small amount of fat; pan-fry.

noun

1. a dish of sautéed food.

sauté British  

/ ˈsəʊteɪ /

verb

1. to fry (food) quickly in a little fat

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noun

1. a dish of sautéed food, esp meat that is browned and then cooked in a sauce

adjective

1. sautéed until lightly brown

   sauté potatoes

Etymology

Origin of sauté

1805–15; < French, past participle of sauter to jump (causative: to toss) < Latin saltāre, frequentative of salīre to jump

Explanation

To saute is to cook food over high heat, usually in butter or oil. Many recipes begin by instructing you to saute onions and garlic in olive oil. You can saute vegetables, meat, fish, or tofu. The quick, hot method of cooking browns the outer layer of food and keeps the inside flavorful. Sometimes saute is used as an adjective — you might buy your friend who loves to cook a fancy saute pan for his birthday. In French, the word sauté means "jumped" or "bounced," which also describes the way food jumps around the pan when you saute it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sauté sautéed sautéing

The first step is to sauté leeks and garlic in olive oil, butter and, crucially, a bit of white miso.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

While that’s going, sauté thinly sliced onion in a pan until it softens, then add black beans, salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

But with you, it’s, ‘Well, can I sauté it in brown butter?’

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2024

Cooks sauté it in olive oil, season it with onions or boil it into soup to make tasty, low-cost meals.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2024

All we need to do is sauté olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, chopped parsley, and tomatoes together in a pot, and prepare spaghetti to go with it.”

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Inspired by chef Fabio Trabocchi’s recipe for sautéed rainbow chard, my recipe is abundantly green and calls for 1/3 cup of chicken stock.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

An even older icon awaits at Phnom Penh, a 40-year-old Vietnamese-Cambodian restaurant where crowds eagerly wait their turn to try nearly-raw marinated butter beef and lotus root sautéed with chilies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

My favorite meal is gambas à guilho: shrimp sautéed in garlic and olive oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

I followed the advice of the person who took my order and added sautéed mushrooms and pepperoncini to my sandwich, bringing my total to $25.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

It was that perfect, perfect smell that would always take me back to the specific feeling of being a child: the scent of onions being sautéed in olive oil.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Having dishes prepared in the same kitchen sections slows things down, so the options needed to vary between broiling, sautéing and frying shrimp, and options with or without pasta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

If you’re seeking spiciness, include a chopped jalapeño or two when sautéing the poblano and onion.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 14, 2023

The chopping, sautéing and seasoning we see on this cooking-competition show might be more impressive than usual this year.

From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2023

Add the celery and garlic, sautéing another 3 minutes, stirring often.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2023

Beef fat, especially if it is mixed with lard or other fats, makes excellent shortening; likewise, it may be used for sautéing various foods.

From Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 3: Soup; Meat; Poultry and Game; Fish and Shell Fish by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences