sauté

American  

[soh-tay, 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

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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

Instead of selling a suite of diverse products, millennial brands focused on the “only” T-shirt, mattress or sauté pan you’ll ever need.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

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

Wanda stood up without a word and walked over to the kitchen, joining Ekemeni as she began to sauté greens in bacon fat.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

From garlic-lemon sautéed greens to ramen topped with baby bok choy, here are a few great meals to make with just a box of chicken stock.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Its signature breakfast included two sausages, two rashers of bacon and two fried eggs, with sautéed potatoes, baked beans and a grilled tomato for good measure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

In one corner, sautéed bitter gourd—in another, briny sea grapes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025

As for cooking radish greens, they can be sautéed with garlic and shallots, LaMarita suggested.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 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

Steaming, microwaving, or quick sautéing tends to preserve nutrients best.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

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

My favorite way to cook frozen peas is sautéing them in a hot pan alongside butter, minced garlic, finely chopped onions and lemon juice.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025

Roasting and sautéing are the most popular methods used to enhance Brussels sprouts’ earthy, nutty and sweet flavor.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 14, 2023

These, together with the tenderloin, the small piece of lean, tender meat lying under the bones of the loin and seldom weighing more than a pound, are especially suitable for sautéing or broiling.

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

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