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.

---

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

---

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

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

When garlic scapes become too bitter for your liking, it’s best to cook or sauté them and not eat them raw.

From Salon ● May 14, 2025

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 traditional Indian cooking and Southeast Asian flavors, this Food52 recipe bathes and simmers sautéed heads of romaine in a delicious mixture of gingery coconut milk, fresh lime juice and fish sauce.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

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

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

Roasting and sautéing bring out their sweet and nutty flavors, while boiling makes them “cabbage-y.”

From Washington Times ● Nov. 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

Ana stood in her kitchen slicing vegetables, sautéing meats and rolling masa into her delectable treat.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2022

All the preparations for this dish, with the exception of sautéing the bread, may be made some hours before serving.

From Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties With Fifty Illustrations of Original Dishes by Janet McKenzie Hill