How to Reduce a Sauce So It Actually Thickens

The best restaurant sauces can tempt even the most prim and proper of us to lift up our plates and lick them clean. But you can make a sauce just as luscious at home with pan drippings or leftover braising liquid—all it takes is a bit of time, technique, and butter.

For a pan sauce, you only need 5–15 minutes, while sauce made with braising liquid might take closer to 15–30 minutes to reduce down to the perfect viscosity. The best reductions are thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and hold their shape when you run your finger across it. The French word for that consistency is sauce nappante.

Here's how to fast track your sauce from simple to complex, silky, and spoonable.

As it reduces, the sauce for this sweet-and-tangy Caramel Chicken thickens. Photo: Hirsheimer & Hamilton

What Does Reducing a Sauce Mean?

Recipes for Thanksgiving gravy, a balsamic reduction, cider-braised pork chops, and countless others call for “reducing the sauce.” This simply means simmering it until some of the water evaporates, allowing the flavors to concentrate and the sauce to thicken.

How to Reduce a Sauce in 5 Simple Steps

Remove the meat: Whether you made short ribs, pork belly, chicken thighs, or a steak, you will want to remove the protein and any vegetables from the pan before you start reducing; they’re standing in the way. Once the sauce reaches the desired consistency, add the meat back in and rewarm it over gentle heat, spooning the sauce over.

Simmer uncovered and in a wide pan: Sauces need surface area to reduce. Using a large Dutch oven or wide saute pan lets the sauce spread out. If you only have a small pot on hand, the sauce will still reduce, but you’ll need to budget extra time because it’ll take longer. No matter which vessel you use, be sure to leave it uncovered, so the steam can evaporate.

Stir occasionally: Small quantities of sauce and certain ingredients are more prone to burning, but no matter the situation, stirring occasionally is always worthwhile. Think of it like stirring a cup of very hot chocolate, it helps release more steam, speeding up the process. It also helps everything incorporate nicely.

Taste and adjust: As the flavors of a sauce concentrate, so will the salt profile. Wait to add salt to your sauce until the very end.

Finish with butter (optional): Once everything has reduced to the perfect consistency (remember that back-of-the-spoon trick!), turn off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon or two of cold butter. The butter will help everything emulsify, thickening the sauce and giving it a beautifully glossy sheen. But don't add it until the end: Simmering the butter can cause it to separate and the sauce to "break."

Reducing the liquid without these Citrus-and-Chile Braised Short Ribs speeds up the process. Photo: Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

How Do You Know When a Sauce Is Reduced?

While many recipes say to reduce by half or a third, the best way to tell if your sauce is the right consistency is the spoon trick we mentioned above. A sauce should be thick enough that if you draw a line on the back of a spoon with your finger, it leaves a trail behind. Be careful when you’re testing, since the sauce will be hot—a wooden spoon, which doesn’t heat up the same way a metal one does, is the best choice here.

FAQ

Can I boil my sauce to speed things up? We don’t recommend it. Boiling can lead to burning, a bitter sauce, or one that’s over-reduced. You’re looking for a simmer, not a rolling boil.

Can I skim the fat? While you’re simmering, if a thick layer of fat rises to the top, gently skim some of it off with a shallow ladle or serving spoon. If you want to remove more fat, consider making your sauce a day in advance and placing it in the refrigerator. The fat will rise to the top, making it easy to remove.

My sauce simply won’t reduce enough. What can I do? If you've dutifully followed the steps above and your sauce still hasn't properly reduced enough, you can hack it with a slurry. A slurry is simply a combination of starch mixed with liquid. Some classic slurries are made with cornstarch, arrowroot, or potato starch, plus water or stock.

I over-reduced my sauce. How do I fix it? By simmering the sauce, you’re helping moisture evaporate. If you take it too far, you can end up with an overly thick sauce or simply not enough sauce for serving. To remedy this, you need to add moisture back in. If you have stock on hand—even one from a box or made with a paste like Better Than Bouillon—that’s ideal, but if you don’t, not to worry. You can add in a splash of wine or water. Start with a small amount and whisk it in well before adding more.

What’s deglazing a pan? The bottom of the pan is often filled with delicious browned bits called the fond. Heating up the pan and adding liquid—like stock, wine, or beer—and stirring with a wooden spoon until those bits release can help build a deeply flavorful sauce. Deglazing is best used in pan sauces when there’s little liquid in the pan to start.

Want even more sauce tips? Check out our technique for the perfect pan sauce.