sauté

1 of 3

verb

sau·​té sȯ-ˈtā  sō- 

variants or less commonly saute

sautéed also sauteed; sautéing also sauteing

transitive verb

: to fry (food, such as small pieces of meat or vegetables) in a small amount of fat

Sauté the mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of the butter until they are golden.

—Nika Hazleton

sauté

2 of 3

noun

variants or less commonly saute

: a food that is fried in a small amount of fat : a sautéed dish

In this simple saute, high-quality ingredients make a difference …

—Elaine Johnson

Starters such as creamed corn risotto with shrimp sauté …

—Bruce Feiler

sauté adjective

sauté

3 of 3

adjective

variants or less commonly saute

1

: fried in a small amount of fat

roast beef with sauté potatoes

2

: used in sautéing

a sauté pan

improve your sauté technique

Examples of sauté in a Sentence

Verb

Sauté the onion and garlic.

peppers sautéed in olive oil

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

This happens a lot with cold cuts, sauteed mushrooms, beans, and cooked vegetables. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 June 2026

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 2 June 2026

Noun

The fish is seared in the pan, then removed to make way for a saucy saute of onion, garlic, sweet and hot peppers, and tomatoes that is flavored with wine, olives, capers and thyme. — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2026

While the former requires, actually subsists, on no cookware at all, the latter requires a great big saute pan. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 23 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from past participle of sauter to jump, from Old French, from Latin saltare — more at saltation

First Known Use

Verb

1834, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

sauté

verb

sau·​té

sȯ-ˈtā, 

sō-

sautéed or sautéd; sautéing

: to fry in a small amount of fat