How to sauté with water instead of oil

Traditional sauté methods use oil. You may be trying to decrease the amount of oil in your cooking (see my What’s Wrong with Oil? post). If so, consider sautéing with water.

Nonstick pans

Water-sauté is easiest with nonstick pans, including seasoned cast iron. Pans should be large enough for the vegetable bits to form a single layer, so that the vegetables don’t stew in their own steam but rather brown a bit. True “sauté pans” have straight vertical sides that allow you to toss the ingredients in the air like the pros, but any pan with a large area for cooking is fine—just don’t toss your food if you don’t have the right pan. 😉

Adding water and stirring

Here’s when the onions are raw, starting the water-sauté

There’s no strict right or wrong way to water-sauté, but if you want as much browning as possible, using less water and adding a little at a time work best. It also helps to avoid stirring constantly. See instructions below.

Basic water-sauté method

Here’s the water-sauté method I use for most situations.

We’re about halfway there. I’ve added extra tablespoons of water

1. Add the chopped vegetables and two tablespoons of water to a skillet or pan and turn the heat to medium or medium-low. It will take a few minutes for the vegetables to start sizzling. Use more than two tablespoons if you have a large pan. You’re aiming for a thin layer of water.

2. Use a wooden spoon or favorite utensil to spread out the vegetables.

3. Stir the vegetables every two minutes or so and spread them out after stirring. If the water evaporates, add a couple more tablespoons. You may get some browning on the vegetables or the pan (called “fond”). Use the water and your spoon or spatula to scrub the fond off the pan (“deglaze”) to capture some of the brown.

4. If your vegetables include onion, be sure the onion is tender and transparent before continuing with the rest of your recipe. Onions usually take the longest in a vegetable sauté, about 8-10 minutes.

5. Note that mushrooms release their own liquids, so you will likely need to add less water.

The onions are done. They are tender, with some browning.

Variations

You can use other liquids besides water, although I almost always use just water. You can try:

• Vegetable broth

• Wine (red or white) (alcoholic or nonalcoholic)

• Tomato juice

• Water and soy sauce 

Water-sauté takes a little getting used to, but once you’re comfortable with it, it feels very natural and normal. Good luck!