Foolproof Hollandaise Sauce

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With three methods to choose from and only four ingredients, you can make an amazing, easy hollandaise sauce just like your favorite restaurant brunch in under 15 minutes! I'll show you how, plus give you instructions on how to store the leftovers without the sauce splitting. It's much simpler than you think, I promise!

Quick and Easy Hollandaise Sauce

One of my all-time favorite breakfast and brunch recipes has always been eggs benedict. The combination of gorgeous creamy hollandaise sauce over golden runny egg yolks on top of ham steak and an English muffin is just unbeatable.

Before giving it a try, I always thought it would be difficult to make homemade hollandaise sauce. Everyone told me it took too much time and effort to be worth it. But I'm too stubborn, and knew I had to test it for myself!

I'm happy to tell you from experience that you can easily learn how to make hollandaise sauce at home using only four ingredients, and you don't need a double boiler.

That's a promise! Plus, I've included a second method for making it in a blender (a regular blender - you don't need an immersion blender!), and a third for making it in the microwave in a pinch!

What is hollandaise sauce?

Hollandaise is a classic French sauce using egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice with very simple seasoning such as salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

It's well known as the Eggs Benedict sauce, but you can also serve Hollandaise sauce over vegetables such as green beans, asparagus, or carrots.

The traditional way to make Hollandaise sauce is with a double boiler, but you don't need one to follow this recipe. You can even make it in the microwave!

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients

• Egg Yolks: It's a must to use quality eggs for Hollandaise. I recommend pasture-raised or at the very least free-range eggs, but if you can get local farm eggs, that's even better!
• Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work just fine! I recommend using a high-quality butter, like Kerrygold, for the best flavor. It's a main component of the sauce, after all!
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice serves as a substitute for mustard, but if you want, you can use an equal amount of dijon mustard, too. I recommend honeycup mustard as well for its unbeatable tang. It's so yummy!
• Cayenne: The distinctive bite of a good Hollandaise comes from cayenne pepper! Add just a bit to bring out the best in the sauce, but feel free to adjust to your tastes.

How to Separate Egg Yolks

The most important element to a perfect Hollandaise sauce is the egg yolk, which must be separated from the egg white. You want all that creamy fatty goodness without the thin, watery white.

Separating Egg Yolks with your Hands

1. Set out two bowls and crack an egg.
2. Carefully pry the egg open into your hand over one of the bowls.
3. Move the egg from one hand to the other, or between the shell halves, letting the egg whites drip into the first bowl. Repeat to separate all of the whites from the yolk.
4. Once all of the white has separated from the yolk, drop the yolk into the second bowl.

You can use either your hands or the shell of the egg to separate the whites from the yolk. Simply move the yolk between each shell half until all of the white has separated into the bowl.

Using a Water Bottle to Separate Egg Yolks

One of my favorite tricks for separating egg yolks is using an empty plastic water bottle. Make sure the bottle is clean first!

1. Crack eggs onto a deep plate or into a bowl.
2. Hold the water bottle at a 45 degree angle. Press the mouth of the bottle against the egg yolk and squeeze the bottle.
3. The bottle should easily suck up the egg yolk, separating it from the egg whites. Squeeze it into a separate bowl to get the yolk out of the bottle.

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce with a Double Boiler

1. Add egg yolk and lemon juice to a heat-proof bowl, and whisk together until fully combined.
2. Melt butter in a small pan or in the microwave.
3. Set a deep pan or pot over the stove and fill halfway with water. Bring to a simmer.
4. Once simmering, place the bowl with the egg mixture over the pot so it sits over the water, but not in it, allowing the steam from the water to heat the bowl.
5. Whisk the melted butter into the egg mixture, stirring gently as it thickens.
6. It should form a smooth, creamy Hollandaise sauce. Once thickened to your liking, take the bowl off of the heat from the steam and add cayenne pepper.
7. Serve, and enjoy!

Easy Hollandaise Sauce in the Blender

1. In a covered bowl, melt the butter in the microwave until very hot, about 1 minute. It should be hot, not just melted. I recommend covering the bowl, as butter can pop and spatter, making a giant mess of the microwave!
2. Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in the blender, and blend for 5 seconds.
3. Slowly pour in the very hot butter in a thin stream while the blender is still running.
4. Once the butter is fully blended in, pour the sauce into a bowl and serve!

Microwave Hollandaise Sauce

1. In a covered bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, about 45 seconds. Stir it thoroughly so it's evenly melted all the way through.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
3. Slowly pour the butter into the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
4. Place the bowl back in the microwave and heat for 15-30 seconds at a time, depending on the power of your microwave. Whisk very thoroughly after each burst- it will seem like nothing is happening before suddenly starting to thicken up.
5. Remove once it's thickened to your preference, then serve!

Classic Hollandaise Sauce Tips

• Use a large enough bowl that it sits on top of the pot without touching the water. Don't hold the pot over the water - the steam may burn you!
• It is very important the bowl does not touch the water. You don't want to boil your Hollandaise sauce.
• If your sauce is struggling to thicken, place it into the microwave for 5 seconds at a time. Whisk between each interval until it thickens. You can do this to make lemon curd in the microwave, too!
• If you're making this sauce in the blender, make sure that the butter is super hot- not just melted!
• Lemon juice works great for this recipe to replace mustard, but there's no harm in using both.
• Seriously, get quality eggs! Eggs are the #1 food I know of where the quality makes a difference in just about every way. A quality egg will have a tougher shell and a yolk that's richer, creamier, and darker in color. The flavor and texture difference is huge.

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise

Sometimes, things go wrong. But don't worry if your Hollandaise breaks and gets chunky: you can still save it! Here are two great methods for fixing broken Hollandaise.

• Add Egg Yolk: Adding an extra egg yolk into the blender or bowl can help a chunky Hollandaise thin out and get smooth.
• Add Boiling Water: When the butter isn't nice and hot when it's added to the blender, or the sauce doesn't heat enough in the double boiler, it can form small white bubbles. Add a tablespoon or two of boiling water and whisk well to help it come back together!

Can you Freeze Hollandaise Sauce?

If you're like me, you might not want to get out the double boiler or clean up the blender every time you want Hollandaise on your morning poached eggs! Luckily, you can freeze Hollandaise for later, so long as you do it carefully.

1. Let the Hollandaise cool to room temperature. Give it a good stir to ensure it's well mixed, then pour it into a clean, empty ice cube tray.
2. Let the sauce freeze solid in the tray, then pop the sauce cubes into a freezer-proof plastic bag. Store for up to 4 weeks.
3. To thaw frozen Hollandaise, take as many sauce cubes as you desire and place them in a airtight container. Place the container in the fridge overnight to thaw, or in a sink full of cold water to thaw more quickly.
4. To reheat leftover Hollandaise, heat very gently in the microwave at 20% power for 15 second bursts, stirring between each burst.

Uses for Hollandaise Sauce

• Serve it with Eggs Benedict
• Drizzle it over Sous Vide Salmon
• Enjoy it with Steamed Crab Legs
• Try it with a juicy grilled steak

Hollandaise Sauce Recipes FAQ

Try my Espagnole Sauce next!

If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!

Foolproof Hollandaise Sauce (3 Easy Methods)

Recipe Author: Isabel Laessig

Make easy Hollandaise 3 different ways! My classic Hollandaise sauce recipe is quick, easy, and even better, easy to store for later!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings; makes about ¼ cup

Calories 263 kcal

Equipment

• 2 Bowls for separating the eggs
• 1 Large bowl to use as a double boiler
• 1 pot or deep pan to steam the sauce
• 1 Whisk
• Blender for blender method
• Microwave for microwave method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 egg yolks - see notes for how to separate egg yolks
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice - use fresh lemon juice for best flavor
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter - ¼ cup; salted butter may also be used
• ▢ 1 dash cayenne pepper - to taste

Instructions

 

Double Boiler Method

• Add egg yolk and lemon juice to a heat-proof bowl, and whisk together until fully combined.
  2 egg yolks,1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Melt butter in a small pan or in the microwave.
  4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Set a deep pan or pot over the stove and fill halfway with water. Bring to a simmer.
• Once simmering, place the bowl with the egg mixture over the pot so it sits over the water, but not in it, allowing the steam from the water to heat the bowl.
• Whisk the melted butter into the egg mixture, stirring gently as it thickens.
  
• It should form a smooth, creamy Hollandaise sauce. Once thickened to your liking, take the bowl off of the heat from the steam and add cayenne pepper.
  1 dash cayenne pepper
• Serve, and enjoy!
  

Blender Method

• In a covered bowl, melt the butter in the microwave until very hot, about 1 minute.
• Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in the blender, and blend for 5 seconds.
• Slowly pour in the very hot butter while the blender is still running.
• Once the butter is fully blended in, pour the sauce into a bowl and serve!

Microwave Method

• In a covered bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, about 45 seconds. Stir it thoroughly so it's evenly melted all the way through.
• In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
• Slowly pour the butter into the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
• Place the bowl back in the microwave and heat for 15-30 seconds at a time, depending on the power of your microwave. Whisk very thoroughly after each burst- it will seem like nothing is happening before suddenly starting to thicken up.
• Remove once it's thickened to your preference, then serve!

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4.58 from 7 votes

Notes

Tips for Making Hollandaise Sauce

• Use a large enough bowl that it sits on top of the pot without touching the water. Don’t hold the pot over the water – the steam may burn you.
• It is very important the bowl does not touch the water. You don’t want to boil your hollandaise sauce!
• If your sauce is struggling to thicken, place it into the microwave for 5 seconds at a time. Whisk between each interval until it thickens.

How to Separate Egg Yolks

Using your hands:

1. Near two bowls, crack the egg.
2. Carefully pry the egg open into your hand over one of the bowls.
3. Move the egg from one hand to the other*, letting the egg whites drip through your fingers into the first bowl. Repeat to separate all of the whites from the yolk.
4. Once all of the white has separated from the yolk, drop the yolk into the second bowl.

You can use either your hands or the shell of the egg to separate the whites from the yolk. Simply move the yolk between each shell half until all of the white has separated into the bowl.

Using a Water Bottle:

1. Make sure the bottle is clean first.
2. Crack eggs onto a deep plate or into a bowl.
3. Hold the water bottle at a 45 degree angle. Press the mouth of the bottle against the egg yolk and squeeze the bottle.
4. The bottle should easily suck up the egg yolk, separating it from the egg whites. Squeeze it into a separate bowl to get the yolk out of the bottle.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 263kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 3gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 256mgSodium: 11mgPotassium: 19mgVitamin A: 970IUVitamin C: 2.9mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.5mg