Simple Hollandaise Sauce

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Using just 4 ingredients, you can make my Simple Hollandaise Sauce in only 10 minutes. It’s quick, easy, and straightforward, with no need for a double boiler or any extra ingredients like mustard. Even if you think you’re too busy to make a fancy breakfast, I promise you’re not too busy to make this easy hollandaise recipe!

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

One of my all-time favorite breakfast and brunch recipes has always been eggs benedict. The combination of gorgeous creamy hollandaise and the golden runny yolk of poached eggs over ham steak and an English muffin is just unbeatable!

Before giving it a try, though, I always thought it would be far too complicated to make homemade hollandaise sauce. At the time, everyone told me it took too much time and effort to be worth it… but I’m too stubborn not to try.

So, I’m happy to tell you from experience: you can easily learn how to make hollandaise sauce at home using only 4 ingredients, and you won’t even need a double boiler or any mustard to hold it together. That’s a promise!

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 cayenne. It’s most known as the sauce for eggs benedict, but you can also serve hollandaise sauce over vegetables such as green beans, asparagus, or carrots.

Classic Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients

• Egg yolks
• Butter (salted or unsalted)
• Lemon juice
• Cayenne pepper or white pepper

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.

Separating Egg Yolks with 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 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

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!

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.

Uses for Hollandaise Sauce

Serve my easy homemade hollandaise sauce recipe over eggs benedict or with sous vide salmon, steamed crab legs, or juicy grilled steak!

Hollandaise Sauce Recipes FAQ

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

📋 Recipe

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Isabel Laessig

My Easy Hollandaise Sauce recipe uses just 4 ingredients and is ready in only 10 minutes following simple steps! Perfect for eggs benedict and more.

4.67 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine French

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

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

Cooking Conversions

See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

Instructions

 

• Add egg yolk and lemon juice to a heat-proof bowl, and whisk together until fully combined.
• Melt butter in a small pan or in the microwave.
• 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.
• Serve, and enjoy!
  

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

Keyword easy hollandaise sauce, hollandaise sauce recipe, how to make hollandaise sauce, simple hollandaise sauce

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