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Using just 4 simple ingredients, you can learn How to Make Hollandaise Sauce in only 10 minutes! With two super easy cooking methods to suit your needs and straightforward steps, you’re minutes away from a luxurious breakfast sauce.
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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, though, 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!
Now, 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! Plus, I’ve included a second method for making it in a blender, too. (A regular blender – you don’t need an immersion blender!)
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.
Simple Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients
- Large 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
- Set out two bowls and crack an egg.
- Carefully pry the egg open into your hand over one of the bowls.
- 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.
- 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!
- Crack eggs onto a deep plate or into a bowl.
- Hold the water bottle at a 45 degree angle. Press the mouth of the bottle against the egg yolk and squeeze the bottle.
- 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.
Hollandaise Sauce Easy Steps
Double Boiler Method
- 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!
Blender Method
- In a covered bowl, melt the butter in the microwave until very hot, about 1 minute. It should be hot, not just melted.
- 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!
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.
- 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.
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!
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
Hollandaise sauce is best enjoyed immediately, or frozen for later. However, it can be refrigerated for up to 1-2 days. Gently heat and whisk again to re-combine before serving!
Hollandaise can be frozen for up to 4 weeks in an airtight container with half an inch of space at the top. Label with the date and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving.
To reheat leftover Hollandaise sauce, reheat using the same method you used to make it with a pot and heat-proof bowl over low heat on the stove. You can also reheat in the microwave at 20% power for 15 seconds. Whisk and check the temperature with an instant read thermometer after heating.
Try my Espagnole Sauce next!
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Recipe
Easy Hollandaise Sauce
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
- 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
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
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!
Notes
- 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.
- Near two bowls, crack the egg.
- Carefully pry the egg open into your hand over one of the bowls.
- 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.
- Once all of the white has separated from the yolk, drop the yolk into the second bowl.
- Make sure the bottle is clean first.
- Crack eggs onto a deep plate or into a bowl.
- Hold the water bottle at a 45 degree angle. Press the mouth of the bottle against the egg yolk and squeeze the bottle.
- 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.
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