Making your own Hollandaise Sauce from scratch is an easy and rewarding way to instantly elevate the taste of breakfast favorites like poached eggs and Eggs Benedict to less obvious choices such as roasted potatoes and even grilled meats! It takes just 10 minutes and 4 simple ingredients!
About This Recipe
You can make this easy Hollandaise Sauce with 4 key ingredients in just 20 minutes! While some shy away from making their own hollandaise sauce out of fear of scrambling the egg yolks, this gentle double-boiler method makes it a fail-proof process – perfect for those who’ve never made hollandaise sauce before!
What is Hollandaise Sauce?
Hollandaise sauce is a classic French sauce and one of the five mother sauces in French cuisine. It is known for its rich, buttery flavor and smooth, creamy texture.
Classic hollandaise sauce is made from egg yolks, melted butter and lemon juice. It’s seasoned with salt and occasionally other spices. It’s most commonly served over eggs, like this Eggs Benedict Recipe.
Ingredients Notes
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Egg yolks: Use fresh eggs. Pasteurized raw eggs can be used if you are concerned about getting sick from undercooked eggs.
- Butter: I like using salted butter, but you could use unsalted butter to reduce the salt content if you prefer.
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Bottled lemon juice can be used in a pinch.
- Salt: Only add to the sauce once made and adjust as needed.
Optional spices: You can add cayenne pepper powder or a pinch of ground nutmeg as a way to add extra layers of flavor and warmth to this hollandaise sauce.
How to Make Hollandaise Sauce
1. Prepare a Double Boiler: Boil an inch of water in a saucepan with a bowl on top to create a double boiler. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!
2. Whisk the Eggs: Reduce the heat to low. Add the eggs to the bowl and whisk them until they turn pale yellow.
3. Add the Butter Slowly: Slowly pour in the melted butter while you continue to whip the eggs so that it emulsifies.
4. Add the Lemon Juice: Once the butter has been fully incorporated, whisk in the lemon juice and thicken the sauce by whisking for another 30 seconds or longer, depending on how you prefer the consistency.
5. Season and Serve: Season the hollandaise sauce with as much salt as needed after tasting it. You can also incorporate cayenne pepper and ground nutmeg at this stage for more flavor. Serve immediately or store for later use.
Yield: This recipe makes about 1 cup of hollandaise sauce, but you can make a double batch when serving a larger crowd or if you need to incorporate hollandaise sauce into other dishes.
How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce
A “broken” sauce means that the emulsion of the yolks and the butter has separated, resulting in a sauce that is neither smooth nor creamy. Here are a few ways to fix a broken hollandaise sauce:
- Whisking in hot water: Begin by removing the sauce from the heat, then whisk in a few teaspoons of hot water, one at a time, until the sauce comes back together.
- Incorporate a Fresh Yolk: Whisk a fresh yolk in a separate bowl. Gradually add the broken sauce to the new yolk until all of the broken sauce has been added.
- Use an Immersion Blender: Place the sauce in a tall, narrow container. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce, moving the blender up and down until the sauce re-emulsifies.
Serving Ideas
Hollandaise and eggs Benedict with poached eggs go hand-in-hand, but you can use this sauce to make just about anything feel extra special. Spoon it over this easy baked salmon recipe, salmon crab cakes, or my classic crab cakes recipe for an easy upgrade to your next seafood dinner. It’s also amazing with veggies like roasted asparagus or roasted Brussels sprouts, adding a rich, buttery finish.
For breakfast and brunch, try it with a croissant breakfast sandwich, this easy crustless quiche recipe, or a cozy breakfast casserole. You can even drizzle it on fried potatoes and onions, roll it into this homemade crêpe recipe, or spread it over this (reader favorite) avocado toast recipe. However you use it, hollandaise is the ultimate finishing touch.
You can even swap in hollandaise sauce for mayonnaise in some recipes, like this egg salad recipe or potato salad recipe. Just keep in mind that hollandaise has a distinct flavor, so it won’t work as a substitute in every dish — it can definitely change the overall taste.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, give the sauce a good stir and reheat using a double boiler on the stovetop set over a steam bath. Direct heat is likely to burn the delicate sauce.
Can You Freeze Homemade Hollandaise Sauce?
It’s possible to freeze hollandaise sauce but I don’t recommend it since the texture will change and the sauce can break as a result of the freezing and thawing process.
RECIPE CARD
Perfect Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 stick salted butter - melted
- ½ lemon - juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅕ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg - optional
Instructions
- Fill a saucepan with one inch of water and boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer, then place a bowl on top for a double boiler. (Ensure the water or steam does not touch the bowl or the eggs will scramble.)
- Turn the heat down to low and add the egg yolks then whisk until they start to turn pale.
- Gently and slowly stream in the melted butter and whisk the entire time to ensure it emulsifies.
- Once completely mixed, whisk in the lemon juice and continue whisking for 30 seconds or until it thickens enough to your liking.
- Taste and stir in as much salt as needed along with the cayenne and nutmeg, if using.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Jessica’s Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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