Hollandaise Sauce
774 Comments
Updated Feb 13, 2023
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Hollandaise sauce is a classic creamy sauce that’s perfect for breakfast or brunch! This recipe is easy and no-fail. It takes just 5 minutes in a blender. Drizzle it on top of poached eggs, eggs Benedict, vegetables or several other recipes for a delicious finishing touch.
If you’ve had eggs Benedict before, you’ve probably encountered this rich and buttery sauce. It’s got the creamiest consistency and its flavors meld beautifully with ingredients such as eggs, asparagus, or salmon.
While this sauce may seem a bit on the fancy side, it’s actually very easy to make! But like many other emulsions, the fear that it will separate or not come together can be a bit nerve wracking. So today, I’ll walk you through the step by step on how to make perfect homemade hollandaise sauce.
How To Make Hollandaise Sauce
To make this recipe, simply heat up some butter (and it needs to be hot!) and stream it into the blended egg yolk mixture to create a velvety smooth sauce.
- Melt the butter in a microwave for about 1 minute until hot.
- Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, dijon, salt and cayenne pepper into a high powered blender and blend for 5 seconds.
- Slowly stream in the hot butter into the mixture as the blender is running.
- Pour the sauce into a small bowl and drizzle over your meal!
Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients
All you’ll need for this sauce are six ingredients. And you probably have them in your fridge and pantry already.
- Egg Yolks – 3 eggs
- Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon
- Dijon – 1 teaspoon
- Salt – 1/4 teaspoon
- Cayenne Pepper – just a pinch
- Butter- 1/2 cup of melted butter
How To Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce
The key to getting the consistency right all comes down to the hot melted butter. This recipe emulsifies butter into an egg yolk and lemon juice mixture. So you want to make sure you’re streaming in butter that’s hot enough (just melted won’t do).
But in the case that your sauce does break and becomes a speckled mess, don’t fret. Below are two methods to try that will help bring your sauce back to life.
- Blend 1-2 tablespoons of boiling hot water: As you’re blending, slowly add in the hot water and blend until the consistency is right.
- Add an extra egg yolk: While the blender is on, add an extra egg yolk with a teaspoon of hot water into the blender and blend until it becomes perfectly creamy.
Can You Use an Immersion Blender?
Yes, absolutely! If you have an immersion blender, add all of the ingredients except the hot butter. Turn the blender on (with it firmly planted on the bottom of the cup or jar) and slowly drizzle in the butter. It will start to emulsify and once you’ve poured in all the butter you’re done!
How To Store And Reheat Hollandaise Sauce
While this sauce is best served fresh, you do have the option of reheating it. But keep in mind that there could be a chance where your eggs will cook up a bit. So here are two options for reheating – just be cautious!
- Microwave: Place the hollandaise sauce in a glass bowl, and microwave it in 15 second increments. Repeat this process until your sauce is fully warmed up.
- Stove Top: Pour the hollandaise sauce into a pan over low heat. Add in a smidge of melted butter and water to re-emulsify and give it a smooth texture. Once it’s warmed up, pour the sauce back into a serving bowl.
More Classic Sauce Recipes
If you thought this recipe was simple, you won’t believe how easy it is make these other sauces. So skip the store-bought jars and opt to make fresh, homemade versions.
- Béarnaise Sauce
- Marinara Sauce
- Basil Pesto Sauce
- Balsamic Reduction
- Tahini Sauce
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
Whip any of these up and you can get creative with recipes such as my sweet potato gnocchi with pesto or parsnip noodle chicken alfredo!
Hollandaise Sauce (Easy & No-Fail)
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice , or more as desired for flavor
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter or ghee, or more for a thinner consistency, melted and hot
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a microwave (make sure it's covered as it will splatter) for about 1 minute, until it's hot. Alternatively, you could heat it on the stove.
- Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, dijon, salt and cayenne pepper into a high powered blender and blend for 5 seconds until combined.
- With the blender running on medium high, slowly stream in the hot butter into the mixture until it's emulsified.
- Pour the hollandaise sauce into a small bowl and serve while warm.
Lisa's Tips
- I mention this above, but just to reiterate... your butter needs to be hot, not just melted. The recipe will not emulsify with luke warm butter.
- If you'd like more sauce, just add another yolk and up to another 1/2 cup of melted butter.
Nutrition
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Simply Outstanding! This was the easiest hollaindaise I’ve ever made and I love that little bite of the Dijon. I followed the recipe except, after reading a few comments on the mustard, I halved the amount in mine. It was perfect. I used an electric whisk instead of blender and it still worked great. I will not make my hollandaise any other way.
The Dijon in this recipe makes all the difference! Glad you enjoyed this hollandaise sauce.
Can I freeze it as I work in a cafe and want everything possible to be homemade so want to make up a fair bit to freeze in separate pots.
Yes, you can freeze hollandaise sauce for up to one month. But, don’t reheat it in the microwave right away. Instead, let it thaw overnight in the fridge first.
This a a staple in my household! I used to think that the only hollandaise sauce I could get was either from a restaurant or package— this recipe is far superior to both!
Anything can be made at home! Glad you enjoyed this hollandaise sauce and have a recipe you can come back to again and again.
It definitely was easy and tasted great. I used a stick blender
Glad your hollandaise sauce turned out perfectly with a stick blender!
I tried this recipe after opening a hollandaise sauce packet that I later realized, had expired. Not wanting to go to the store, I found your recipe. This recipe was easy, and delicious!! What a hit with the family. Thanks for converting, yet another, convenience item into a quick and easy solution that I will use from this day forward!
You’re more than welcome, Stacie! I’m so happy you loved this homemade version. And it’s way better than those sauce packets! ;)
Even though the butter was very hot, the sauce turned out lukewarm. I attribute this to the cold egg yolks. I wish that I had brought them to room temperature prior to adding the butter. Also, I was nervous about the yolks being cooked enough. What temperature should the sauce reach to ensure that any bacteria has been destroyed? Thank you.
Easiest and best tasting Hollandaise sauce I’ve made. Total success!! Thank you!!
I’m glad you loved it, Laurie!
I’m feeling like fancy breakfast, but not feeling like spending fancy breakfast money (or wearing fancy breakfast clothes, for that matter). I’ve been burned by hollandaise recipes in the past, but my cravings emboldened me to try again. I used an immersion blender and the longest, hardest step was separating the eggs, it was seriously that easy. My husband is an eggs benedict conneseuir and even he thought this was some of the most delicious hollandaise he’s ever had. Wins all around! Thank you!
Wonderful! So happy you both loved the recipe. :)
Best and easiest hollandaise!
I was buying the one in the jar for years after I tried another recipe that just tasted like butter and took a while to make.
But this is so quick with so few dishes especially if you use a stick blender clean up is a breeze!!!
Not to mention is tastes AMAZING too!
Love it and will recommend to anyone!
Thanks so much, Joanne! I’m happy you love this homemade version.
I haven’t made it yet, but I’m going to try it tomorrow. If, when heating the butter, it ends up browned, will that ruin the sauce?
The butter just needs to be melted and hot, but not cooked. If you end up with browned butter that will impart that flavor into the hollandaise sauce.
So easy and delicious! I used an immersion blender for 30 seconds or less! Printed the recipe to keep for the future. Thank you!
Glad your hollandaise sauce turned out perfectly!
Mine chunked up during the final step but I hand whipped it since I didn’t have a blender available. A couple of tablespoons of milk fixed the consistency! Delicious!
Glad you were able to fix your sauce, Maggie!
Do the eggs remain on cooked?
No the eggs are cooked to a safe temperature when tempered in the blender :)
I was so impressed. I made your hollandaise sauce and it was fantastic.!
Happy to hear this hollandaise sauce worked like a charm!
Turned out great! What would you recommend to make it a bit thinner without extra lemon?
This was my first attempt at Hollandaise Sauce, so no previous trauma. It took me all of 10 minutes to make something that holds its own against the best eggs benedict I’ve had at a restaurant – my friend couldn’t believe I’d made a successful batch of Hollandaise Sauce in my first attempt. Very grateful for this recipe!
Glad your first attempt was a success Justin!
Making this tonight! I see it makes 4 servings, will the yield be around one cup?
Yes, it should be around that!
Last time I tried to make hollandaise I was so traumatised I swore I would never make it again…this was so easy! now my main problem is we will be eating it a lot!
I’m glad you gave it another try and love my version. Enjoy!
Hollandaise sauce is one of my favorites and yet it has been too intimidating for me to try to make. Until now! Thank you for this recipe. I did put less lemon juice in it, because of personal preference. Delicious!! Eggs Benedict for everyone!
It’s so easy to make! Glad you found a winning recipe you can use every time now. And yes, you can always adjust the lemon in it.
Best recipe I’ve ever found for hollandaise. Never failed once!
Yay, love to hear that!
Easiest hollandaise ever. An absolute no fail recipe. Thank you.
You’re welcome! :)
I really enjoyed this dish. It was a smidge too mustardy for me and quite too mustardy for my teens. I am sure I did a very full teaspoon so I don’t think that’s the recipe’s fault. It was very easy and the texture was spot on. Much better than a restaurant. I will definitely make this again and now make this dish more often.
You can always adjust the recipe to your liking, but glad it turned out great regardless, Sarah!
So easy thank you
Came out perfect so good!
I was so afraid to make since everyone said how hard not at all
Love this recipe!!
Glad this recipe turned out perfectly, Phyllis!
OMG! This I amazingly simple and came out perfect even substituting lime juice for lemon.
Happy to hear this hollandaise sauce was a win, Karen!
I gave it 4 out of 5 due to my own incompetence lol! Thickened up nicely and I ate it, beautiful texture. I had no lemon juice and have never had white wine vinegar, so I substituted red wine vinegar and learned afterwards that i should have used half the amount lol! Still, it’s been the only recipe I had any success with!!! I may just ditch the powder packets that I’ve come to rely on. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Don’t downgrade the recipe just because you completely changed the ingredients. That is your cooking grade, not the recipe rating.
Turned out perfectly for me, an occasional cook. I used a smoothie blender and stopped the blending to add the butter in stages. My concern for future use is how to ensure the temperature reaches a safe level to sterilise any bacteria from the eggs?
Noticed question is unanswered. Probably because it is NOT safe.
This is my concern also. I used to eat raw egg in my Caesar salad but no longer.
The author mentioned in a comment above that it is completely safe. That’s why the butter has to be so hot- it cooks it.
@downshiftology
Hi,
Just wondering if you think butter can substituted for a non dairy?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m thinking it could work!
Absolutely fantastic! What I find, I won’t be using any other recipe as this is amazingly simple and tastes great!
Delishous and easy. I didnt need to use a blender Just whiped fast ith a fork! Perfect
Oh my goodness. This turned out wonderfully well. It held up perfectly-like velvet in the reefer and I used again leftover. Thanks for sharing!
Happy to hear your hollandaise sauce turned out perfectly Jeannie!
Super easy. Delicious! And I used a Bullet blender. Mixed everything but the butter, then added it in all at once and mixed. Came out perfectly.
Glad this turned out great in a bullet blender Susan!
Perfect
Can a person use SALTED butter and omit the added salt? I’ve been wanting to try this🥰
Sure, no problem!