Easy Hollandaise Sauce Recipe (2024)

Hollandaise Sauce sounds fancy but it is truly easy to make. It’s often drizzled over a classic dish of Eggs Benedict with crispy bacon, toasted English muffins, and Poached Eggs.

If you’re a lover of French-style breakfast foods, also try your hand at making our Perfect Omelette, Quiche Lorraine, or Crepes.

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What is Classic Hollandaise Sauce?

Hollandaise sauce is one of the five “mother sauces” in French cuisine and consists of egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, and water whisked to creamy perfection over low heat. When preparing this decadent recipe, opt for high-quality eggs and butter – it makes all the difference. I prefer to get grass-fed butter for its deep yellow color and organic eggs.

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients

• Egg yolks – separate your eggs and use the yolks only which help thicken up the sauce. Save the egg whites for a healthy Egg White Omelette the next day!
• Lukewarm water – To regulate the temperature of the sauce, add lukewarm water.
• Lemon juice – The acid from the lemon juice helps the egg yolks absorb more fat from butter and adds a nice pop of tang. You also need it to prevent cracks and help the sauce thicken up.
• Dijon mustard – adds a great layer of flavor and bite to the sauce.
• Unsalted butter – Butter is the key ingredient to helping your hollandaise emulsify and thicken up to a nice consistency.
• Salt – We use fine sea salt in 99% of our cooking. Feel free to adjust the amount you use to your taste.
• Cayenne pepper – If you love a kick of heat, add cayenne pepper to taste.

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce

1. Separate the Eggs – add yolks to a small non-reactive saucepan and save whites for another recipe.
2. Add water, lemon juice and dijon and whisk together until well combined.
3. Add Butter – Slice the butter into small pieces and toss them into the saucepan.
4. Cook the Hollandaise – Place saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking the sauce constantly and vigorously until the melted butter turns the mixture frothy. Continue whisking until the sauce just starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.
5. Remove the Sauce from Heat – Once thickened, immediately remove the sauce from heat and season it with more cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately or cover to keep warm.

Pro Tip: Make sure to whisk the sauce the entire time it’s over heat or the eggs will scramble!

To Serve

Aside from traditional Eggs Benedict, there are many ways to serve hollandaise sauce:

• Over Potatoes – use it as a topping for oven baked potato wedges or boiled potatoes.
• On Vegetables – For a quick and fancy veggie side dish, drizzle the hollandaise over air fryer asparagus or air fryer broccoli.
• With Protein – use it as a topping for salmon or steak.

Make-Ahead

• Storing: To keep hollandaise fresh, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. This will prevent it from soaking up any lingering smells in your refrigerator.
• Reheating: To warm it back up, use a double boiler on the stovetop to reheat it over a steam bath (direct heat is prone to burning the delicate sauce). If you don’t have a double broiler, you can keep the sauce in the airtight container and let it sit in hot water for 25 minutes.

Common Questions

More Homemade Sauces

• Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
• Easy Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
• Horseradish Sauce
• Homemade Marinara Sauce
• Tartar Sauce