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I recently polled my Facebook followers to see what recipes they’ve been too intimidated to try, and hollandaise sauce was a popular answer. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s a lot easier than you think! This super quick and easy hollandaise sauce recipe will get you rich, creamy, lemony hollandaise sauce in just a few minutes and with nothing more than just a sauce pot and a whisk. So you can have this dreamy sauce whenever you want and without breaking a sweat. Let me show you how it’s done.
P.S. if you’ve ever made my Luscious Homemade Lemon Curd, this hollandaise sauce is basically the same thing, but savory!
What is Hollandaise Sauce?
If you’ve never experienced the magic of hollandaise sauce, let me attempt to describe it to you. It’s a very simple savory sauce made with butter, egg yolk, lemon, and salt. It has a smooth, velvety texture with just the right amount of bright lemon flavor to keep it from being too heavy. If you’ve ever had Eggs Benedict, this is the dreamy yellow sauce that is drizzled over top. But it’s great on a lot more than just Eggs Benedict…
How to Use Hollandaise Sauce
As mentioned above, hollandaise sauce is often served over poached eggs, like in Eggs Benedict, but it’s also great over steamed or roasted vegetables, like asparagus, potatoes, or broccoli. The buttery lemon flavor is also great on salmon, crab, or even steak. Hollandaise sauce is practically all butter and I think we can all agree that butter tastes great on everything!
Hollandaise sauce is very rich, so you don’t need a lot. And since reheating leftovers of emulsified sauces can be tricky, I decided to make this a small batch recipe so you can avoid the trouble of trying to use up your leftovers. The recipe below makes about ⅓ cup, or just enough for two people (about 3 Tbsp each).
If you want to make a larger batch, it’s just as easy. Simply adjust the number in the “servings” box in the recipe below and the ingredient quantities will adjust for you. The method will be exactly the same, but it may take a few minutes longer for the sauce to heat as you whisk.
Easy Hollandaise Sauce
4.49 from 60 votes
An easy, no-fail method for making homemade hollandaise sauce in just minutes. Anyone can make this rich and creamy lemon butter sauce!
Separate the egg and place the egg yolk in a small saucepot. The whites can be saved for a different recipe.
Add the water and lemon juice to the pot with the yolk and whisk until smooth (no heat yet).
Cut the butter into small pieces (about ¼ Tbsp size) , then add them to the saucepot with the egg yolk, lemon, and water.
Place the pot over medium-low heat. Continuously whisk as the mixture heats. First the butter will melt, then the mixture will begin to get a bit frothy. Finally, as the egg yolk begins to cook, the sauce will thicken. Make sure you're whisking the entire time to achieve a light, smooth sauce. Once it thickens to the consistency of gravy, remove the pot from the heat.
Season the sauce with salt and cayenne, then drizzle the sauce over your favorite food!
How to Make Hollandaise Sauce – Step by Step Photos
Separate one large egg and place the egg yolk in a small saucepot (this is a 1 qt. saucepot)
Add 1 Tbsp water and ½ Tbsp lemon juice to the pot with the egg yolk, then whisk the yolk and lemon juice until smooth (do not heat the mixture at this point).
Cut 4 Tbsp butter into small pieces (about ¼ Tbsp sized pieces). Add them to the pot with the yolk, water, and lemon juice.
Place the pot over medium-low heat and continuously whisk while the butter begins to melt.
Continue to whisk as the mixture begins to heat. You’ll notice it begin to get frothy…
And then when the egg yolk begins to actually cook, it will thicken the sauce to a consistency similar to gravy. Make sure you’re whisking throughout this entire process. It should only take 3-5 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat once thickened.
Season the sauce with about ⅛ tsp cayenne and ⅛ tsp salt (or to taste).
And now your rich and dreamy lemony sauce is ready to eat! You did that!
Drizzle that heavenly sauce over all your favorite foods!
In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.
Hollandaise sauces are best cooked at temperatures around 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything over this maximum puts this condiment at risk of splitting, which occurs when the creamy, smooth emulsion of the egg yolks, lemon juice, and melted butter breaks. The sauce will separate into pools of fat floating in liquid.
First make the hollandaise sauce. Using a large balloon whisk, beat the egg yolks with a squeeze of lemon juice and seasoning in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Beat vigorously for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Hollandaise is an emulsified sauce in which egg yolks serve as both the emulsifier, and the thickening agent. The finale consistency of your sauce will be determined by how much fat is emulsified in and how much the egg yolks are cooked. The more you cook the egg yolks, the thicker your hollandaise will be.
Traditional hollandaise, made by emulsifying melted clarified butter into egg yolks and lemon juice, is notoriously difficult to make. You not only have to take the same care in its construction as you take for oil-in-egg-yolk mayonnaise, but you also have to deal with the fickle nature of hot eggs and butter.
Raw eggs are used in homemade versions of foods such as mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce. Unpasteurized dairy products. Unpasteurized milk and milk products — sometimes called raw milk — may be contaminated with salmonella. The pasteurization process kills harmful bacteria, including salmonella.
It's what happens next that sets them apart: Hollandaise gets its acidity from lemon juice (sometimes vinegar) and is usually seasoned with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Béarnaise, meanwhile, builds upon hollandaise with white wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and other fresh herbs.
What is Broken Hollandaise Sauce? If the sauce breaks while you're whisking or when you serve it on extremely hot food, you'll know. It'll become grainy and very thin and will actually be two separate liquids. If your sauce looks like scrambled eggs, your egg yolks are overheated. Unfortunately, you can't salvage this.
Chantilly = hollandaise + whipped heavy cream. The tomato sauce is classically served with pasta, fish, vegetables, polenta, veal, poultry, bread, and dumplings such as gnocchi.
That being said, if you prefer a richer, thicker sauce, you could try 3 tbsp butter per 1 egg yolk, and continue lowering the butter-to-yolk ratio until you find a thickness you are happy with. Or, as the other answer said, you could try adding more egg yolks, but keep in mind this will make a larger amount of sauce.
Hollandaise sauce (/hɒlənˈdeɪz/ or /ˈhɒləndeɪz/; French: [ɔlɑ̃dɛz]), meaning Dutch sauce in French, is a mixture of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice (or a white wine or vinegar reduction). It is usually seasoned with salt, and either white pepper or cayenne pepper.
When adding your butter to the egg yolks, make sure that it is warm (about 130°F/55°C) but not hot. If your clarified butter is too hot it will instantly curdle your egg yolks.
As a hot egg- emulsified butter sauce its appearance at its best is glossy and smooth. The classical ingredients of hollandaise sauce are egg yolks, melted (often clarified) butter, mixture of water and wine vinegar and occasionally a drop of lemon juice. Structurally it is both an emulsion and a foam.
Here's what goes in Hollandaise Sauce: egg yolks, butter, salt, lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper, if you want a touch of subtle warmth. Egg yolks – from 3 large eggs (and sold labelled as “large” at grocery stores), each egg weighing 55 – 60g / 2 oz.
Hollandaise and its derivative sauces are often served over eggs, vegetables, or lighter meats like poultry and fish. It's worth mentioning that hollandaise is derived from mayonnaise and hasn't always been classified as a mother sauce. Hollandaise combines egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice.
In the case of mayonnaise and hollandaise, it's the lecithin in the egg yolks that acts as the emulsifier. Lecithin, a fatty substance that is soluble in both fat and water, will readily combine with both the egg yolk and the oil or butter, essentially holding the two liquids together permanently.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Servings 2 3 Tbsp each
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