Classic Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce
Diana Rattray
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Hollandaise sauce is a rich egg yolk and butter sauce seasoned with lemon juice. The sauce is delicious over asparagus or other cooked vegetables, fish dishes, and poached eggs. It's an essential sauce for the classic dish, eggs Benedict.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan until it is hot and foaming, but do not let it brown. Keep it warm.

  3. Place a medium saucepan or bottom of a double boiler pan with about an inch of hot water over low heat and bring it to a simmer.

  4. In a stainless steel bowl or top pan of a double boiler, vigorously whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice until the mixture is thickened.

  5. Place the bowl or pan over the simmering water and continue whisking. 

  6. Drizzle the melted butter into the egg yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream while whisking. Continue whisking until the sauce has thickened. Take care not to let the bowl or top pan sit in the simmering water or you'll end up with scrambled eggs. And don't let the sauce get too hot or it could break. If it does start to look curdled, try whisking in a small amount of boiling water a half-teaspoon at a time. 

  7. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the salt and cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce.

  8. The sauce is best served immediately, but if it must be held, place the bowl in a pan with hot water or put it in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Keep it on very low heat. Too long or too hot and the sauce will break.

  9. If the sauce becomes too thick on standing, whisk in a small amount of hot water to thin it.

  10. Enjoy.

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of foodborne illness.

Tips

  • Hollandaise is a fussy sauce. The thick, rich sauce can quickly break and turn into a curdled mess if the butter is added too quickly or if it becomes too hot. You can refrigerate leftover sauce and hope for the best, but it might break as you reheat it. 
  • Store leftover hollandaise covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat over very low heat or in a double boiler over low heat. Whisk in small amounts of hot water, as needed for consistency.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
181 Calories
18g Fat
0g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 181
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 24%
Saturated Fat 11g 54%
Cholesterol 164mg 55%
Sodium 201mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 46mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)