Hollandaise Sauce

Homemade Hollandaise Sauce – This recipe will give you two methods for making this buttery and perfectly velvety sauce fit for any brunch. With most people reserving this sauce for restaurant visits, you won’t believe how easy it is to make at home.

Oh, hollandaise sauce! It’s something we’re all very familiar with eating, but how many of us attempt this rich brunch topper at home? Not enough, I say! Just take a look, I bet you already have these ingredients ready to go. It’s a recipe that is much easier than its silky, gourmet flavor gives off.

Today I have two different methods that you can try out to make your own hollandaise sauce. The first uses a classic double boiler, and the second is Julia Child’s easy blender technique. Whichever avenue you choose, I promise you’ll end up with a perfect result.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

• Eggs – You’ll just need the yolks today. I used large eggs.
• Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed or from a bottle, though I have to admit I tried both, and freshly squeezed is the best.
• Butter – I like to use unsalted so that I have full control over the sodium in the recipe.
• Salt – Season to taste.
• Cayenne pepper – You can use less, more, or none at all.

How to make hollandaise sauce with a double boiler

1. Prep: Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring the water to a simmer. Place a metal bowl over the pot, big enough that it doesn’t touch the water.
2. Cook yolks: Add the egg yolks and lemon juice to the bowl. Whisk vigorously for about 3 minutes, until the yolks lighten in color and thicken. Remove the bowl from the pot and set it aside.
3. Butter: Heat the butter in a saucepan, over medium heat, just until it melts, then remove it from the heat. While whisking vigorously, very slowly pour the butter into the egg yolks. Mix until the sauce is thick and velvety.
4. Finish: Whisk in the salt and cayenne pepper. Serve warm.

How to make hollandaise sauce in a blender

1. Heat butter: Melt the butter over medium heat until bubbly and frothy.
2. Prep yolks: Add the yolks and lemon juice to a blender. Blend on high speed for a few seconds, then remove the funnel from the middle of your blender lid.
3. Finish the sauce: While still blending on high speed, slowly pour the hot butter into the blender. Mix until thick and creamy. Add the salt and cayenne pepper, then pulse the blender a few times.
4. Serve: Scrape the sauce out of your blender and serve warm.

Avoid broken sauce before it happens

What is “broken” sauce, you ask? When your sauce breaks, that means the yolk doesn’t properly emulsify into the melted butter. You’ll end up with a grainy, lumpy sauce rather than a smooth, creamy one.

The best way to avoid a broken sauce, for both methods, is to pour the butter extremely slowly.

Double boiler: In this case, we don’t want the butter too hot. Heat until it’s just melted. You can let it sit on the counter for a minute or two if it’s too hot. You also want to be whisking very vigorously. If the bowl is moving around on you, get someone to hold it, or create a nest of a kitchen towel for the bowl to sit in and stay steady.

Blender: This truly is the harder method to mess up. The blades give you a one-up in terms of that mixing power! Since the butter is very hot in this method, it’s very important to make sure the butter is poured slowly. You can even spoon it in if you’re worried about breaking the sauce.

If it’s too late and your sauce is already broken, you can mend it. Grab one or two more yolks with a splash of lemon juice- you won’t need any more butter. Follow the directions as detailed, and use your broken sauce as the “butter”. It should blend in nicely with the extra yolk to give you the creamy sauce you’re looking for.

Are the yolks cooked?

With both methods I’ve provided today, your yolks will be cooked and safe to eat.

Double boiler: By whisking vigorously, with the lemon juice, as gentle heat is applied to the yolks, the yolks will be able to cook fully without solidifying.

Blender: Since we can’t rely on the double boiler to completely cook the yolks, this method employs a different solution. The butter is heated until very hot, bubbly, and frothing. This, combined with the heat created by friction in your blender, is enough to cook the yolks through.

I mean, think about it! An egg yolk hitting a skillet over medium heat will start to cook up immediately. It doesn’t take a ton of heat to cook your eggs!

What to serve with hollandaise sauce

We all know the obvious answer here, eggs Benedict! A toasted english muffin sliced in half, topped with seared back bacon, a poached egg, and plenty of that homemade hollandaise sauce. It’s heaven!

I want to show you a few other brunch recipes that are made just so much better served up with homemade hollandaise sauce:

• Breakfast Casserole
• Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake
• Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring
• Christmas Morning Wife Saver
• Sausage Potato Hash
• Baked Breakfast Taquitos

Leftovers

Transfer your sauce to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 1-2 days.

I do not recommend freezing hollandaise sauce. As it’s made with egg yolks, it will take on an odd consistency after it thaws and likely break as a result.

Reheating

The best way to reheat, no matter which method you used in the first place, is a double boiler. This will avoid any potential scrambling.

1. Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring the water to a simmer. Place a metal bowl over the pot, big enough that it doesn’t touch the water.
2. Add the leftover sauce to the bowl. Whisking constantly, heat the sauce until warm. Remove the bowl from the pot and transfer the sauce to a serving bowl.

Did you love this recipe? Try these homemade sauces:

• Homemade Mayonnaise
• BBQ Sauce
• Pizza Sauce Recipe
• Alfredo Sauce
• Enchilada Sauce
• Creamy Cheese Sauce
• Easy Homemade Pesto Recipe