Classic Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
Published December 7, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This classic hollandaise sauce recipe uses traditional techniques for a delicious creamy flavor and comes together in minutes. You will love all the different foods you can add this to, to take the taste over the top.
Adding sauces to a dish is an easy way to embellish any recipe. My wife always jokes that she likes a little food with her sauce. If you want to try out some new sauces, then you must try my Dijonnaise, which goes amazing on Smash Burgers, or my classic Cocktail Sauce Recipe.
Hollandaise
Hollandaise is a creamy, rich sauce that enhances the flavor of vegetables, meat, chicken, fish, or egg dishes. It is one of the classic French 5 mother sauces and consists of only butter, eggs, lemon, and seasonings that are commonly prepared over a double boiler. This sauce is traditionally served over the famous egg benedict.
People tend to be afraid to make hollandaise because it has a reputation for being difficult to prepare. The biggest points to note are to make sure the water in the double boiler is not too hot and that you are paying close attention to the consistency of the sauce before moving to the next stage or finishing it. Follow my fool-proof recipe below to make the perfect Hollandaise sauce every time.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Wine or Vinegar – I prefer white chardonnay wine, but you can also use white distilled vinegar.
- Egg Yolks – You will need cold or room-temperature large egg yolks for this hollandaise.
- Butter – Clarified butter is what you will need in this recipe.
- Lemon – A hint of lemon juice will help brighten up the sauce.
- Seasonings – I use sea salt and cayenne pepper in my hollandaise, but cayenne can be substituted with crushed black or white peppercorns.
How to Make Hollandaise
Add a bowl to a pot of 1/3 filled simmering water over low to medium heat to make a double boiler. Make sure the bowl is not touching the water.
Add egg yolks and 2 ounces of white wine to a double boiler over low to medium heat.
Vigorously whisk the mixture until it becomes thick and creamy, which takes about 3 to 5 minutes. It should be foamy.
Remove the bowl from the double boiler and slowly pour in the warm clarified butter using a ladle or measuring cup while vigorously whisking it until it becomes thick but still pourable. See the chef’s notes below if the sauce is too thick or too thin.
Finish the sauce by stirring or whisking in some lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and sea salt to taste. Serve or keep warm until ready to serve.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this hollandaise sauce up to 90 minutes ahead of time.
How to Store: This does not particularly store well, but you can cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will not freeze.
How to Reheat: This is not fool-proof but can work. Add the sauce to a double boiler and whisk in a room-temperature egg yolk and 1 to two tablespoons of hot water to help revive and heat the sauce.
Chef Notes + Tips
- If the sauce becomes too thick during or before adding in the clarified butter, whisk in a bit of lemon juice or warm water.
- When whisking the egg yolks in the double boiler, try to whisk vigorously, or they will scramble. If they start to, you can save the sauce by immediately removing the bowl from the double-boiler.
- You may use less butter as it may thicken with less than the recipe calls for.
More Sauce Recipes
Classic Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces of chardonnay or white distilled vinegar
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup clarified butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- sea salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add a bowl to a pot of 1/3 filled simmering water over low to medium heat to make a double boiler. Make sure the bowl is not touching the water.
- Add egg yolks and 2 ounces of white wine to a double boiler over low to medium heat.
- Vigorously whisk the mixture until it becomes thick and creamy, which takes about 3 to 5 minutes. It should be foamy.
- Remove the bowl from the double boiler and slowly pour in warm clarified butter using a ladle or measuring cup while vigorously whisking it until it becomes thick but still pourable. See the notes below if the sauce is too thick or too thin.
- Finish the sauce by stirring or whisking in some lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and sea salt to taste. Serve or keep warm until ready to serve.
Is this unsalted butter?
always
I have just started following you on Facebook, and you do an amazing job describing how to make your recipes. I consider myself an advanced home cook and I am looking forward to making more of your recipes.
fantastic!
Got it right first time! It is good.
Excellent!