Foolproof Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce is one of those things that people are always afraid to try.  Along with Mayonnaise, it’s seen as a tough sauce to get right and an easy one to get wrong!  But in fact, if you take it slowly and don’t rush, it’s possible to get a fabulous Hollandaise Sauce every time.  With this Easy Hollandaise Sauce recipe, I’m going to show you exactly how I do it.

Hollandaise can make a good brunch into an extra special brunch.  It’s incredible with asparagus dipped into it, with all different types of fish, and especially on Eggs Benedict!  So how do you make it perfect, every time?

Start by melting the butter in a pan or the microwave so that you have it ready for when you need it.  It needs to be completely liquid.  Then, using room temperature eggs, separate the egg whites from the yolks.  (Keep the whites, they can go into any smoothies, or frittatas, can bulk out scrambled eggs or even make meringues!  They keep in the fridge for a few days until you find a recipe you can throw them into.)

Whisk the egg yolks up with the white wine vinegar in a heat-proof bowl.  Once the mixture has become light and frothy, place the heat-proof bowl on top of a saucepan of 2 inches of barely simmering water, creating a bain-marie (make sure the water is not bubbling too furiously and make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water!)  Whisk the mixture constantly as it is sitting over the simmering water until it thickens slightly (enough so that it leaves a trail when you lift the whisk up).  This is where you have to not rush – it may take up to 5 minutes but just keep the heat low or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!  The aim is to warm the mixture through and cook the eggs ever so slightly so that the protein in them just starts to thicken.

This is the part that people are always convinced will go wrong. If you heat the eggs directly too quickly you’ll end up with scrambled eggs and a separated, lumpy Hollandaise.  All you have to do is heat it low and slow and don’t rush.  It may take a bit longer but it will guarantee that it doesn’t go wrong.  Patience and cooking over the lowest heat, stirring all the time is the way forward!

Then, take the mixture off the heat completely and start to whisk in the melted butter, a little at a time until the sauce becomes thick and silky.  Add the lemon juice bit by bit, tasting as you go, until you get the flavour you like.  I like to add black pepper too but it’s not technically an ingredient of hollandaise sauce.  (You could use white pepper if you don’t want the black flecks through your silky sauce!)

And that’s it – the way to make the perfect Foolproof Hollandaise Sauce!  Serve dolloped on top of Eggs Benedict or with asparagus spears to dip into it.  It really does add an impressive element to every brunch dish.

Top tip:  Hollandaise Sauce is also the base for a Bearnaise Sauce that you would traditionally serve with steak.  Bearnaise Sauce is just Hollandaise sauce cooked with tarragon, so now you know how to make that too!

(The sauce can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days but it is best eaten on the day it’s made).  It will thicken as it cools so make sure you warm it through gently before you use it for the final dish.

Foolproof Easy Hollandaise Sauce

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Sauces & Dips

Cuisine French, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Raw, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, Vegetarian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 150 g unsalted butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/4 lemon (juiced)
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a pan or microwave and set aside until needed.
• Put 2 inches of water in a saucepan and heat very gently so it is barely simmering.
• Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
• In a heatproof bowl, add the white wine vinegar to the egg yolks and whisk until light and frothy.
• Place the bowl on top of the saucepan, make sure that the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
• Whisk the mixture constantly as it is sitting over the simmering water until it thickens slightly. (Don't overheat or you'll end up with scrambled eggs!)
• Take the mixture off the heat completely and start to whisk in the melted butter a little at a time.
• Add the lemon juice bit by bit, tasting as you go, until you get the flavour you like.
• Season with salt and black pepper.

Allergy & Dietary Information for Easy Hollandaise Sauce

This recipe is Grain-Free, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar-Free.  It’s also suitable for Paleo, SCD, Low Carb & Vegetarian diets.

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