Classic Eggs Benedict
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This Eggs Benedict tastes like something you’d order at a great brunch spot, but it’s absolutely doable at home. With toasted English muffins, perfectly poached eggs, creamy hollandaise, and crispy bacon, it’s the kind of breakfast that makes any morning feel a little special.
Is there any brunch dish as classic as eggs Benedict? There are a few theories about how it came to be, but one story traces it back to New York’s Waldorf Hotel in the late 1800s. According to the tale, retired stockbroker Lemuel Benedict ordered buttered toast topped with poached eggs, bacon, and hollandaise sauce to cure a hangover—and the dish became an instant classic.
If making eggs Benedict at home feels intimidating, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. I’ll show you my foolproof method for poaching eggs so they come out perfectly tender with runny yolks every time, plus an easy blender hollandaise that comes together in minutes. It’s the kind of brunch recipe that feels special, whether you’re making it for a special brunch or just a relaxed weekend at home.
“Delicious! Not hard to do…I felt very accomplished when my timing came out with everything ready at once.”
What You’ll Need To Make Eggs Benedict
- English Muffins: The classic base for eggs Benedict. For variations, you can use toasted bread, biscuits, or even croissants.
- Butter: Adds richness to the toasted English muffins, helps brown and flavor the Canadian bacon, and is blended with the egg yolks to create a velvety hollandaise sauce.
- Eggs & Egg yolks: Poached eggs add richness and that classic runny yolk that soaks into the toasted English muffin and bacon. Egg yolks are also the foundation of the hollandaise sauce, giving it its rich, creamy texture.
- Distilled White Vinegar: Helps the egg whites coagulate quickly and evenly during poaching, resulting in neatly shaped poached eggs.
- Canadian Bacon: Adds a savory, salty flavor that complements the richness of the poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Regular bacon or prosciutto can be substituted.
- Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and tanginess to the sauce, cutting through the richness of the eggs and butter.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adds a subtle kick of heat to the sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the muffins. To begin, split the English muffins and toast them until golden. Spread with butter, then place them on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Step 2: Poach the eggs. In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water and the vinegar to a gentle simmer. For neater poached eggs, you can crack each egg into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl first and let the watery part of the white drain for about 30 seconds. Whether or not you strain the eggs, gently transfer each one into a small cup or ramekin.
Then, carefully slide the eggs—four at a time—into the simmering water. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks remain runny.
Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the eggs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cover them with foil to keep warm, being careful not to puncture the yolks. The eggs can be prepared a day ahead of time and stored in a bowl of ice-cold water, covered, in the refrigerator.
Step 3: Make the hollandaise sauce. Combine the egg yolks, salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a blender. Blend for about 20 seconds, until frothy. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until it’s bubbling but not browned, then transfer it to a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring. With the blender running on low, slowly pour the hot butter into the egg mixture in a thin stream through the center knob. Keep blending until the sauce thickens.
Step 4: Cook the bacon. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, then cook the Canadian bacon until it’s warmed through and slightly crisp, about 1 minute per side.
Step 5: Assemble. Arrange the English muffin halves on a serving platter or individual plates. Top each half with a slice of bacon (folding the prosciutto or regular bacon in half if needed), followed by a poached egg. Generously spoon the hollandaise sauce over the top, then finish with a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a sprinkle of chives. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Variations on Eggs Benedict
While the traditional eggs Benedict is a classic, there are endless variations. Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Eggs Florentine: Swaps the traditional Canadian bacon for a bed of tender cooked spinach.
- Eggs Royale: Replaces the Canadian bacon with smoked salmon, adding an elegant touch to the dish.
- Eggs Blackstone: Swaps the Canadian bacon with a slice of tomato and crispy regular bacon.
- Eggs Chesapeake: Swaps the Canadian bacon with a crab cake for a taste of the coast. (Salmon cakes would also be delicious.)
- Irish Benedict: Substitutes Canadian bacon with corned beef to give the dish a hearty Irish twist.
Video Tutorial
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Classic Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
For the English Muffins
- 4 English muffins
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Poached Eggs
- 8 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
For the Bacon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 slices Canadian bacon, regular bacon, ham steak, or prosciutto (see note)
For the Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
For Serving
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Toast the English Muffins: Split the muffins and toast until golden. Spread with butter, put on a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Poach the Eggs: Bring 6 cups of water and the vinegar to a gentle simmer in a large saucepan. Optionally, for neater eggs, one at a time, crack each egg into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl or sink, allowing the watery part of the white to drain for about 30 seconds (see note below explaining this step). Regardless of whether or not you strain the eggs, gently transfer each egg into a small cup or ramekin. Then carefully slide the eggs, four at a time, from the cups/ramekins into the simmering water. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set but yolks are still runny. Avoid stirring the water while the eggs are cooking, as this can break them apart. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cover with foil to keep warm, being careful not to puncture the eggs. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
- Make the Hollandaise Sauce: Blend the egg yolks, salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a blender until frothy (about 20 seconds). Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until bubbling but not browning. Transfer the hot butter to a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring. With the blender running on a low speed, open the center knob and gradually add the hot butter in a thin stream to the egg mixture until the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, blend in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water until you reach the desired consistency.
- Cook the Bacon: In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the Canadian bacon, ham steak, or prosciutto until slightly crisp and warmed through, about 1 minute per side. (For regular bacon, cook in a dry pan until it is fully crisp and browned.)
- Assemble the Eggs Benedict: Place the English muffin halves on a serving platter or plates. Place a slice of bacon on each English muffin half, folding the prosciutto or regular bacon in half if necessary, top each with a poached egg, and generously spoon over the hollandaise sauce. Season each portion with a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a sprinkle of chives before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Thank you for this recipe. Excited to try it.
How long can you store the sauce for? And how do you re-heat it?
Hi Belle, hollandaise sauce is best made fresh, but you can prepare it up to two hours ahead. See the make-ahead instructions at the bottom of the hollandaise sauce recipe for more specific details.
I know of a really good Benedict sauce that is sold at a market, but thank you very much for how to poach an egg 🥚
Jennifer- haven’t made this yet but 5 stars for you and the Hollandaise recipe alone. You know I don’t know where I was when your cookbook came out in 2021 but just ordered it at bookshop.org.
My late discovery of you is a godsend. Cooking non-stop is how I’m coping with this crazy, sad country we’re dealing with right now. Also it’s a needed challenge for those of us who started out cooking with “The Sliver Palate” etc..— trying new recipes and methods good for my brain, great for the people I cook for.
💕
This recipe is delicious! It’s the first time that I’ve ever made eggs benedict and I was delighted with the results. (Note: I have attempted mayonnaise a few times and that helped prepare me for blending the Hollandaise.) I do find the amount of lemon juice a bit much so the next time I make this I will probably substitute 1/2 Tbsp of White wine vinegar for 1/2 Tbsp of the fresh lemon juice to reduce the lemon flavor, just a little.
Incredible!! What a hit this Christmas morning. I ended up doing 1 1/4 tbs lemon juice and added some avocado and it was restaurant level. Thank you, Jenn!
Delicious! Not hard to do, at all, but I felt very accomplished when my timing came out with everything ready at once. Thanks for this, Jenn – it will no longer be just a restaurant favorite.
Made this for me and hubby new years day . Turned out amazing thank you
The recipe was so good. I thought Hollandaise was a delicate hard to make sauce, but it came out perfect and it wasn’t hard to make. I didn’t use Cyanne pepper and could have used a little more Lemon. Also made Hash Browns w/onions. Thanks so much for helping me make the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast. Julie thought it was better than the powdered stuff. You are awesome.
I don’t know whether to love you or hate you. For the first time in my 69 years I’ve made blender hollandaise and my life will never be the same. I was always so intimidated and your recipe was so simple I could probably make it every day. I’m hoping there’s a way to turn it into bearnaise sauce for my filet mignon. Thank you so much for so many wonderful recipes.
Glad you enjoyed it, Vicki! I have a blender béarnaise sauce coming very soon 🙂
I have been making eggs benedict for a number of years using the strainer to get the loose whites drained first. Nice to see that you use this method also! IT WORKS! I have made a lot of your recipes and they are all delicious! Thank you.