Hollandaise Sauce
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Rich, buttery, and silky smooth, this easy hollandaise sauce recipe comes together in minutes using a blender—and it’s practically foolproof.
Hollandaise sauce—just the thought takes me back to culinary school and restaurant kitchens! I can still feel the burn in my arms from endless whisking over a double boiler, always on edge about the sauce breaking. This classic French sauce, made with egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice, is famously rich and silky. But it’s traditionally a little finicky to make.
Thankfully, this hollandaise sauce recipe uses a much easier method: the blender. With this simple method, the hot butter is slowly streamed into the egg yolks while the blender does the whisking for you, creating a smooth, creamy hollandaise sauce in minutes. It’s every bit as delicious as the classic version, with far less effort. Serve it over eggs Benedict, roasted asparagus, broccoli, salmon, or just about anything that could use a little buttery decadence.
“I wish I had had this recipe some time ago — this is perfect and so easy to make!”
What You’ll Need To Make Hollandaise Sauce
- Egg yolks: Form the base of the sauce and act as the emulsifier that brings the butter and lemon juice together into a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Fresh lemon juice: Cuts through the richness of the butter and gives hollandaise its signature tang. Freshly squeezed makes a noticeable difference here.
- Unsalted butter: The butter needs to be hot when it goes into the blender; its heat is important to the method.
- Cayenne pepper & salt: Season the sauce, with just a pinch of cayenne adding subtle warmth without making it spicy.
- Hot water: A little at the end loosens the hollandaise if necessary and gives you a thick but pourable consistency.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Hollandaise Sauce
This blender method makes hollandaise remarkably easy. The key is to have the butter hot and add it gradually while the blender is running so the sauce thickens into a smooth, creamy emulsion. Watch the video below to see exactly how it’s done.
Pro Tips For Making Hollandaise
- Make-ahead and hold: You can make the sauce up to 2 hours ahead if you keep it warm inside a pre-heated thermos or nestled over a makeshift double boiler off the heat. I don’t recommend freezing Hollandaise—it tends to break down when thawed.
- No blender? Whisk the yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne in a bowl until frothy, then slowly drizzle in the hot butter while whisking constantly.
- Sauce too thick? Blend in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water until you reach the desired consistency.
More Classic French sauces
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 to 2 tablespoons hot tap water, as needed
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the egg yolks, salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Blend for 15 to 20 seconds, until the mixture becomes frothy.
- Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until bubbling but not browning. The butter will be poured into the blender with the egg yolk mixture; for easier pouring, transfer it to a glass measuring cup.
- With the blender running on low speed, gradually add the hot butter in a thin stream to the egg yolk mixture. The butter should be hot to ensure the sauce emulsifies properly.
- Check the consistency of the sauce. If it's too thick, blend in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water to achieve a thick but pourable consistency.
- Serve the sauce or transfer to a bowl for up to 2 hours (see make-ahead notes below).
Notes
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.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Thank you Jen, the Hollandaise Sauce came out to the consistency we like, and it was tasty 😋 your recipes are the best 🏆
These yolks do not seem to be cooked to a safe level. Comment please?
The egg yolks in this hollandaise are not raw — they’re gently cooked over simmering water while being constantly whisked, which safely thickens the sauce without scrambling the eggs. For anyone with concerns about undercooked eggs, pasteurized eggs can be used instead.
The recipe and the end results are very good. I followed the recipe and instructions exactly as laid out. The Eggs Benedict’s received nothing but compliments.
I used this method and it’s turned out beautifully! I have had success refrigerating leftover sauce and using the next day – I store it in a baggie and run lukewarm water over it until it warms a bit but doesn’t start to cook the eggs. I wouldn’t use it past the next day though. Great recipe!
I wish I had had this recipe some time ago — this is perfect and so easy to make!
My sauce ended up on the runny side… What did I do wrong?
Hi Ann, was the butter hot when you added it to the blender? Did you add it slowly, in a thin stream?