I recently polled my Facebook followers to see what recipes they’ve been too intimidated to try, and hollandaise sauce was a popular answer. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s a lot easier than you think! This super quick and easy hollandaise sauce recipe will get you rich, creamy, lemony hollandaise sauce in just a few minutes and with nothing more than just a sauce pot and a whisk. So you can have this dreamy sauce whenever you want and without breaking a sweat. Let me show you how it’s done.
P.S. if you’ve ever made my Luscious Homemade Lemon Curd, this hollandaise sauce is basically the same thing, but savory!
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What is Hollandaise Sauce?
If you’ve never experienced the magic of hollandaise sauce, let me attempt to describe it to you. It’s a very simple savory sauce made with butter, egg yolk, lemon, and salt. It has a smooth, velvety texture with just the right amount of bright lemon flavor to keep it from being too heavy. If you’ve ever had Eggs Benedict, this is the dreamy yellow sauce that is drizzled over top. But it’s great on a lot more than just Eggs Benedict…
How to Use Hollandaise Sauce
As mentioned above, hollandaise sauce is often served over poached eggs, like in Eggs Benedict, but it’s also great over steamed or roasted vegetables, like asparagus, potatoes, or broccoli. The buttery lemon flavor is also great on salmon, crab, or even steak. Hollandaise sauce is practically all butter and I think we can all agree that butter tastes great on everything!
Small Batch for No Leftovers
Hollandaise sauce is very rich, so you don’t need a lot. And since reheating leftovers of emulsified sauces can be tricky, I decided to make this a small batch recipe so you can avoid the trouble of trying to use up your leftovers. The recipe below makes about ⅓ cup, or just enough for two people (about 3 Tbsp each).
If you want to make a larger batch, it’s just as easy. Simply adjust the number in the “servings” box in the recipe below and the ingredient quantities will adjust for you. The method will be exactly the same, but it may take a few minutes longer for the sauce to heat as you whisk.
Easy Hollandaise Sauce
Servings 2 3 Tbsp eachIngredients
- 1 large egg, separated ($0.23)
- 1 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.02)
- 4 Tbsp butter* ($0.44)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Separate the egg and place the egg yolk in a small saucepot. The whites can be saved for a different recipe.
- Add the water and lemon juice to the pot with the yolk and whisk until smooth (no heat yet).
- Cut the butter into small pieces (about ¼ Tbsp size) , then add them to the saucepot with the egg yolk, lemon, and water.
- Place the pot over medium-low heat. Continuously whisk as the mixture heats. First the butter will melt, then the mixture will begin to get a bit frothy. Finally, as the egg yolk begins to cook, the sauce will thicken. Make sure you're whisking the entire time to achieve a light, smooth sauce. Once it thickens to the consistency of gravy, remove the pot from the heat.
- Season the sauce with salt and cayenne, then drizzle the sauce over your favorite food!
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Equipment
- Whisk
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make Hollandaise Sauce – Step by Step Photos
Separate one large egg and place the egg yolk in a small saucepot (this is a 1 qt. saucepot)
Add 1 Tbsp water and ½ Tbsp lemon juice to the pot with the egg yolk, then whisk the yolk and lemon juice until smooth (do not heat the mixture at this point).
Cut 4 Tbsp butter into small pieces (about ¼ Tbsp sized pieces). Add them to the pot with the yolk, water, and lemon juice.
Place the pot over medium-low heat and continuously whisk while the butter begins to melt.
Continue to whisk as the mixture begins to heat. You’ll notice it begin to get frothy…
And then when the egg yolk begins to actually cook, it will thicken the sauce to a consistency similar to gravy. Make sure you’re whisking throughout this entire process. It should only take 3-5 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat once thickened.
Season the sauce with about ⅛ tsp cayenne and ⅛ tsp salt (or to taste).
And now your rich and dreamy lemony sauce is ready to eat! You did that!
Drizzle that heavenly sauce over all your favorite foods!
How many grams is 4 Tbsp butter, please?
about 56.5 grams.
The ads on here make it impossible to even read the recipe. Site sucks.
OMG it came together in a snap and was delicious! Perfect amount for the two of us.
I didn’t have any lemons/juice, so I substituted a little red wi e vinegar and a shake of Sumac. So good!
Hollandaise sauce is so easy. And just the right amount for 2-3 people.
This recipe is lovely! Every time I attempt to make Hollaindaise I always screw it up!! But, this recipe makes it so easy incredible easy, so thank you Beth!! The taste is wonderful and it really is easy!!!! I opt for less lemon juice for my taste, but me saying this is no way saying anything negative to the recipe. Its perfect Beth! Thank you!! I highly recommend this!
LOVE anything 🍋 lemon!
Once I figured out why my sauce broke, and I was able to save it, I was very happy with it. It was very easy to make, however too much lemon for me, but that’s easily adjusted for next time.
I’ve made this before and it turned out great, but this time my sauce broke. Any suggestions to save it? I also used a sauce whisk this time instead of regular whisk, is that possible issue??
What kind of pan does one need?
Stainless Steel!
Idk what I did wrong but mine came out tasting like iron and nearly caused me to vomit. The consistency was correct and everything but the flavor was just awful.
Did you happen to use an aluminum or unseasoned cast iron pot? When acidic ingredients (in this case, lemon) are cooked in “reactive” pans, such as those, trace amounts of molecules from the metal can loosen and leach into the food. Even an aluminum whisk or bowl could do that.
I was alternating between making this and making the poached eggs and it still turned out good! Great recipe!
Perfect! So easy and I love the smaller portion
This recipe deserves a 20 out of 10! I’ve always wanted to make Hollandaise sauce but was more than anxious about getting good results. I did a lot of homework because hubby has talked about eggs Benedict too much :) I finally decided to give it a try when I saw your recipe. I even made homemade English muffins for them the day before. We get our eggs fresh from a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, so we have the best of everything. The Hollandaise turned out perfectly and his plate was nearly licked clean. I think it was a success. I’ve bookmarked Budget Bytes and it’s my favorite recipe site now. Thanks so much!
I’ve always done a double boiler approach and this is so much easier! I tend to use a small omelet pan and take it on and off the burner as I go. But I’m cooking in gas at higher elevation so adjustments are always required.
This is perfect every time.
Superb! Thankyou!
This recipe was so easy and sauce came out perfectly!!! First time I have ever made this thought it would be so difficult pleasently surprised 😋
Butter and eggs separated
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast all day, night!
Mine too. Don’t know if I kept it on too long or used sauce whisk instead of regular whisk. I’ve made it before and turned out great but can’t remember. I am trying to save it with cornstarch or flour.
Hi Joe,
I recently replied with the same problem. I found an easy solution and it worked great. I added just a little bit of hot water (from my Keurig) to the sauce (off the heat) and it brought everything back to a nice smooth texture, but was a bit runny, so I put sauce back on medium low heat while continuously whisking until the sauce began to thicken (3-5 mins). Success!
I just made this! Absolutely delicious! I’ve never even attempted to make it before but it was quick, easy and a new favorite! Thank you!
Absolutely foolproof, great recipe 👌
Finally a recipe for holandaise that I can manage! Absolutely love this meth I d and the result. I cut back a bit on the lemon juice as I find the original recipe a bit to sour to my taste.
This was very easy! I love hollandaise sauce and it was nice to have a recipe that made a smaller portion. Super yummy!!
Tried your quick hollandaise sauce recipe before it could really thicken it. Separated the egg from the butter. Not sure what happened but I followed directions completely. Flavor was good but it sure didn’t come out like a gravy
I have been making my Hollandaise sauce this way for over 30 years. It is by far the easiest way you are correct. It is also a stable Hollandaise sauce which means it will not break. Because it is stable refrigerating it and reheating it the next day is simple. All you need is a little warm water or lemon juice and a small sauce pot. Put your leftover hollandaise sauce with a teaspoon at a time of water and or lemon juice until you reach your desired consistency. Serve and enjoy for round two.
Love this easy fool proof recipe!
I HAVE A FASTER AND EASIER METHOD. I PUT EGGS AND LEMON JUICE IN A GLASS MEASURING CUP AND USE MY MINI LATTE FROTH MIXER TO MIX FOR 20 SECONDS. I ADD MELTED BUTTER AND CAYENNE PEPPER AND MIXER AGAIN. CLEAN UP IS EASE. STU
I’ve made Hollandaise sauce in the past and it was like a chemistry experiment with equipment changes and mixing.
This recipe was so simple and tasted amazing. It was no more difficult than a normal bechamel sauce. I’ll be making this pretty often now.
Made for baked asparagus and lobster dinner, everyone loved it. So good and just the right amount!
Beth I made this sauce to add flavor to my mushroom omelet! DELICIOUS ❤️ Easy and quick!
Delicious! Thank you ! I always make way too much sauce and end up wasting . This is perfect for eggs Benedict for two !
Don’t add salt or cayenne as soon as you do it ruins the sauce.
Wish I’d seen this. I added it and it did indeed ruin the sauce ☹️
Followed recipe exactly and as soon as I took it off the heat it started separating
Just what I was looking for. Soooo delicious and sooo easy!
What a great, easy recipe—mine turned out perfectly by following the recipe exactly as written! I served it with homemade eggs benedict and it’s now going to be my go-to weekend brunch (for a fraction of the price of breakfast at a cafe!). Thanks so much for your awesome recipes—my twin sister and I have both been following your blog since our college days, and you’re still one of our go-to recipe sites 15 years later :)
Thank you, Jac! That makes me so happy to hear! :)
This came out excellently for me! Thank you for sharing!
What a flop your recipe was. Very thin!
Hi Jenn,
Mine came out the perfect consistency. I followed the recipe exactly (not my normal style) and as I kept the sauce on the heat just a touch longer the sauce thickened up nicely.
I made eggs Benedict for my son and I. I wish I could post the pic so you can see the sauce on it.
When I was a kid, like a lot of people my age used to, I went out to eat with my parents AT LEAST once a week (for reference I’m almost 43). We would eat breakfast out on Saturdays or Sundays and eggs Benedict was one of the things I ordered often. Fast-forward to post pandemic, devices in our faces, inflation prices and being the 1st generation to not do as well financially as our parents, now and going to a restaurant as a family and waiting to be seated then searching a menu with so many possibilities is not something happening as often as it was in the 80’s and 90’s. It wasn’t until my 16 year old and I somehow came upon the subject of hollandaise and the fact that she’d never had eggs Benny that I realized I had done her and my other daughter (14) a misservice by not keeping this tradition going; even if it was just once a month.
So I tried right then to make the dish for her and failed. Four times. She got tired and told me she was fine with just poached eggs and English muffins and I was left sad that I couldn’t reproduce the famous sauce that made a Benedict what it is.
Tonight I was determined to get it right and as I had before I googled stove top hollandaise and this was the first hit. When I read it I thought “oh my gosh, heat everything together, why hadn’t I thought of that?” I followed the super simple directions and it came out PERFECT! My daughter loved it!
I know, I know, I am being a little over the top about a dumb recipe but this perfect sauce allowed the two of us a rare moment of common joy that goes beyond butter and eggs.
It reminded me of a time that was a little brighter and showed me that I can create these moments for Violet (that’s my daughter) to cherish in a different way than my parents had done for me.
I guess what I’m really saying is thank you. 😊
Thank you for sharing that, Tiffany!! Food is such an important part of our lives and I’m so glad this recipe was able to connect you with happy memories from the past. :)
I love your story and it’s completely relatable. My mother used to love going out to lunch. She would have eaten out everyday if she could. We could afford it pre pandemic! Then things changed and she passed 2 years ago. Now I cherish those days. I’m so glad to see you found a way to keep traditions and make new ones. Violet is very lucky.
I will try it.
I tried making this over the weekend for my Fiancee and myself for Omelets. For some reason it was very thin and runny and would not thicken up!!
It sounds like the egg may have not fully cooked. A little more heat might have done the trick!
Super easy and delicious! Thank you!
Nailed it first try! Much easier recipe than others I looked at – and so bloody tasty. Thanks so much!
You can substitute white or apple cider vinegar for lemon juice.
I accidentally used lime instead of lemon :( no bueno.
Clear, easy to follow recipe, cooking went smoothly, tasted wonderful! Far better than any packaged hollandaise sauce. Will make again, many thanks.
Fantastic hollandaise sauce….Thank you for sharing your recipes to the world Beth
I have made this twice and both times, it worked beautifully! Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe. I love eggs Benedict on the weekend and this is the perfect amount of sauce for 1 or 2 people.
My sauce splits
Try using less heat. :)
THANKS!!!! Great recipe site!
I had always bought the hollandaise sauce in a package, then saw this recipe… I will never buy it again. It was so easy and tasted perfect. My family enjoyed it too. Thanks!
My sauce separated. What did I do wrong?
It sounds like you may have heated it too much, but without seeing the sauce it’s hard to diagnose.
Made this for bacon wrapped asparagus! Yummy, delicious and easy. Made double batch!
Just made this for Eggs Benedict brunch. Not only very easy, compared to other recipes I have used, but very yummy. We like ours lemony and this was perfect.
Looks perfect..easier than I thought and perfect for salmon…thanks!
This was SUPER easy and so delicious. Used for eggs Benny but going to try it on other things as well. A keeper.
Beth, your are a genius! My husband LOVES Eggs Benedict, so you have made our marriage stronger. LOL!!!
Really easy, really good. Just enough for 2 servings. Thanx!
Should this sauce thicken the longer its cooked or does it reach a point and stop? Made the recipie at 8x. I may have just had the tempature too low but it stayed pretty runny. So added a cornstarch & water mix that caused everything to seperate. Should i just have cooked longer/hotter ir used less water?
It sounds like it didn’t get hot enough. If you’re making a batch that’s 8x larger, you’ll likely need a bit more heat to get it up to the right temp. What’s happening is that when it gets hot enough the proteins in the eggs become firm, which thickens the sauce. :)
I made this sauce because I’m a fan of sauces and lemon. Anything creamy and custard like. I haven’t had this sauce before. I served it over a toasted piece of gluten free sprouted sourdough, spread with smashed black beans, with a poached egg, seasoned with s/p and kinders buttery steakhouse, with a generous handful of parsley and cilantro sprinkled with sea kelp.
Never having any real cooking or culinary training or even an actual decent home cook to look up to/ not sure if the flavors weren’t balanced – after 2tsp lemon it was bright!
Anyhow, for me I think the recipe is a win for a sauce that is considered hard to make – but for me I don’t think the heavy/thick basically pure fat addition is worth it.
I feel like I achieve better flavor squeezing a lemon and drizzling olive oil .
It did feel satisfying making a sauce though!
Thanks for the recipe
This didn’t work for me. After I turned on low heat, I stepped away from the stove for about 30 seconds, and when I turned back, things had separated. So I had tiny yellow clumps and watery liquid. I whisked like crazy, and even put it in the blender as a last resort, hoping it would blend, but no. Did the egg really cook that fast, or could this be from something else?
Clumps sound like an overheated egg. Hollandaise is a fickle beast, even for experienced chefs like me. If your stove is hard to control (I feel you, so is mine) try taking it off the heat while whisking to prevent it from coming up to a temperature that will scramble the eggs.
Super easy and tasted great. Just need to take it slow and wisk continuously. Great recipe.
Love this recipe. I did not use salt or cayenne pepper. I use salted butter and extra lemon. Simple and delicious.
I finally made this and it was perfect! I love hollandaise sauce but was always too lazy with traditional recipes with the bain marie to cook the sauce. This is so much easier. And being small batch is also fantastic to avoid leftovers. I will be making this recipe very often now. Thank you!
Perfectly easy. How to store or reheat extra sauce?
Hollandaise has a tendency to separate, so storing it can be a let down. But if you’re going to do it- put it in an air-tight container and place plastic wrap directly on the surface. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days. XOXO -Monti
Made it, LOVE IT! TASTY! I just love hollandaise sauce, it was so easy to make, all my life I could have been having this yummyness but from now on I will! Thanks for the easy recipe and easy directions!
Very nice! Having a hurricane today so I made some “comfort” food.
First time trying this on the stovetop. Two trials and don’t know what I did wrong. It was beautiful until that salt went in. First trial it sat in the pan off the stove while I poached my eggs. Figured it got too warm for too long so tried again since everything else was cooked and ready to go. Sauce was perfect but again separated and went runny immediately upon salt going in. Will try another time with no added salt. I used fine Redmond Real Salt in my two trials today.
Same thing for me. My sauce was beautiful until I added the salt. N
This is my first time making cooked hollandaise (usually l make it off the stovetop with hot butter and a immersion blender) and it was great! It’s very lemony, I may dial that down to 1 tsp in future. It makes just enough for heavily sauced eggs Benedict for one! Super fast and easy to make. I wouldn’t necessarily call this no-fail though, if you turn the heat too high you would get scrambled eggs. Err on the side of low heat just in case! 😁
🙂 Hi, on your Hollandaise recipe, can I place water in my pot heat up & then place a glass bowl on top of pot & make Hollandaise sauce by whisking in glass bowl? Bought expen-
sive stainless steel pots & pans.
Had to replace 😬 a few from using plastic coated whisk. Love the ease in making your recipes. Enjoy the versatiity & all the flavor. Thank you, Rainee
I mean you can try it, but the bowl needs to be at the same temp as the water and the water needs to remain at a simmer. Simmering is important because the egg yolk needs to reach at least 149ºF (65ºC) to help destroy any harmful bacteria present. XOXO -Monti
My husband and I live this sauce! It is soooo good. I did reduce the lemon a little after the first time we made it (we used a bottle not fresh squeezed) but otherwise really like it. My husband asks me to make it for special occasions. It feels fancy but is really easy!!!
Easy and very, very yummy. Made eggs Benedict
This recipe was fantastic. I used it over rice and sliced turkey breast. It has to be whipped or it won’t thicken. Lemon juice was just right amount.
First time trying this recipe and it worked perfectly. I broke my whisk last week and haven’t gotten around to replacing it but it still worked fine with a fork.
This recipe is super simple and great, but definitely use less lemon juice. I had to keep adding sugar to tone down the overwhelming lemon flavour. After that though, it was great!
I am someone who loves lemon anything, but I was a little disappointed with how much the lemon flavour took over this sauce. The technique was great for this first timer, but next time I’ll halve the lemon as a few others suggested.
Thanks for the great instructions!
I tried this today and think maybe I cooked it a little too long because the butter and eggs separated and became an oily mess. It was not thickening as much as I would like, so I kept heating and it turned bad rather quickly. It looked ok at first but not as thick as I would have expected. I am going to try again.
Yes, try using a lower heat next time as well.
It was very sour. I would cut back the lemon to 1/2 tsp.
Love the small amount it makes and how easy it is!
I’m not sure how this Hollandaise Sauce recipe can have five stars. I followed it EXACTLY, and it turned out a mess. It tasted too much of lemon, and it never thickened as the recipe said it would. I can blame some baking issues on the high altitude here in my area, but I don’t think this sauce can be affected by that. It’s okay. I’ll just buy a package of ready-made next time. The one I tried recently was perfect!
Made this last night, it was sooooo good!
So Delicious!! So easy !! Thank you I’ll be forever be using this recipe for eggs Benedict and my other favorites!! YUMMY!!!!
That was awesome! I didn’t know what to expect but it was perfect and was pretty fail proof overall. This website never disappoints.
Wow I’m embarrassed that I used to buy powdered instant Hollandaise. Thanks for the recipe! I love that it’s portioned for 2 people also. A bit more lemony than I expected, but so also used bottled RealLemon, not fresh.
Super easy and came out smooth and light!
Very easy recipe to follow. Loved the picture step by step! Thank you!!!
This was a beautiful hollandaise sauce, TY!
Easy, quick and delicious! It is simply the best recipe!
This recipe was very easy to follow and was delicious on my eggs benedict. I add a pinch of smoked paprika and a touch of dijon mustard and it was perfect for me. I also like that it only made a small batch of sauce.
I hadn’t made hollandaise sauce in years until the other night.
Incredibly easy and came out perfect.
I used lime instead of lemon and it was fantastic over fresh asparagus and some chicken burgers I whipped up.
This was great. I made it for some smoked salmon benedict when I had house guests for breakfast. Everyone loved it.
This is the only hollandaise recipe for me! Have made it dozens of times and it’s very forgiving, I find the most important thing is to manage the heat. Even if I get distracted and it starts to curdle, it’s usually not too late to remove from the heat and whisk more vigorously so everything blends in well.
Also, in the pinch of a pinch, I’ve used rice vinegar instead of lemon juice, and it worked well for me! You can taste the vinegar a tad bit if you’re looking for it, but adding more cayenne & a bit of pepper did the trick wonderfully.
My first time attempting to make Hollandaise sauce and it turned out perfect! Thank you!
I’ve been making this recipe for ages, ever since you posted it as part of your “Almost Eggs Benedict” recipe (which now immediately pops up in my browser when I start typing “almost”) and it works every single time and is so so delicious. I make eggs benedict fairly often now for a nice weekend brunch treat. :)
I’ve tried all the “easy” hollandaise sauce recipes I could find and they all turned out horrendously. But this recipe is perfection! The taste, the texture, holy buckets, it’s perfect! Thank you so much, Beth!
I forgot to mention that in addition to being delicious, IT’S SO EASY! Thanks again! ❤
I tried to follow the steps but mine never got frothy. I kept cooking and whisking but eventually it just looked like it was curdled. Perhaps I had the stove too hot?
Yes, if it curdles instead of creating a smooth sauce it’s usually one of two things (or both)–the heat being too high or whisking too slowly. When it works correctly you have very small particles of egg that are solidifying as they cook, which is what thickens the sauce. So if the egg sits too long on the hot bottom of the pot it will solidify in larger pieces (curdles). I hope that makes sense!
Beth, your way is the only way I have ever made Hollandaise sauce. It tastes amazing and, believe you me, I have messed it up. Once my egg was kinda scrambled, or I was missing ingredients and improvised. It turned out delicious every time, extra whipping and all:)
Whoa, what?!? I’ve always melted the butter and then added everything else! Since mine always curdles a little, can’t wait to see if this behaves differently.
It’s no big deal; I just whisk the curds out of it and some people use a blender or immersion blender to de-curdle it. But I wonder if the steps in this order will make a difference.
Now of course eggs Benedict are on this week’s menu. Gotta go figure out how I can get away with this much cholesterol. (Fiber, tons of fiber.) Thanks, Beth!
If you still find your sauce curdling with this method, do two things: whisk a bit faster and lower the heat a little. But this method is pretty forgiving. I hope it works well for you!
This looks fabulous! I might have to try this sometime. We’ll sometime use the packet kind, but we always end up with leftovers. And this looks just as easy, really. We like to put hollandaise on breakfast potato bowls.
I believe the word “yolk” is missing from the first step of the step by step photo instructions.
Oops! Thanks for catching that!
so easy to make with a straight forward instruction
Super simple method that doesn’t make too much for a single meal for 1 or 2. I think it’s easily doubled to serve 4. Comparing this divine concoction to what passes as Hollandaise in most restaurants is a travesty! Don’t throw out that egg white–you can add it to scrambled eggs or omelets.
Never would have thought to use it on anything other than eggs bene but I will now – GREAT post!!!
Rhis may be a silly question since this recipe is based on butter, but can you mske it with an alternative “butter” like Earth Balance?
Hmm, unfortunately I’ve never tried that, so I’m not sure. Emulsions like this can be pretty finicky, though, so if the butter alternative has a different composition, like more water, it might not work correctly.
I made it this morning with vegan Becel and it turned out perfect!!