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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Whisk
Notes
Nutrition
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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!
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!