Hollandaise
Hollandaise is a warm sauce of egg yolks, butter and lemon, whisked into a smooth emulsion. It is the sauce on eggs Benedict and asparagus, and can split.
Also called Hollandaise sauce, Sauce hollandaise.
Hollandaise is a rich, pale yellow sauce made by whisking warm butter into egg yolks and lemon juice over gentle heat. It is smooth, buttery and slightly tangy. It is one of the French mother sauces in the modern list and is best known on eggs Benedict, asparagus and poached fish.
How to do it
For about 250 ml (1 cup):
- Melt 175 g (3/4 cup) of butter and keep it warm. You can use clarified butter for a firmer sauce.
- Put 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water in a heatproof bowl.
- Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, a bain-marie. The bowl must not touch the water.
- Whisk for 2 to 4 minutes until the yolks are thick, pale and leave a trail.
- Take the bowl off the heat. Whisk in the butter a few drops at first, then in a thin stream.
- Season with salt, a pinch of cayenne and more lemon to taste.
How to tell it is done
It is thick enough to coat a spoon, smooth and glossy, and warm rather than hot.
Why it works
Egg yolks contain lecithin and proteins that hold fat droplets apart in water, forming an emulsion. Gentle heat thickens the yolks so the sauce has body.
How to store it
Hollandaise is best made just before serving. Keep it warm, around 60°C (140°F), in a bowl set over warm water or in a warmed thermos for up to an hour. Do not keep it warm for longer, as it is made with eggs and held in a range where bacteria grow.
Common mistakes
- Overheating the yolks, so they scramble. Lift the bowl on and off the heat.
- Adding butter too fast, so it splits. To save it, whisk a spoon of warm water or a new yolk in a clean bowl and whisk the broken sauce in slowly.
- Letting it cool, so it sets and turns stiff.
In recipes
Add tarragon and a shallot reduction and it becomes béarnaise. Add whipped cream for mousseline, or blood orange juice for maltaise.
Hollandaise recipes
2 recipes from the sites we collect.
Related terms
- BéarnaiseBéarnaise is a warm butter sauce of egg yolks and a tarragon and shallot vinegar reduction. It is the classic sauce for steak and is easy to split.
- EmulsionAn emulsion is a mix of oil and water, which normally do not blend, held together as tiny drops. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.
- Split sauceA split sauce is an emulsion, like mayonnaise or hollandaise, that has separated into fat and thin liquid. Here is why it happens and how to fix it.
- Mother saucesThe five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, sauce tomate and hollandaise. Learning them lets you make hundreds of other sauces.
- Bain-marieA bain-marie is a hot water bath that cooks or melts food gently, such as custards, cheesecakes and chocolate. Here is how to set one up.
- Clarified butterClarified butter is butter with the water and milk solids removed. It can fry at high heat without burning and keeps longer. How to make it at home.