--- title: "Hollandaise: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "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." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hollandaise" --- # 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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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): 1. Melt 175 g (3/4 cup) of butter and keep it warm. You can use [clarified butter](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/clarified-butter) for a firmer sauce. 2. Put 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water in a heatproof bowl. 3. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, a [bain-marie](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bain-marie). The bowl must not touch the water. 4. Whisk for 2 to 4 minutes until the yolks are thick, pale and leave a trail. 5. Take the bowl off the heat. Whisk in the butter a few drops at first, then in a thin stream. 6. 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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/split-sauce). 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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bearnaise). Add whipped cream for _mousseline_, or blood orange juice for _maltaise_. ## Hollandaise recipes 2 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2024/05/Hollandaise-Sauce-scaled.jpg)Hollandaise Saucewww.onceuponachef.com · 15 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/hollandaise-sauce.html) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2024/04/Eggs-Benedict-Featured-Photo.png)Classic Eggs Benedictwww.onceuponachef.com · 60 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/eggs-benedict.html) ## 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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bearnaise) * [EmulsionAn emulsion is a mix of oil and water, which normally do not blend, held together as tiny drops. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/split-sauce) * [Mother saucesThe five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, sauce tomate and hollandaise. Learning them lets you make hundreds of other sauces.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mother-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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bain-marie) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/clarified-butter) [More in sauces and stocks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/sauces-and-stocks)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)