Hollandaise Sauce

If you have 10 minutes, try this easy hollandaise sauce recipe. No fancy ingredients or special equipment needed, and the payoff is a thick, lemony sauce that is the perfect mix of creamy and tangy.

Course sauces

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 248kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Small saucepan or pot
Whisk

Ingredients

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Combine the egg yolks and lemon juice in a small saucepan, whisking vigorously until blended. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add half of the butter to the pan.
Place saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the butter melts and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the remaining butter and whisk vigorously until the butter melts and is fully incorporated, creating a smooth, velvety sauce. Stir in the salt and cayenne, and serve immediately.

Notes

Don’t throw away the egg whites. You can store egg whites in the refrigerator for a day or two, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Don’t skip the cayenne pepper. Even if you are not a fan of hot foods, I encourage you to include the cayenne pepper. It does not give you a spicy sauce; it just adds pleasant heat and delightful flavor.
Whisk, whisk, whisk! To make sure the ingredients emulsify and don’t separate, keep whisking throughout the prep and cooking process!
Keep the heat low. If your heat is too high and the pot gets too hot, your sauce can thicken up too much and won’t be pourable, or it can separate. If your stove runs hot, move the pot off the heat every 30 seconds or so, whisk it off the heat for a few seconds, then return it. This will give the pot a chance to cool for a few seconds and reduce the risk of overheating the sauce.
Use the hollandaise sauce as quickly as possible. While it is true that you can refrigerate leftovers, reheating hollandaise can be more complicated than making it in the first place! I try to use the whole batch for one meal, which is easy if I’m preparing brunch for my family or a few friends.

Nutrition