Hollandaise Sauce

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

For the best Hollandaise sauce, quality ingredients make all the difference.

In the printable recipe below, you can find a complete list of ingredients and measurements.

• Egg yolks: The base of your sauce is created by whipping egg yolks until thick and creamy. This gives the sauce its rich, luxurious texture. Room-temperature yolks work best for proper emulsification.
• Clarified butter: This is pure butterfat with the milk solids and water removed. While you can use regular melted butter, the milk solids can make your sauce less stable. Note that ghee is a type of clarified butter that’s been cooked longer until the milk solids turn golden brown, giving it a nutty flavor. For traditional Hollandaise, we recommend using regular clarified butter.
• Lemon juice: Fresh-squeezed lemon juice adds brightness and helps balance the butter’s richness. Its acidity also helps with emulsification.
• White pepper: We use white pepper because it provides subtle heat without dark specks in your sauce, but you can substitute black pepper if white pepper isn’t available.
• Tabasco: Just a few dashes of hot sauce bring complexity and subtle heat. You can omit it or substitute it with cayenne pepper.

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce

Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
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Pro-tip: The key to smooth Hollandaise is temperature control. Your water should stay at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, and the bowl should never get too hot to touch.

1. Prepare the double boiler: Fill a large saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. The water should create gentle steam but not touch the bottom of the mixing bowl when set on top.

2. Whisk egg mixture: In a stainless steel bowl, whisk together egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt, white pepper, and Tabasco. Make sure everything is well combined before continuing to the next step.

3. Cook egg mixture: Set bowl over simmering water (not touching water) and whisk constantly until eggs thicken to the consistency of heavy cream, about 7-10 minutes. You should see ribbons when dragging the whisk through.

4. Add butter: Remove the bowl from the double boiler and slowly drizzle in warm clarified butter while whisking vigorously until fully incorporated about 1 minute.

5. Season and serve: Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Keep warm but not over direct heat by setting the bowl in a warm spot on your counter or near (not on) the stove. The sauce will hold for about an hour if kept at the right temperature.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: Hollandaise is best served fresh, but you can hold it warm for up to 1 hour. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen, covered with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming.

How to Store: Hollandaise does not store well and should be used within a few hours of making. Because it’s an emulsion, it will begin to separate as it cools.

How to Reheat: While not ideal, you can gently reheat Hollandaise by whisking over a pan of barely simmering water. Add a splash of hot water to help re-emulsify the sauce if needed. Watch the temperature carefully to prevent the eggs from cooking.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Temperature control is key. Your bowl should be warm but never hot to the touch. If you start seeing small lumps, your heat is too high.
• Clarified butter works best. While you can use regular melted butter, the milk solids can cause your sauce to break. Make sure your butter is warm but not hot.
• Don’t skip the whisking. Constant whisking ensures a smooth emulsion and prevents the eggs from scrambling.
• The thickness matters. The egg mixture should be thick enough to form ribbons before adding butter. This creates a stable base for your sauce.
• My sauce is too thin. You likely haven’t cooked the egg yolks long enough. Return the bowl to the double boiler and whisk steadily over low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Remember, you should see ribbons when dragging the whisk through the yolks before adding the butter.
• My sauce is too thick. Add a few drops of hot water while whisking until you reach the right consistency. Add water gradually to avoid thinning too much.

Frequently Asked Questions