Hollandaise sauce made the traditional way is tricky and it can turn on you in a heartbeat. If you use this fool proof method you can make a classic hollandaise sauce in less than a minute every time.
Part of our course work in culinary school was on sauces. I got so excited about them, I made a free mini course all about Hollandaise Sauce! (here it is if you want to check it out)
Why this method Kicks Butt!
- First, it’s fast and easy.
- Secondly, it’s the perfect amount of Hollandaise sauce for one or two people. It makes about 1/2 cup which is plenty for a rich decadent sauce like this. Believe me, little goes a long way.
- Lastly, it adds huge flavor! Hollandaise is velvety smooth, tangy with hints of lemon. Add a pinch of cayenne, and it’s got a baby blast of heat.
How to Make 1 Minute Hollandaise
- Melt 1 stick of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat, bring it up to 220F.
- Whisk together an egg yolk, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cold water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper in an immersion blender cup.
- In a small stream, carefully pour the hot butter into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly with the immersion blender.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
What do you you do if don’t have a thermometer handy? As soon as the stick of butter has melted and it’s boiling, it’s ready. However, make sure it doesn’t brown.
Microwave method: melt butter in microwave, be sure to stop it every 20 seconds and stir so it doesn’t explode and make a mess. After 1 minute, it should be melted. Nuke it for another 1 minute to make sure it’s piping HOT!
No immersion blender? No problem! You can also use a small blender, mini food processor or electric beaters.
Can you make the Classic Hollandaise Sauce Ahead of Time?
Short answer: YES!!! This is method is so fast and easy to do, why do it ahead of time? 2 reasons: 1) unless you’ve made it so many times you are beyond confident, making anything in front of guests can be nerve wracking.
So go ahead, take a deep breath and make it before your peeps come over. That way, if you sauce does break you’ve got time to fix it.
Second reason to make it ahead: 2) If you have leftovers it’s a pure shame to pour it down the drain. If you have some left over, refrigerate it for up to 2 days.
Keep it warm by setting the container in a warm water bath or warm it up by microwaving it for 20 seconds on high, stir, then 10 more seconds. If it curdles or separates, add a teaspoon of cold water and stir. Enjoy!
Why did my Hollandaise break and why is it so runny? And How to Fix a broken Hollandaise Sauce
The 2 main reasons a Hollandaise sauces breaks or is runny is because either 1) the butter was poured in too fast and/or 2) the butter wasn’t hot enough.
If this happens try this:
1) FIRST try adding 1 teaspoon cold water while blending the sauce. Still not thick and luscious?
2) Pour the broken/runny sauce as if it was the hot butter into another egg yolk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice VERY slowly while blitzing in a blender or with an immersion hand blender.
What to Serve with Hollandaise
Recently I made a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, sausage, avocado, salsa and a generous pour of hollandaise. Wow! Was that delish!!!
This classic hollandaise sauce is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning brunch over eggs Benedict, (here’s my foolproof poached egg method in 5 minutes)
drizzled over steamed broccoli or asparagus,
and I love it over baked salmon.
More Sauces to Love
- Veloute
- Meyer Lemon Sauce
- Easy Veggie Dip
- Alfredo Sauce
- One Pan Chicken with Roasted Garlic Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- KFC Gravy
- Browned Butter Sage Sauce
1 Minute Classic Hollandaise Sauce
This fool proof method makes a rich creamy buttery classic Hollandaise sauce in 1 minute after you melt the butter. Use it on eggs Benedict, salmon, or your favorite veggies!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
-
Melt butter and heat to 220F. If you don't have a thermometer, heat butter until it boils but doesn't brown.
-
Whisk together yolk, lemon juice, water, salt and cayenne pepper.
-
In a very slow stream, drizzle the hot butter into the egg mixture while blending on high in a blender or with an immersion blender until desired consistency.
Recipe Notes
What to do if your hollandaise sauce breaks:
- Whisk in 1 -2 teaspoons of cold water. Or…
- Whisk another egg yolk separately, then whisk in the broken sauce.
I make it like this all the time! Only in my blender… It’s a lifesaver. One of my favorite sauces of all and we always have it on Easter over almost everything LOL. Thanks for sharing!
This was so easy to make and tastes wonderful! I used reconstituted lemon juice, but next time I’ll have fresh lemon. It still tastes delicious. Making again today.
Will it hold in the fridge for a few days?
(edited response) YES!!! For the longest time, I thought it couldn’t be made ahead because reheating can cause it to separate. However, you CAN reheat it in the microwave in short bursts (10 seconds) and stir it each time until it’s smooth.
Ive reheated hollandaise sauce from thw fridge before.. no issues.
Awesome! I just made it again this morning and put the rest in the fridge. I’ll try reheating it for lunch. How long did you have it in the fridge?
Bobbie, you are so right! I reheated mine (refrigerated it overnight) for 20 seconds on high, gave it a stir, then another 10 seconds and it came out thick, creamy and hot. Perfect!
Just tried this -sounded too good to be true, but it was the most watery situation ever. I did exactly as you said. Thoughts? I used unsalted butter, 1 farm fresh egg yolk, lemon juice, cayenne, immersion blender…nope. Added an extra egg yolk….nope. 30 seconds on microwave….nope, broke. Thoughts?
Hi Claudia!
Thank you so much for commenting on my Hollandaise post about how to make it in 1 minute. Here’s your comment.
I’m so sorry it came out watery. Ugh! That is so frustrating!!!
So here are my thoughts …
But first a couple questions: 1) how hot was your butter? and 2) how quickly did you add the butter?
Without knowing either, here are 2 methods I’ve used that have always fixed my broken hollandaise. (Usually I break mine by pouring the butter in too fast. I’m very impatient!)
Method 1) Put the broken sauce in the cup you used with the immersion blender. Add 1/2 teaspoon cold water and blend. If it doesn’t come together, add another 1/2 teaspoon and blend again.You can also do this in the blender or in a bowl whisking vigorously.
Method 2) Try method 1 first. If that doesn’t work, reserve the broken sauce. Start over with 1 yolk, lemon juice, salt and water. Instead of pouring in hot melted butter, pour in the broken sauce as if it was the melted butter, in a slow steady stream while continuing to blend with the immersion blender.
Method 2 can also be done in a bowl with a whisk or in a stand blender.
I really really appreciate you taking the time to ask about this! I’m going to experiment with this tomorrow on video and post the results. I’m going to try to break it on purpose and then fix it on the spot.
This looks great! Any advice on doubling or tripling the recipe?
Hey Sasha, Great question! You know, I haven’t needed to do that but I will try it out and let you know. Thanks for asking! ❤️
Hi! My boyfriend and I made this recipe a few weekends ago and it turned out perfect! We tried to make it again a few days later and he poured the butter too fast and it broke. I tried to fix it like u said originally but it wasn’t working. Still tasted great tho! I recently deleted a bunch of pinterest boards in a fit of insanity and realized I lost this recipe and tried frantically to recover it for the past hour and I found it! Thank ypu so much! We plan to have eggs Benedict this weekend again!
Hey Kattie, I’m so happy you found it again 😊 And you plan on making it again! I had some left over Hollandaise and reheated it for too long in the microwave and it broke. Ugh! So I put it back in the mini blender with an ice cube and another yolk and it came back beautifully! So that’s another way to fix it if that happens to you.
You don’t use Clarified Butter? Escoffier would be rolling in his grave.
Great question, Sean! Yes the original recipe calls for clarified butter because clarified butter has a higher smoke point when you take the milk fat out. Escoffier’s version also has you whisk it by hand over a double boiler. In this method you are heating the butter (yes, milk fat and all) and using an immersion blender to create the emulsion. It comes together as a thick smooth sauce. But if it’s a matter of taste, this method works with clarified butter just as well. 😊
This sounds delicious! I want to try it. I need to serve 10 people. Can you tell me how to increase the recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Ellen, You bet! This recipe makes 2 cups of Hollandaise Sauce. Instead of using a hand immersion blender, use a large blender since you’re making a lot more.
Melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter (1 cup). While the butter is melting, add 8 yolks, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon cold water in a blender. Pulse 3 times to combine. (If you are using table salt, use 1/4 teaspoon salt.)
Stir the butter from time to time as it is melting. This will keep the milk fat and solids from popping. After the butter starts to boil, take it off the heat and in a small stream, slowly add it to the yolk mixture while the blender is on low to medium speed.
I don’t have unsalted butter will it work if I use regular butter?
I asked the question about using regular butter because I dont have unsalted, I tried it, NO! The sauce is so salty…. consistency, is perfect, the color is perfect just to salty… thank you, I’m headed to the grocery store for unsalted butter.
Hi Eva,
I just saw your question and follow up comment. You are absolutely right, if you use salted butter it will be too salty. That’s why I wrote UNSALTED butter in the post and in the printable version below. 🙂
I recommend cooking with unsalted butter because it’s easier to control the level of saltiness that way. Also, regular table salt (the iodized clabor girl blue box) is VERY salty. I like to use Kosher coarse salt because it’s not as salty and it has a great texture. Please let us know how your Hollandaise sauce turns out with unsalted butter. I hope you like this Hollandaise method! ❤️
Heyyy! Just made hollandaise last night to put on top of some white asparagus Miriah bought us for Christmas!
My lemon was at another location, so I used half Pinot Grigio and half white vinegar in place of the lemon. Still amazing!
I used the solids of the butter on broiled French bread slices, then finely chopped the remains of the Christmas ham. Halved some soft boiled eggs — garnished. DELIGHTFUL!
I have a pretty photo but couldn’t figure out how to post it.
Sounds fantastic!!! Post your pic to IG and tag me 🙂
I purchased gee instead of butter it is already clarified heated in microwave. It worked great!
Why so much butter for just on yolk?
I meant 1 yolk
These proportions are for when you want to make a small batch (1 to 4 eggs Benedicts). Since Hollandaise sauce can be tricky to reheat after solidifying in the refrigerator, sometimes it’s nice to just make what you need. You don’t have to worry about waste in small batches!
If you want to make more, double the recipe. I have had success reheating Hollandaise at 10 second increments in the microwave, stirring in between.
Be careful if you do this, the sauce can easily break. If that does happen, heat the broken sauce until it’s hot and slowly emulsify it with another yolk and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Season with salt and cayenne if needed.