Classic Hollandaise Sauce
Silky French Hollandaise Sauce
This elegant emulsion is all about temperature control and steady hands — master the gentle heat and patient whisking, and you'll have a velvety sauce that transforms everything it touches. The key is building the emulsion slowly, letting each drizzle of butter find its place before adding more.
FrenchBreakfastBrunchSauceVegetarianGluten FreeKetoQuick Meals
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 3 largelarge egg yolks, room temperature preferred
- 2 tbspfresh lemon juice, strained
- ½ cupunsalted butter, European-style if available
- ¼ tspfine sea salt
- cayenne pepper, pinch(optional)
Instructions
- Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, letting it become completely liquid without browning. You want pure, golden butter — any sizzling means the heat is too high.⏱ 2 min
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together until the mixture lightens to a pale yellow and feels slightly thicker on the whisk. This initial mixing is what gives you the base for emulsification.⏱ 1 min
- Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water — the water should not touch the bowl's bottom. Whisk the yolk mixture constantly in smooth, steady strokes until it thickens enough that you can draw a line across the back of a spoon with your finger and it holds for a second.⏱ 3 min
- Lift the bowl from the heat and begin adding the warm butter in the thinnest stream you can manage, whisking vigorously without stopping. If the butter pools instead of incorporating, you're going too fast — the emulsion needs time to accept each addition.⏱ 2 min
- Taste and adjust with salt and a light dusting of cayenne if using. Hollandaise waits for no one — serve immediately while it's warm and silky.