Sprinkles and Sprouts

Easy Entertaining

Home > Secret Weapons > Savoury Sauces > Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce

31 · · 105 Comments

Pin
Share
Yum
Tweet
+1
Flip
Jump to Recipe

This simple 2 minute easy hollandaise sauce is delicious and stress free. You can put your whisk away!!! This hollandaise sauce is delicious and using my method it is easy to make at home!

Use it for eggs benedict, as a dip for vegetables or a pour over sauce for steak or chicken. A rich and buttery sauce with the mild tang of lemon juice.

This post was originally published in Feb 2015.

A spoon scooping up a dollop of easy Hollandaise sauce from a white bowl.

How to make Easy Hollandaise

My method uses an immersion blender (also known as a stick blender emulsion blender, wand blender, or hand blender) to combine the eggs, lemon and butter.

This means you don’t have to spend 10 minutes whisking and you don’t have to worry about your hollandaise sauce splitting. YUP! You don’t have to worry about it splitting as my method ensure it won’t happen.

But why does hollandaise sauce split?

There are a few reasons why sauces split but for hollandaise it is usually one of two:

The melted butter was added too quickly. If the butter is added too quickly, the egg, which is what emulsifies the sauce, cannot do it’s job and you find your butter just puddles at the bottom of the bowl.

When we emulsify something we are trying to combine oil and water, if the process doesn’t work you find the two layers will seperate. (In traditional methods you can add a small amount of boiling water and this will help to bring the sauce back together)

The hollandaise sauce gets too hot. If the temperature of your sauce gets too high, the eggs start to coagulate, i.e you are starting to make scrambled egg.

Once that happens the eggs cannot work as an emulsifier and your sauce splits. (In traditional methods if this occurs it is almost impossible to rectify. Sometimes plunging the bowl into ice water and whisking like a crazy person can help)

BUT DON’T WORRY!!!
With my method you don’t have to worry about either of these!

I use a stick blender, which combines the butter and egg really quickly. Imagine The Flash is whisking the hollandaise. This speed and a slow but constant flow of butter doesn’t allow the eggs and butter to seperate.

I ensure the sauce is never above 110ºF, which stops the chance of the egg scrambling. To do this the eggs and lemon are combined with the stick blender. The friction here warms the egg yolks up. Then you add the melted butter straight from the microwave. This has enough heat to thicken the sauce, but not enough to scramble the eggs.

Plus because everything happens so quickly thanks to the stick blender, you get easy hollandaise sauce in 2 minutes! So nothing has time to cool down and therefore doesn’t needed heating back up.

Spoon in a white bowl of easy hollandaise with butter, lemon and egg in the background.

What are the ingredients in hollandaise sauce?

Hollandaise sauce uses simple ingredients to make something extra special. You can see the ingredients in the photo above.

  • eggs
  • lemon
  • butter

A pinch of cayenne or pepper is usually added but even without that your hollandaise will be amazing! Creamy, thick and lemony. (please use fresh lemons the flavor is so much nicer than the plastic stuff in a bottle)

What butter to use when making hollandaise sauce

My recipe for easy hollandaise sauce calls for unsalted butter and then adds additional salt. Which seems odd but the salt content of salted butter varies so much. And too much salt in your hollandaise can seriously ruin a meal!

So my preferred method is to use unsalted butter and then salt the sauce.

BUT! On any given day you won’t usually find unsalted butter in my house, so if I suddenly get the urge for hollandaise I will use salted butter. It will still work and still be super easy.

Just don’t add any additional salt until the hollandaise sauce is finished and you have tasted it.

Ingredient focus - Butter, cut lemon and a whole egg sat on a paper bag with a bowl of easy hollandaise in the corner.

 Will hollandaise keep in the fridge?

The short answer is yes, your hollandaise will keep in the fridge for 2 days. BUT it is very hard to reheat hollandaise.

I have had success by placing the jug into a bowl of boiling water and then after a couple of minute using the immersion blender to re-blend the sauce and distribute the heat.
But it doesn’t always work perfectly.

Try spreading cold hollandaise on toast and topping with a poached egg. It isn’t quite egg benedict but it is good!

What can hollandaise sauce be used on?

  • The classic Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine.
  • Dip your favourite steamed veg into it. Asparagus and roasted broccoli work very well.
  • Use as a sauce for artichoke leaves.
  • Serve with boiled waxy potatoes as an alternative to aioli.
  • Add an extra dash of lemon juice and pour over salmon.
  • Pour over a fresh spinach and smoked salmon salad.
  • Add extra pepper and serve with seared swordfish and fries. (unlike gordon ramsey I like swordfish and hollandaise)
  • Pour over a baked potato instead of the usual melted butter.
  • Leftover hollandaise solidifies. I rather enjoy that spread over hot toast 😳

Enjoy x

Why not pin this Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce for later. Pin it here

Small square picture of a spoon scooping up easy hollandaise sauce.
4.87 from 43 votes
Print

Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce

This simple 2 minute easy hollandaise sauce is delicious and stress free. Use it for eggs benedict, as a dip for vegetables or a pour over sauce for steak or chicken. A rich and buttery sauce with the mild tang of lemon juice. Delicious and using my method you can make easy hollandaise sauce at home!

Course Sauce
Cuisine French
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 185 kcal
Author Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

Ingredients

You can change the measurement from US to metric at the bottom of this list

    We don't suggest scaling this recipe down, it makes it very hard to mix.

    • 1 stick unsalted butter (see note 1)
    • 3 egg yolks
    • 1/4 tsp salt (see note 1)
    • Pinch of pepper - cayenne/white/black all work
    • 4 tsp lemon juice
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    You will need a immersion blender (also called stick blender, wand blender, hand blender) for this recipe.

    1. Place the butter in a small pan and melt it over a low heat. (Don't allow the butter to brown and turn off the heat as soon as the butter is just melted.)

    2. Whilst the butter is melting, put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt (if using) and pepper into a measuring jug that the head of your immersion blender fits into. (see note 2)

    3. Blend the egg yolk mixture for a minute, until it lightens in colour and is well combined.

    4. Keeping the blender in the jug, and with it running on the slowest setting, slowly pour over the hot melted butter. (see note 3)

    5. As the sauce combines move the blender up through the sauce. (see note 4)

    6. Check the sauce, it should be slightly lemony and lightly seasoned.
    7. You can now add extra lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Add as required and give it a quick blend to combine.
    8. This is best served immediately but if that isn't possible place the jug in a bowl of body temperate water for up to an hour.

    Recipe Notes

    1. If using salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
    2. You need to put the eggs in a measuring jug, also called a large volume measuring cup.
    3. You need to slowly add the butter, otherwise your sauce will be runny.
    4. As you add the butter lift the stick blender up through the sauce and then move it back down through the sauce.
    Nutrition Facts
    Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce
    Amount Per Serving (1.5 tbsp)
    Calories 185 Calories from Fat 162
    % Daily Value*
    Total Fat 18g 28%
    Saturated Fat 11g 55%
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 135mg 45%
    Sodium 100mg 4%
    Potassium 83mg 2%
    Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%
    Sugars 2g
    Protein 2g 4%
    Vitamin A 14%
    Vitamin C 43%
    Calcium 2%
    Iron 2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Spoon of easy hollandaise being scooped from a small white bowl.

    Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce Anecdote
    (aka my recipe ramble for those who love the waffle)

    Have you ever seen a TV chef make a hollandaise sauce? It is amazing to watch the eggs and butter come together to form a glorious pale yellow sauce. But the effort! Now I don’t mind effort in the kitchen, I will happily spend a few hours cooking a meal, but the effort to make a hollandaise sauce isn’t time, it’s physical effort. And that isn’t something I often embrace 😉 They whisk and whisk and whisk away; their arm muscles get a serious workout. I have tried it and I get arm ache within a minute!

    Aside from the effort there is the constant worry that the sauce will split and everything will have to be thrown away!

    Nope!!! Traditional hollandaise sauce is a non-starter for me, I am just not the arm aching, food throwing away kind of cook. So I have come up with the most perfect easy hollandaise sauce and there isn’t a whisk in sight.

    I love this method so much, I show everyone!!!!!!
    I even made it for some friends whilst a little drunk at the end of a party. Me and a few friends standing around a jug, cheering as the sauce came together and then reaching for bread sticks and lettuce leaves to eat the sauce we had made! I KNOW!!!! Parties at my house are so much fun 😉

    If you love food why not subscribe to my newsletter, I will drop you an email every now and then, just to say hi and send you a couple of recipes think you might love, like this Simple 2 Minute Easy Hollandaise Sauce.
    It isn’t everyday! I am not that organised. Usually it is once a week (ish). And as a thank you I will send you my soup cookbook FREE. Full of my fav soups!
    Subscribe today 🙂

    book_ad

    Also find me on:
    Facebook | Instagram | Twitter.
    Let’s share the food love and make the world a tastier place 🙂

    31
    Pin
    Share
    Yum
    Tweet
    +1
    Flip

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Why didn’t I think of that. I have always made the traditional way. My daughter told me she uses the blender method and it’s easy. I made for the second time 2 days ago. The method, easy. Washing the blender pieces? Horrible. Getting the 1/2 cup out of the walls, blade, and the inside of the blender lid? Insanely time consuming. This method sounds spot on!!

      Reply

      • Thank you. I used the bench top blender method for several years and I completely agree, cleaning it took longer than making the sauce!!! The immersion blender is so much easier to clean 😀

        Reply

    2. I have never had eggs benny, let alone hallandaise sauce but it looks so good and your recipe looks so easy that I must try it 🙂

      Reply

      • Hi Tory, 1 stick of butter is 120g. Hope that helps 😀

        Also If you look at my recipes, at the bottom of the ingredients there is US Customary – Metric you can click on each and get the quantities in either US (cups/sticks/oz/lb) or metric (ml/grams) that helps if the ingredients are measured differently to your usual method 😀 😀

        Reply

    6. This is so funny, I just posted a recipe for hollandaise this morning! I love your recipe, I never thought of using an immersion blender. Hollandaise sauce is so delicious!

      Reply

    7. Hollandaise sauce is something I have not tried yet. I think I find it kind of intimidating but as I read the ingredients, I have to say, it looks pretty simple to make. I need to get over my fears and make this. It sounds amazing!

      Reply

    8. I haven’t tried Hollandaise sauce at home. this recipe sounds really easy as it is less than 5 with help of immersion blender. I will try it.

      Reply

    9. This is a recipe I’m going to pin and go back to again and again. A great Hollandaise sauce is a great addition to so many dishes. Thank you for posting the tips — I’m planning on a special breakfast this coming week that will include your sauce.

      Reply

    10. I’ve never made hollandaise sauce just out of fear of failure. I’m the least patient cook and I know I would ruin it. But your detailed explanation and easier method of making the sauce is tempting me to make this some time soon.

      Reply

    12. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I grew up with hollandaise sauce from a carton – and I always thought it was SO hard to make from scratch! But your method with the stick blender was perfect – thanks for sharing!

      Reply

    13. I have been searching for a good hollandaise recipe for very long time, all the recipes so far end in disaster. Thank you, I have finally found one that works.

      Reply

    14. I have such a love/hate relationship with hollandaise. In so many restaurants it’s just so thick and heavy, it’s overwhelming. But I’ve also found a couple that were made well, and SO delicious. I’m going to give your homemade version a try, and hope I can recreate the ones I love

      Reply

    15. WOW…this has got to be the easiest method I have ever seen to making this sauce. I usually skip making this sauce since it is usually labour intensive. Now that I know it can be made like this….I will do it this way from now on.

      Reply

    17. I love a good hollandaise and yours looks so perfectly creamy! I’ll have to try the immersion blender method – it looks so foolproof! There’s nothing like hollandaise with poached eggs or asparagus. So, so good.

      Reply

    18. Hollandaise is my favorite sauce in the world! I’ve had MANY hollandaise fails (and gone through way too much butter in the process!) and my ultimate recipe is similar to this one. Sometimes simple really is the best, right?? Your explanations and tips are super helpful!

      Reply

    24. I don’t make hollandaise sauce often enough. This looks absolutely amazing. That buttery, creamy sauce would go great with some poached eggs and asparagus tonight!

      Reply

    25. I wish you – I haven’t tried making hollandaise sauce yet because I have been intimidated and overwhelmed by the effort involved and the dire predictions of the sauce separating. But a 2 minute blender version? Now that I can totally do!

      Reply

    26. Interesting! Now, I’ve made blender Hollandaise sauce for years – don’t remember now where I learned how – but I’d not had it work quite right with the stick blender. I thought I needed the jar on the traditional one. So this is in some ways even easier than mine! Cool!

      Reply

      • It really does work Anne, as long as your jug/cup measure isn’t too wide. You want the head of the stick blender to fit. Then pour the butter at a slowish speed. No need to drip it it, but don’t pour it in, in one fast pour. I use this method at least once a fortnight and we love it.

        Reply

    27. This is how my husband taught me how to make hollandaise! He learned this at a restaurant he used to work for as a line chef! I love this immersion blender method! A real game-changer for all lovers of eggs benny, like us!

      Reply

    28. I love hollandaise sauce and I love anything that says 5 minutes. Mine sure takes longer than 5 mins. Gotta try this the next time rounds. Such a pretty color. Saving for later.

      Reply

    29. I love hollandaise sauce. This method is amazingly simple. My mother and I used to make a faux hollandaise sauce that began with a white sauce, but I think this method tastes better. It’s more authentic without being difficult.

      Reply

    30. Hollandaise is such a luscious sauce! I’m not sure why I tend to save it for special occasions when it can be done so quickly like this. I’ve done it in a blender before and had much more luck than the stovetop version, but I love the idea to use an immersion blender, too!

      Reply

    33. Everyone needs a classic go-to recipe for hollandaise. I dare say, I’ve only made it once or twice in my life. I’ll be pinning this recipe for future use. Thanks, Claire!

      Reply

    36. I have never made a hollandaise sauce at home – can you believe it? This looks incredibly easy and I definitely want to try it out ASAP. Love the pictures.

      Reply

    37. Ever since I read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential I avoid restaurant hollandaise and only make it at home! I use my immersion blender to make mine – very similar process that you detail here, but no blender to clean up after.

      Reply

    38. This is the best recipe for hollandaise I have ever used. I can’t believe how easy it was.
      Thank you for sharing 😀

      Reply

      • Hi Rita,

        Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. You get a wonderful spreadable sauce that is amazing on toast 😉

        It can be heated up, but it is a bit temperamental and can split. I bring a pan of water to an almost simmer, then remove from the heat and place a bowl of the sauce over the steam. With some whisking you can get the sauce to warm through.

        Hope that helps.

        Reply

    40. Hi Claire….(love your site BTW)…many many years ago in a cookbook called The Cotton Country Collection – put out by the Junior League of Monroe, LA, I had stumbled upon a recipe for Blender Hollandaise which I used successfully many many times. But like a lot of recipes, we move away from or forget them and use other methods of achieving success. I had completely forgotten about that lovely blender Hollondaise till I saw this recipe, and remembered how perfectly is created this silky, satiny sauce that was perfect every time! And SO easy to do too!! Now I’m going to use your recipe (mainly because I can’t find my cotton country cookbook, lol) and make this once more. Thank you for posting it!!

      Reply

      • Hi Debbie, thank you so much 🙂

        I love that hollandaise is so easy to make using this method. Although my waistline isn’t so impressed 🙂

        Glad to have brought the blender version back into your mind!

        Reply

      • Debbie, The Cotton Country Collection is available from Amazon – lovely little recipe book!!
        Thanks for the great recipes Claire – brilliant website and blog. I’m in the UK.

        Reply

    41. Excelent, Excelent. Excelent recipe!!!! I love IT. Beautiful consistency, tastes realy nice. Congratulations for your work!!!

      Reply

    42. Hi Claire! I really, really love this sauce, but I hate having to stand over it and whisk! This is perfectly simple! I have been making stuffing waffles topped with a poached egg and sauce. It is heaven on a plate! Thank you so much! 🙂

      Reply

      • Oh Dorothy, thank you so much for this comment.
        I love how simple this sauce is, but when I hear others love it too, it makes my day.

        p.s your breakfast sounds scrumptious!!!!

        Reply

        • Hi, I’m giving this a go at the weekend however wondered if you can add whiskey to the sauce? I tried it w while ago and would love to try and replicate. Many thanks.

          Reply

    43. I saw this on pinterest and I was sceptical. I have made plenty of recipes for hollandaise over the years and have a favourite recipe that always works, but it does take time. I couldn’t believe this would work, even though I really wanted it to.
      So I tried it and I was surprised and impressed. Not only did it work perfectly, the flavour was great, I used plenty of white pepper as that is how we like it and there was just the right amount of lemon.
      I cannot believe how simple it was. I have sent it to everyone I know!
      Thank you for this recipe

      Reply

      • Daisy you have just made my day. Thank you so much for such a wonderful comment. This is why I have my blog, I love sharing recipes that just make life easier and fill bellies with yummy food.
        I am so so so happy you found the method simple and the flavour spot on.
        And thank you for sharing it with people, I hope they love it too 🙂

        Reply

    44. Just made this sauce to have with Poached Eggs Royale; Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon instead of ham. Absolutely delicious and as easy to make as you describe.

      Reply

    45. Claire, the title of this post caught my eye immediately (is it possible?)! I am looking forward to trying your method. Your Hollandaise Sauce is beautiful, as is your photography! 🙂

      Reply

      • Thank you Joy, I love this method. The key is always the slow addition of the butter whilst the stick blender does the work, but it is still so much faster than whisking over a bain marie.
        And thank you so much for your kind words about my photography, as a fellow blogger I am sure you know how much that means to me.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Pin
    Share
    Yum
    Tweet
    +1