Rich, creamy, decadent hollandaise sauce is simply irresistible. Hollandaise seems to brighten every dish it touches. It’s the perfect topping for eggs Benedict, poached eggs, and other brunch dishes. It’s lovely on salmon, artichokes, asparagus, and other poached vegetables. The trouble is, it can be tricky to make a proper hollandaise. Emulsified sauces take a certain touch (and a lot of upper arm strength) to get right. This hollandaise recipe, made in the blender using Julia Child’s classic technique, is as close to easy as it gets.
A few years ago, I bought myself a birthday present: Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Julia wrote the book together with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. There’s a terrific little recipe in Volume 1, a simple method for creating hollandaise sauce.
Emulsified sauces like hollandaise can be finicky. To emulsify means to combine two liquids that can’t normally be mixed together (like oil and lemon juice). For the liquids to combine, you need the proper technique. Hollandaise is no exception. It takes a lot of elbow grease and a skilled touch to create a proper hollandaise. Separation can easily occur, making the sauce a flop. Luckily, Julia and friends have given us a much easier method for making hollandaise using an electric blender.
I’ve shared Julia’s original recipe below, with my own notes and adaptations marked. The method is very simple. As she notes, “the technique is well within the capabilities of an 8-year-old child.” I love Julia’s recipe, but I do make a few minor adjustments. I use cayenne pepper (instead of black or white pepper). Cayenne is spicy and adds a nice little kick to the sauce. I also use more fresh lemon juice because I like a nice, bright, lemony flavor. Feel free to adjust to your own tastes.
Note: this sauce is made using raw egg yolks, which should only be consumed by certain individuals. See detailed note below.
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Mastering the Art of French Cooking
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Julia Child's Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch pepper (I use a small pinch of cayenne)
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I use closer to 2 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
NOTES
Instructions
- This sauce should be prepared immediately before serving-- it will only take you about 3 minutes to make. Place eggs yolks, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp lemon juice in the blender jar. You can beat in more lemon juice to taste when your sauce is done, and then you will know which proportion you prefer for next time.
- Cut the butter into pieces and place it in a small saucepan. Heat it till it's melted, hot and foamy.
- Cover the jar of the blender and blend the egg yolk mixture at top speed for 2 seconds. Uncover, still blending at top speed, and immediately start pouring the hot melted butter in a thin stream of droplets. (You may need to protect yourself with a towel during this operation.)
- By the time two thirds of the butter has gone in, the sauce will be a thick cream. Omit the milky residue at the bottom of the pan. Taste the sauce, and blend in more seasonings and lemon juice to taste.
- If not used immediately, set the blender jar in tepid (lukewarm), but not warm, water. Use the sauce within a few minutes of blending; it will solidify if not used quickly.
- Use hollandaise to top any number of delicious dishes. I like using it to top my Nova Lox Benedict - click here for recipe.
Nutrition
Love all your recipes
Thanks
Saw an episode of Julia’s “The French Chef” series on PBS and she made Hollandaise (and Bernaise) on the stovetop. But, she mentioned the blender method. Also saw it mentioned on another cooking show, so I decided to look it up. This was the first in the search list. The one recipe I’ve used for years just doesn’t seem to work any longer, and ends up a thin wet mess. Anyway, I know the sauce can be refrigerated for a bit after making if not used immediately. But, someone mentioned to me that they freeze theirs and bring it out, as needed. Any thoughts?
I’ve never frozen this, so not sure if it will work. Sorry!
Try using gee instead of butter . . . Makes it xtra fluffy and thick – you might need to add a little water to thin it a bit
You don’t have to use this in it’s sauce state. Sometimes I make this and put in a container and refrigerate. Then I spread it on toasted English Muffins for a nice breakfast treat!
FYI – the lemon juice cooks the egg, just like lemon “cooks” the fish in ceviche.
Can I double this recipe? Planning on 8 people for brunch so I am curious if doubling would work or is it best to do 2 batches.
It depends on the size of your food processor. If you have a larger processor doubling should work out just fine.
Thank you so much! It annoys me to no end when I go to a food site and have to read a full length novel about the author’s kitchen remodel and method for reheating breastmilk (literally that’s where I just came from) to get all the details of the recipe. Love your style on this one!
Haha! Well, I am also guilty of writing long posts from time to time, but they are generally geared towards reviewing the history behind the recipe. But I am working to make my posts more succinct overall, as I know mobile users especially appreciate it!
Amy, that’s so true, and thanks for a good laugh! But Tori, I LOVE the stories about your family history – especially the photos!
This was perfect. I didn’t have unsalted butter, used regular butter and omitted salt.
Thank you
Will be looking over your other recipes.
I have been making this sauce for years. I loved it because it was so fluffy and light. Lately, it has been much thinner and less fluffy (actually pretty flat). What could be different? We did go from a smaller capacity blender to a large capacity blender. Would that make a difference? Could we use an immersion blender? Does it make a difference as to what size egg you use? Your insight would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Victoria! A larger capacity blender might be to blame, but hard to say without seeing your process in person. You might try it with your immersion blender to see if you get the result you are looking for. I always use a large egg (it’s the only kind I buy).
Is 2 seconds really the correct time for blending the yolks and lemon juice?
Hi Lisa, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Yes, this recipe is correct as written. The method only takes about 3 minutes total, so everything happens pretty quickly.
This recipe was easy and awesome! I love the lemon used 2 tbsp. I have my own chicken eggs so used them. I used unsalted butter so added a little more than a dash, two dashes. The cayenne perfect compliment. Served over pan seared talapia and broccoli.
Delicious and easy.
I added 1 tsp. of thyme.
I have used this recipe for years with perfect results. I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup and cover the butter by tucking the butter wrapper over the butter in the cup, microwave until butter is melted and hot and bubbly. Voila, no spatters in the microwave.
For reheating the sauce, I fill a ceramic bowl with hot tap water and put my container of sauce in the hot water. Stir the sauce. Dump out the water and repeat with more hot water until the sauce is melted and warm.
I love the hollandaise over fresh baked salmon. Skin side down in a small baking dish sprayed with Pam or the like. Salt, pepper, shaved carrots and onions over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and a splash of white vermouth. Depending on the thickness, bake at 400 degrees 10-14 minutes. Heaven on a plate.
Ok, I LOVE lemon, and I thought I loved a lemony Hollandaise. I used the 2 T. lemon juice as you suggested, and was disappointed. I used all my eggs on hand for this recipe and the Benedict I made. I tried adding cream but nothin cut back on the lemon overload.
I’d suggest start with less lemon, since you can always add more but you can’t take it back once it’s in there!
Agree. Too much lemon you can always add more.
I’m going to try this tonight.
Totally worked-delish.
it’s exceedingly offputting seeing the salmonella warning at the bottom of so many recipes containing eggs. And it was shocking to notice the phlegmatic, perfectly accepting way in which one commenter said ‘in the UK they vaccinate their hens, but I guess the industry here would lobby hard against that’. I find it hard to believe that 200 million people in the US allow themselves to be put at risk by an egg industry that would imagine it could get results by throwing tantrums until the government backed down. Seriously guys, get together and demand your ‘leadership’ fix your food industry [in this, the people have to lead!]. Cudos to Tori for pushing the Free Range message here. Cruelly farmed eggs with the risk of Salmonella are now illegal in Europe. Time for the people of the US to put a stop to unsafe, unethical industrial farming practices.
Use pasteurized eggs. No worries!
The risk of salmonella from US eggs is extremely low, but it’s still there, hence the warning. Especially for the old/very young/immunocompromised.
My mom and I have been making this hollandaise sauce for years, we actually found it in The Joy of Cooking cook book. I just had a question if you know the calorie count per tablespoon?
Hi Amy– I don’t calculate calories on this site, but you can Google “calorie calculator” and you should get lots of options. Just plug in the ingredients and you’ll be able to determine the calorie count per serving.
Excellent and so simple!! I found the two tbsp. Of lemon juice just the perfect amount of lemon flavour. One note.. Do have everything ready to serve as the sauce does solidify quite quickly.
There’s about 1 chance in 20,000 of a US egg having salmonella, but pasteurized eggs are available if you want them. (You can pasteurize them yourself by heating to the correct temperature for the correct time, but if you can’t measure temperature precisely enough there’s a risk of soft-boiling them, which won’t help your Hollandaise.)
Now that I have an immersion blender, I’ll have to see if I can make Hollandaise without accidentally painting the kitchen walls and ceiling! It worked ok in my conventional blender, but it’s a bit two large for a two-person batch.
You’ve all got me jealous – or, at the very least, have made my hazel/green eyes even more green!
Being by myself I eat out most of the time – but sure do miss some of the traditional Jewish foods. I cook pot roast and kosher chicken soup, a couple of times a year.
No more chopped liver and I promised my Beloved to not eat schmaltz and/or gribbenes! Ahhhhhh. What I do for love. 😉
Thanks for sharing so much of what I enjoy.
I have made this Hollandaise many times. I only cook for one or two as well. I make it for one meal, refrigerate the rest and gently warm it to use again within a few days. Out of a batch, I set aside 1/3 and mix in chopped fresh herbs and refrigerate. The second 1/3 I refrigerate as is. The first day, I have a benedict breakfast of some sort with the fresh portion, the second day, I use the second third over asparagus for dinner the next day, and the third day, I spread the portion with the herbs cold as a lovely topper to a steak dinner on the third night. I think I will go make some now!