Easy Hollandaise Sauce – No Blender Required

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn’t require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that’s easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that’s a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

If you saw last week’s recipe for bistro-style turkey burgers with Hollandaise sauce, I’m sure you’ve been dying for the recipe for that deliciously tangy, creamy, thick sauce that’s oozing out of the side of the burger. Oh, Hollandaise sauce. I love it so much I could practically be in a relationship with it.

Except, you know, that I’m happily married. To a human man, even, and not to a delicious emulsion of butter, egg yolk, and lemon juice.

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

I have been making this easy Hollandaise sauce recipe, learned from my mother, since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and it’s pretty much the best thing ever.

Hollandaise sauce is one of those things I can wax poetic about, so this is a very long and thorough post today, including information on technique, scaling, safety, and storage, as well as ideas for uses and variations. I’ve added subtitles so you can easily skip ahead to the parts you want. 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Flavor and texture

Now, I will give you a disclaimer about this recipe. I grew up putting copious amounts of lemon in everything, so I like my Hollandaise sauce very tart and creamy. I’ve ordered a lot of eggs Benedicts at restaurants and am frequently disappointed in their Hollandaise sauce, usually because it’s runny and you can barely taste any lemon. 

I’ve seen recipes that have a ratio of 10 tablespoons of butter for only one of lemon juice, and that to me would not be a sauce I would enjoy on my eggs Benedict. If you prefer your Hollandaise to be made of mostly butter, this recipe is not for you.

My recipe uses equal parts lemon, butter, and egg yolks, which not only makes it nice and thick as well as tangy, but also has the added benefit of making this recipe a snap to remember and easily scaleable.

If you, however, don’t like as much lemon in your Hollandaise as I do, you could always sub out some water for some of the lemon juice, or add a little extra butter.

Cooking method

Maybe you’ve been intimidated by the thought of making Hollandaise sauce from scratch. Maybe it’s like a mystery sauce and you were never sure what actually went into making it. You might not want to deal with a double boiler and precise timing. Or maybe you have heard horror stories about people’s Hollandaise separating or curdling.

With this recipe, I have never had that happen. I assure you that this is a very easy Hollandaise sauce recipe. I can’t even count how many times I’ve made it, and it’s never failed on me.

It doesn’t require constant whisking, or hauling out a blender (most “easy Hollandaise sauce” recipes I’ve seen use a blender, which I find to be a huge pain to haul out and clean, and I don’t think this one is difficult at all).

Cooking vessel

You can use a more traditional double boiler for this, or set a Pyrex bowl on top of a pot of simmering water – but what I’ve done my whole life is to set a two-cup Pyrex measuring cup in the bottom of a medium saucepan filled with a couple inches of water.

Sure, I know it’s not the traditional way to do it since the whole point of a double boiler is that the vessel containing your ingredients is not directly touching the heat source, but this has always worked for me and I see no reason to change my technique now. 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

While the bottom of the measuring cup does touch the bottom of the pan, the sides are enveloped in a nice warm bath of simmering water, so it’s a gentle, multidirectional heat source rather than bottom-only heat. As long as you scrape the bottom of the Pyrex when you stir or whisk the sauce, it will not curdle and turn into scrambled eggs.

If the thought of your Hollandaise sauce coming into contact with a heat source bothers you, by all means set a larger bowl on top of your saucepan of simmering water. The recipe will work just as well.

Tempering your eggs

When a cold egg is poured into a hot liquid, it scrambles or cooks solid. Think egg drop soup or poached eggs. It’s the opposite of what you want for your smooth, silky, creamy Hollandaise sauce.

To combat that, we pour the hot liquid into the cold eggs first. It brings the eggs up to temperature without shocking them, so you can avoid curdling.

Tempering the eggs properly is the single most important thing in this recipe.

You can mess with ratios if you’d like, adding more butter or less lemon juice, but don’t mess with the technique. 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Easy Hollandaise sauce, step-by step

What I do is:

  1. Bring a medium saucepan half-full of water to a light simmer, with a two-cup Pyrex measuring cup sitting in the middle.
  2. Melt the butter in the measuring cup.
  3. Remove the measuring cup from the saucepan and add the lemon juice (fresh or bottled is fine) to bring the temperature of the butter down a bit.
  4. Slowly pour the butter-lemon mixture into the bowl that contains your egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent curdling the eggs. (This is the “tempering the eggs” part).
  5. Pour the mixture back into the measuring cup and return to the saucepan.
  6. Cook over medium/medium-low heat (water bath should be a low simmer) for 10 minutes or so or until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently with a fork or whisk. Every minute or two should be fine – this does not require constant whisking. 

If your sauce gets too thick, don’t worry. You can add in some of the hot water from the saucepan a spoonful at a time, whisking to combine, until it has the consistency you are looking for.

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Hollandaise sauce for one… or a dozen.

Because this easy Hollandaise sauce recipe uses a simple ratio of 1:1:1 (1 tbsp butter to 1 tbsp lemon juice to 1 egg yolk) it’s easy to scale up or down as much as you’d like.

Plan on one of everything for each person, or two if the person really loves Hollandaise sauce. For example, to go with my recipe for bistro-style turkey burgers, I would use 4 tbsp butter, 4 tbsp lemon juice, and 4 egg yolks to go with 4 burgers.

If you’re just making eggs Benedict for yourself, use 1:1:1. If you’re serving 8 people, do an 8:8:8 ratio. You get the gist.

Safety concerns

There are people who are concerned about the presence of raw eggs in recipes and are hesitant to eat things like homemade egg nog and Hollandaise sauce. I am not one of those people. 

If you, however, are wary of raw eggs, never fear. A lot of Hollandaise recipes are thickened mainly because egg yolk is an emulsifier, but this one is thickened as the yolk cooks. By the time you get done with this sauce, the yolks are fully cooked, as much as they are in any custard. 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Storage

You can store any leftover sauce in the fridge for a few days. It will thicken as it chills until it really is like a custard, pudding, or a savory lemon curd. It’s tempting to eat any leftovers straight from a spoon. 

You can whisk in a little water to thin it out and then reheat for just a few seconds in the microwave (10-15 seconds should suffice) to restore it to a nice, pourable sauce, or you can relish in its thick, custardy texture and use it as a cold spread.

If spreading leftover Hollandaise sauce like mayonnaise onto a piece of bread with a knife is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

This juicy, aromatic turkey burger topped with tomato, avocado, and Hollandaise sauce will make you feel like you're relaxing at an outdoor cafe! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Uses for Hollandaise sauce

In my opinion, pretty much anything is better smothered in a nice tangy Hollandaise sauce. But if you’re looking for a few ideas of what to serve with your sauce, I’m happy to share. It’s not just for brunch!

Breakfast/brunch

  • Over perfectly-ripe avocado slices 
  • On an omelet

 Lunch

Dinner

  • With chicken Florentine (chicken and spinach)
  • Over seared scallops or other fish
  • With steak

Side dishes

  • Drizzled on blanched asparagus, broccoli, broccolini, or mushrooms
  • On zucchini fritters or potato latkes
  • As a dip for the leaves of a steamed whole artichoke
  • From a spoon

Variations and additions

I think this easy Hollandaise sauce is pretty much perfect as is, but there are so many things you can add or switch out for some variety if you’d like. 

  • Add spices:
    • Cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce
    • Garlic
  • Mix in purees, to taste:
    • Roasted red pepper
    • Canned chipotle pepper
    • Jalapeño peppers
    • Avocado
    • Basil
  • Substitute other acids for the lemon juice:
    • Lime juice
    • Meyer lemon juice
    • White wine vinegar 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Now that you’re armed with the know-how and some inspiration, you too can go Hollandaise-crazy and have it with breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner!

What’s your favorite use for Hollandaise sauce? Let me know in the comments! 

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com
4.40 from 41 votes

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot!
Print Recipe
Course: Breakfast
Yield: 4 people
Cook Time:15 minutes
Total Time:15 minutes

Ingredients

For extra-lemony Hollandaise (the way I love it, but it's not for everyone)

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 egg yolks

For a more traditional Hollandaise

  • 8 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)
  • 4 egg yolks

Instructions

  • Bring a medium saucepan half-full of water to a light simmer, with a two-cup Pyrex measuring cup sitting in the middle.
  • Melt the butter in the measuring cup.
  • Remove the measuring cup from the saucepan and add the lemon juice (fresh or bottled is fine) to bring the temperature of the butter down a bit.
  • Slowly pour the butter-lemon mixture into the bowl that contains your egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent curdling the eggs. (This is the "tempering the eggs" part).
  • Pour the mixture back into the measuring cup and return to the saucepan.
  • Cook over medium/medium-low heat (water bath should be a low simmer) for 10 minutes or so or until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently with a fork or whisk. Every minute or two should be fine - this does not require constant whisking.

Notes

I love lemon, so the 1:1:1 ratio yields a very tangy Hollandaise sauce. If you like your Hollandaise sauce less tart, add more butter or reduce the lemon juice to taste. For a much less lemony (more traditional) sauce, double the butter and quarter the lemon juice (1:4:8 ratio of lemon:yolks:butter). 
If sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out by adding hot water from the sauce pan into the sauce one spoonful at a time, whisking to combine thoroughly.
Scale the recipe up or down as much as you need - 1:1:1 for each person (for extra-lemony version).
 
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115 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Nice technique good results arrived at easily. Thanks.
    Now looking for adaptation for béarnaise using the same technique. Instead of either 1TB or 4TB of lemon juice, substitute 1TB or 4TB of reduced white wine vinegar, shallot and black pepper?? Haven’t tried it yet, wondering if you had?
    There is no Béarnaise recipe on the site at all. Thanks

  2. 5 stars
    OMG! Love everything about this recipe! The easy method and easy clean up and the ability to vary it. Used 4 yolks, 6 tbs butter, 3 tbs lemon juice and a little cayenne pepper and had the best Eggs Benedict ever. You’ve replaced the recipe I’ve used for 75 years! Thank you Caroline!

  3. I loved this recipe! I’m wondering since I’m out of butter if 5 tbs oil could be a good substitute for butter

  4. 5 stars
    First time trying to make hollandaise sauce myself. I used Country Crock “plant butter” (the avocado oil one) because I’m dairy free and it worked really well! My sauce thickened up too quick and almost curdled, so I added some of the hot water from the pan the measuring cup was in and it turned out silky smooth! I used the 4:4:4 recipe but only added about 3 tbsp of lemon juice (what I had left in my fridge) and also added dried garlic, cayenne, and a little s&p. Paired so well with blackened salmon and roasted broccoli!

    1. I’m so glad your hollandaise turned out well! Blackened salmon and broccoli is on our menu almost every week, but I’ve never added hollandaise. I’ll have to try them together sometime!

  5. 5 stars
    I can’t believe how easy and delicious this recipe is, thank you! Really glad I found it, no more blenders!

  6. 3 stars
    I walked away from it for 20 seconds to grab an English muffin … this was long enough for my eggs to separate and scramble. Trying again, but I’m whisking it religiously on low heat, which defeats the purpose of trying this method… 3 stars because it seems to work for others, and I haven’t given up yet!

  7. 5 stars
    I wish I could leave a 10 STAR rating for this recipe. Being the only one in our house who loves Egg Benedict of which I can only eat one, I will forever be grateful to you for posting this recipe.
    This method is the easiest, quickest, method for making Hollandale sauce without the time consuming constant whisking over a double boiler, dragging out the Blender or Immersion blender for a small amount of the sauce. I can see I will be eating this delightful breakfast more often as well as Hollandale sauce on asparagus or other dishes.
    I will be sharing this method with friends and family to also enjoy…

  8. 5 stars
    Made this sauce today! It was delicious and easy to make! It was my first time trying it and mine came out a bit thick. Will adjust my cook time the next time I make it.

  9. 3 stars
    The recipe was simple and the texture was great, but the lemon turned bitter as it cooked. I would leave the lemon out until the very end and add it fresh. Otherwise a good recipe.

  10. 1 star
    Nope, nope, nope. Followed said recipe exactly. Tastes like a dumpster fire. I wish I could’ve found a different recipe. Don’t use this one save yourself some eggs and butter,

  11. I messed with the technique and it still came out perfect. I microwaved a tablespoon of butter in my coffee cup (60 seconds), then added the lemon juice and then the egg yolk. I had a small skillet that I had just used to fry my egg, which was now cooling with no flame but still hot. I dumped my ingredients in the skillet, stirred it until it was thick (about 1 or 2 min.) and had an amazing hollandaise sauce with no lumps. Thanks for a great recipe.

  12. Any ideas for how it could go from beautiful in the pan to getting chunky as soon as I pulled it out of the water? I was also trying to use vegan butter which could have caused the separation. I was so excited. Then so sad. Haha.

  13. 5 stars
    I love hollandaise sauce, but the recipes have been so complicated…or I was fearful of ending up with scrambled eggs. I recently started a low carb diet and hollandaise sauce is just fine and low carb….no English muffin, but several slices of ham, a poached egg…and your sauce! I was in heaven! It was so easy and quick…I’m sure I will be enjoying it on many foods in the future. Glad I discovered you, Caroline!

  14. 5 stars
    This has been my first successful attempt at making hollandaise sauce and I’m SHOOK.

    I’ve already “taste tested” a third of the sauce!

  15. I will never make hollandaise another way ever again….I too, have always been one of the “the lemonier, the better” types and am so glad this sauce delivered the tang! Thank you!

  16. 4 stars
    I have never tried hollandaise before and I’ve always wanted too. I have no clue why I picked yours out of the hundreds I looked at butt……….I love it. The first thing I tried it with was artichoke then asparagus. It tastes nothing like I thought it would. I didn’t know it was lemony. I like lemon with alot of savory type stuff but I think I used too much for my taste. Next time I’ll put half but for now I’m going to make a poached egg to use the rest of this sauce up. I really like the way you explained your recipe. When I’m told the reasons behind what I’m doing it always turns out better for me. Easier too.

      1. Wow Caroline! I have made all manner of sauces for years all from scratch including cooking for competition at the Sydney Royal. Your recipe for Easy Hollandaise Sauce was fabulous, soooo lemony and very very easy to control in a frantic kitchen with lots going on. I love the water bath idea in the jug with readily available hot water in the saucepan to keep the sauce at just the perfect consistency. Very easy to manage and no risk of overheating whilst awaiting steamed snapper fillets or poached asparagus to be perfect! Thank you so much! I made your recipe with 8 butter, 4 lemon and 4 egg yokes. Lemony and creamy. Mmmmm best ever!

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