The longer I observe myself and others both in and out of the kitchen, the more I realize we often make things harder on ourselves than need be. Take Hollandaise sauce. True, the classic is lovely. But then, so is this five-minute, five-ingredient blender rendition from French blogger, food writer, and mother of three, Keda Black. Suffice it to say it’s far less exacting, time-consuming, and messy than the classic, yet compromises nothing in taste, texture, or bragging rights. Enough said.–Keda Black
LC What Goes With Hollandaise? Note
Eggs. Steak. Steak and eggs. Eggs Benedict. Asparagus. Artichokes. New potatoes. Crab. Lobster. Salmon. (Shall we go on? We could. But we think you, too, know the potential this blender jar of dapper sauce possesses…)
☞ Contents
Quick Blender Hollandaise
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Let bubble for 10 to 15 minutes and then pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth, discarding the milky solids, or simply pour off the clarified butter, leaving the milky solids in the bottom of the pan.
- Place the egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until the mixture is foamy.
- With the blender running, gradually add the clarified butter in a thin stream.
- Season with salt and pepper, and it’s ready! The sauce should be served immediately.
Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is so simple, but oh-so delicious. I’ve been craving some good Eggs Benedict lately, but was dreading making the hollandaise. Well, guess what we had for Sunday breakfast? We love hollandaise sauce, but until now, it hasn’t been that easy to make. The instructions for making clarified butter are much easier than the way I usually make it, as well. This recipe is a breeze, and the results were fantastic. It’s definitely going into my recipe files, and I can’t wait for some asparagus so I can make it again.
This is hollandaise for the masses! Easy, foolproof, and delicious. It was velvety smooth, and no one would’ve guessed it was so easy to make—almost too easy, actually, if you love hollandaise and want to keep your waistline…
This recipe came together so fast, and was so delicious. I would’ve preferred an approximate time for blending the yolks and lemon juice, as my “foamy” might not be someone else’s—should it have been lemon-yellow and foamy, or a darker yellow and foamy? I also should’ve used a lipped pan, because there was some splatter when pouring the butter into the blender. Outside of that, the season was right on—a hint of lemon to enliven the sauce. My testers loved it.
The longest part of this recipe was waiting for the butter to clarify. After this was done, I finished in two minutes, at most. Way to go, simple sauce! The bonus is the beautiful clarified butter—I made extra, so I can make another hollandaise. I can’t wait to see where else I can use this.
It’s so nice to have a recipe for such an impressive and versatile sauce that has only three ingredients! My fiancé said this was the best hollandaise sauce he’d ever had. He was even more impressed when I told him about the recipe’s simplicity. The thickness of the sauce and the balance of lemon were exactly right. We poured some of the sauce over roasted asparagus. I can only imagine that this would be great on Eggs Benedict, or even a nice filet mignon. (It probably would be good on just about everything but the kitchen sink.) My only comment about the recipe itself is that if the reader doesn’t have cheesecloth to strain the clarified butter, removing the white solids from the melted butter works well with a simple spoon.
This recipe is so easy to make! The ingredients are simple, and the sauce thickened nicely in the blender. I was worried that the heat of the clarified butter might curdle the egg yolk, but it worked out fine. Next time, I might add a bit more lemon juice, or even vary it with another citrus for a different twist.
I was worried about making this recipe because the word “hollandaise” always has been a little scary for me. But knowing it would go well with my fresh asparagus, I decided to give it a try. I had a little trouble at the start, as I cook with gas and didn’t have the flame low enough, so the butter turned brown. I knew this wouldn’t make a pretty sauce so I started over, making sure to keep the flame very low. The rest was easy. I served crab cakes with the asparagus and roasted potatoes, and the color of the sauce was a beautiful contrast to the rest of the meal—but it was the taste that was the real hit! We all agreed the sauce tasted great on the crab and potatoes, too. I’ll definitely make this again.
I was unsure whether this blender version would be as successful as the whisked version (in many ways I am a purist!), but I was short on time and wanted to make something quickly. It paid off. I still prefer the classic method, because I just enjoy making it. But this came quite close, actually. It was velvety and creamy and so versatile. I used it on eggs Benedict with gorgeous farm eggs and local ham. Not only does the Hollandaise taste good, it is simple enough for a child to make!
Originally published May 04, 2011
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I am using this technique for bearnaise. Can this recipe be successfully doubled?
Den, we haven’t tried doubling the recipe, so we can’t guarantee success, and we all know how finicky Hollandaise can be! That said, I can’t see a reason why it wouldn’t work, as long as you exercise patience when adding the butter, and do it very slowly.
To make it even easier start with Trader Joe’s clarified butter. This recipe is a winner and I’m looking forward to eggs Florentine for dinner tonight. I can’t wait all those hours until breakfast for it.
Maralyn, please let me know how it turns out. (And thanks for the tip about Trader Joe’s clarified butter.)
My mom had a little book by Erma Bombeck (IIRC) that had Blender Hollandaise in it. I, maybe 12- or 13-years old, announced I was going to make Hollandaise to have with asparagus at dinner. My mother scoffed and tried to dissuade me from wasting all those eggs and all that butter. But when the time came to taste, Blender Hollandaise was a huge success. I don’t remember that old recipe, it had more spices — salt, pepper, mustard? — but this is such a foolproof technique. I don’t think I’ve ever made Hollandaise the classic way.
Also, what is it in the last 10-15 years or so that you can’t get decent Hollandaise in even a fairly good restaurant. The last I had was more like drawn butter with scrambled eggs in it. Yuck. When I sent it back, I was told that I just didn’t know what good Hollandaise was. Yeah, right. Ever seen a picture of the sauce that looked like clotted eggs in drawn butter???
Totally agree, Ruthie. Some restaurants just don’t get it. Perhaps we should tell them to check our site for an easy version???
I love this simple sauce it is a keeper, thank you
Sue, this entire book by Keda Black is a keeper. It has a trove of sauces both simple and sophisticated. So yes, thank you, Keda!
My mother always made this, never ‘clarified’ the hot butter, and the results were always excellent. Add a bit of tarragon for Bearnaise, perhaps, on your filet Mignon?
I agree, Carol. Simple is usually best. I sometimes sub tarragon vinegar for the lemon juice when making Bearnaise. It also goes nice with a variety of green vegetables.