Simple & Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Name: Simple & Easy Hollandaise Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 egg yolks; 2 tbsp water; 250 g unsalted butter; Juice of 1/2 lemon; Salt, to taste

20 min prepApproximately 10-20 minutes

Updated 6 Mar 2026

Hollandaise sauce might sound fancy, but it’s actually easy to make at home – no special tools or chef skills required! All you need is a little patience and gentle stirring🩷. This creamy, buttery sauce is a classic with asparagus, goes perfectly with salmon, and is what makes eggs Benedict so irresistible. Once you learn how to make it, you’ll find yourself using it again and again to dress up vegetables, fish, or brunch dishes.

Ingredients

For 4 to 6 people:

4 egg yolks
2 tbsp water
250 g unsalted butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt, to taste

Simple & Easy Hollandaise Sauce ingredients

How to make it

1/ Melt the Butter: Melt the butter in the microwave or gently over a double boiler. Set it aside to cool slightly. 2/ Whisk the Egg Yolks and Water: In a small saucepan, add the egg yolks and water. Whisk them together until well combined.

3/ Gently Heat While Whisking: Place the saucepan over very low heat, and whisk constantly. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and slightly thickened.

4/ Add the Butter Slowly: Once the egg yolk mixture has a creamy texture, similar to mayonnaise, start adding the melted butter a little at a time, whisking continuously until fully incorporated.

5/ Season and Serve: Add the lemon juice and salt gradually, tasting as you go. Adjust the seasoning to your preference, and serve.

Good to know

🌟Helpful Notes for Making Hollandaise Sauce🌟

⭐️Not Too Much? Just Halve It: This recipe makes about 400–450 ml of sauce. If that sounds like too much, feel free to halve the ingredients. It still works beautifully—just adjust to match your needs!

⭐️Why Unsalted Butter 🧈Matters: Always use unsalted butter for Hollandaise sauce. Salted or demi-sel butter can easily make the sauce too salty and unbalanced. Using unsalted butter gives you full control over the flavor.

⭐️Try It with Other Dishes: Looking for ways to use your Hollandaise sauce? It’s perfect with vegetables, fish, or brunch favorites.
Check out a German-inspired recipe using Hollandaise sauce!

👉White Asparagus with Ham and Hollandaise from Germany