Equipment
Ingredients
Sauce Base
- 115 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g dijon mustard
- 1 g fine sea salt
- 1 g cayenne pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 237 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 1 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 110 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 159 mg
- Potassium
- 25 mg
- Calcium
- 20 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 2 mg
- Phosphorus
- 43 mg
- Zinc
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 236 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.06 mg
- Niacin
- 0.0 mg
- Folate
- 15 mcg
- Water
- 12 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is bubbling hot, reaching approximately 90°C/195°F. Remove from the heat.
Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fine sea salt, and cayenne pepper into a tall blending cup.
Submerge the immersion blender into the cup and blend for 5 seconds until the yolk mixture is smooth and slightly pale.
With the blender running continuously on high speed, very slowly pour the hot butter into the cup in a thin, steady stream. The hot butter will gently temper the yolks and emulsify into a thick, creamy sauce.
Serve immediately while warm over eggs, vegetables, or proteins.
Chef's Notes
- Using a tall, narrow blending cup is essential for this method, as the blades must be fully submerged in the shallow pool of egg yolks before the butter is added.
- The butter must be hot enough to gently heat the egg yolks as it emulsifies, but avoid letting it brown unless you intentionally want a noisette flavor profile.
- A tiny dab of Dijon mustard acts as an emulsification insurance policy, providing natural stabilizers without heavily altering the classic flavor.
- Because the eggs are only gently warmed and not fully cooked to food safety standard temperatures, always use pasteurized eggs if serving to vulnerable populations.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 day — Store in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat over a warm water bath whisking constantly, or in 5-second microwave bursts at 50 percent power. High heat will break the emulsion.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is thin and watery or has separated into butter and liquid layers
Cause: Butter was poured too quickly, or the butter was not hot enough to form an emulsion.
Fix: Place a fresh egg yolk and 5ml of warm water in a clean cup. Blend, then slowly stream the broken sauce into the new yolk.
Prevention: Ensure butter is bubbling hot and pour it in a very slow, thin stream while blending continuously.
Sauce is too thick and heavy
Cause: Moisture evaporation or simply an overly tight emulsion.
Fix: Whisk in warm water 2ml at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Prevention: Measure butter and lemon juice accurately.
Cultural Context
Originating in France, Hollandaise is one of the five mother sauces in classical French cuisine, famously accompanying Eggs Benedict and fresh asparagus. While the traditional method requires careful, continuous whisking over a double boiler to achieve the perfect emulsion, this modern immersion blender technique uses the sheer mechanical force of the blades to create the exact same luxurious texture in a fraction of the time.
