Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Lemony, buttery hollandaise sauce is the quintessential accompaniment to brunch dishes like eggs benedict, but it’s also a versatile sauce that dresses up vegetables, seafood and grilled proteins. And tangy, creamy homemade hollandaise is easier to make than you might think—all you need are three ingredients and a whisk. Discover the secrets to Tyler Florence’s fool-proof hollandaise sauce recipe, including whisking techniques and the fail-safe test to ensure that your hollandaise is done. Plus, learn how to fix a broken hollandaise sauce.

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce Like a Pro

First, vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice to incorporate air. Tyler uses a wire whip to whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice in a stainless-steel bowl until the mixture has thickened and doubled in volume. It’s important to incorporate all this air to ensure the sauce is able to hold the butter without breaking.

Create a double boiler. When cooking your sauce, do so slowly and gently. Place the bowl of eggs over a saucepan containing barely simmering water, making sure the bottom doesn’t touch the water, and whisk very rapidly to prevent the eggs from getting too hot and scrambling.

Drizzle in warm melted butter and whisk to create an emulsion. Ensure that your melted butter is warm (not hot), then steadily drizzle it into the warmed yolk mixture, whisking constantly to emulsify the ingredients. Emulsification is the process of combining liquids that don’t usually mix, such as fat (butter) and water (egg yolks and lemon juice), into a uniform mixture. Keep whisking until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume again.

Test the hollandaise sauce’s consistency. Hollandaise sauce is done when it’s thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk is removed. Tyler suggests lifting the whisk and drizzling a figure eight, or to try the blow a rose test—gently blow air over the sauce, and the surface should fan out like rose petals.

Season the hollandaise sauce. Off the heat, whisk in a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper to season.

Keep hollandaise warm until ready to use. Tyler prepares the hollandaise, then places it in a warm spot until it's ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise

If your hollandaise sauce separates, simply whisk an egg yolk in a separate bowl, then slowly add the whisked yolk to the broken sauce, whisking constantly.

What to Serve Hollandaise With

Serve hollandaise sauce with egg dishes such as eggs benedict, as Tyler does with this hollandaise recipe, feeds-a-crowd Eggs Benedict Casserole, or Tyler’s Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs with Easy Hollandaise. With its lemony, buttery flavor profile, hollandaise can also be served with vegetables such as roasted asparagus or roasted potatoes, seafood dishes, like crab cakes or Tyler’s elegant-yet-easy Salmon en Papillote with Asparagus, Icicle Radish and Meyer Lemon Hollandaise, or proteins such as grilled chicken breasts or Tyler’s NY Strip Steak.