2-Minute Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Inspired by Julia's recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this 2-Minute Blender Hollandaise Sauce is nearly foolproof.

2-Minute Blender Hollandaise atop a Smoked Salmon Benedict is brunch perfection.

Jump to:

• Why this Recipe Works
• How to Make this Recipe
• FAQs & Expert Tips
• French-inspired Recipes
• 2- Minute Blender Hollandaise

Why this Recipe Works

If you have ever made hollandaise sauce from scratch before, you know that it can be a huge pain with a high failure rate. Without just the right combination of hot butter and whisking skills, the sauce will break and separate. And if that happens, there is very little that can be done to save it.

Which is just another reason to love Julia. (Childs. Do I even need to write that?)

In the vast collection of culinary advice that Julia left to us, her blender hollandaise recipe is one of the things I turned to most often. Which is fitting, because it stands as a metaphor for so much of what she gave us: methods that transform hitherto Herculean culinary challenges into easy, accessible tasks.

In the case of hollandaise sauce, the task is one that (as Julia put it) "even an eight-year old can do."

About those Uncooked Eggs

This sauce uses uncooked egg yolks. That isn't something I really worry about (ever!) but if you are a worrier, this may help: According to multiple sources, the friction of the blender blades and the heat of the melted butter cook the egg yolk during the emulsion process. 

Nevertheless, in the interest of avoiding salmonella and other food-borne illnesses, it is always good to use caution when consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs. The FDA offers guidelines for safe egg use in such cases, including the use of pasteurized eggs.

No matter what kind of eggs you use though, always choose fresh, clean eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the outer shell.

How to Make this Recipe

NOTE: The only tweak I've made to Julia's original blender hollandaise recipe is to add a little cayenne or hot sauce to give the sauce just a bit of a kick. Otherwise, I'm not messing with a classic. 

Place egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a blender pitcher.

Pulse for a few seconds to blend.

Cut up the butter and place it in a small saucepan. Heat it until it is completely melted and foamy.

I sometimes melt the butter for this in a microwave, but if you do this, make sure that the butter is bubbling when you take it out or it won’t be hot enough to “cook” the sauce.

Start up the blender on high and uncover. Immediately start pouring the hot melted butter in a very thin stream.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have patience here – under no circumstances should the pouring process be rushed.

My blender has a little hole at the top through which you can pour liquids while it is running. I hope that yours does too! You may choose to omit the milk solids at the bottom of the pan, but I usually go ahead and add them. I don’t find that there is much difference in the consistency of my sauce, and I hate to throw anything away.

The sauce will begin to thicken before you have added all the butter.

Taste the sauce and add more lemon juice and seasonings if desired.

Hollandaise sauce should be used immediately. If it sets out too long, it will begin to solidify.

FAQs & Expert Tips

We all know Hollandaise Sauce is delicious over eggs Benedict, but it raises a variety of other dishes from delicious to decadent as well, including:

• Salmon
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Steak
• Crab cakes
• Scallops
• Artichokes
• Deviled eggs
• Baked potatoes

French-inspired Recipes

Who doesn't love an indulgent French recipe? Try our Classic French Onion Soup! Our tried-and-true, easy-to-make recipe is rich, savory, and satisfying to the bone.

If you're looking for dessert, look no further than our Classic Crème Brûlée. It's surprisingly easy to make (plus, you get to play with fire)!

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