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Foolproof 2-Minute Hollandaise Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

J. Kenji López-Alt

This four-ingredient immersion blender hollandaise is foolproof, and only takes two minutes to make.

Published: Last Updated:
Foolproof 2-Minute Hollandaise Recipe

[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]

Traditional hollandaise is notoriously difficult to make. Cook the eggs too much and you get scrambled eggs. Don't cook them enough, and your sauce won't thicken. Allow your sauce to cool as you make it, and your butterfat will crystallize, breaking your sauce. But there's a super easy way to do it at home that requires no whisking and produces a hollandaise that's indistinguishable from one made using traditional methods. This quick hollandaise, emulsified with an immersion blender, is foolproof.

Check here for a full video walkthrough of the process.

Read more: Video: The Food Lab's Foolproof Hollandaise in 2 Minutes

  • Yield:makes about 1 1/2 cups
  • Active time: 1 minute
  • Total time:2 minutes
  • Rated: 4.3888888888889

Ingredients

  • 1 egg yolk (about 35 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon water (about 5 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon (about 5 grams)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons, about 112 grams)
  • Pinch cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired)

Directions

  1. 1.

    Combine egg yolk, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cup that barely fits the head of an immersion blender. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup.

  2. 2.

    Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and lemon juice. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired). Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Hollandaise cannot be cooled and reheated. Check here for a full video walkthrough of the process.

Review: The Best Hand (Immersion) Blenders
This Recipe Appears In
Video: The Food Lab's Foolproof Hollandaise in 2 Minutes

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