Eggs Benedict with hollandaise is a toasted English muffin topped with seared Canadian bacon, a soft poached egg and warm, buttery sauce. The hollandaise is what worries most people, but a gentle double boiler and slow butter make it steady. This recipe puts the steps in an order that has everything hot at once. It serves four in about 35 minutes.
Double boiler vs blender hollandaise
Hollandaise is what turns an egg on a muffin into eggs Benedict, and there are two reliable ways to make it. The whisk method cooks the yolks more, so the sauce is thicker and more stable. The blender method is faster and nearly foolproof, but the yolks barely cook, which makes the sauce thinner and less suitable for anyone who should avoid undercooked eggs.
| Double boiler and whisk | Blender | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | About 6 minutes | About 2 minutes |
| Texture | Thick, light, holds its shape | Thinner, pourable |
| How cooked are the yolks? | Gently thickened by heat | Only warmed by the hot butter |
| Holds for | 30 to 60 minutes kept warm | 10 to 15 minutes |
For the blender version, blend the yolks, lemon juice and salt for 5 seconds, then pour in butter heated until it's bubbling, in a thin stream with the motor running. It's ready in about 30 seconds.
Why hollandaise breaks, and how to stop it
Hollandaise is an emulsion: tiny droplets of butter held in lightly cooked egg yolk. It breaks when the yolks get too hot and scramble, or when butter goes in faster than the yolks can take it. Control both and it behaves.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of barely simmering water. The bowl shouldn't touch the water.
- Whisk the yolks, lemon juice and water constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale, thick and doubled in volume.
- Lift the bowl off the heat. Pour in the hot melted butter a few drops at first, then in a thin stream, whisking the whole time.
- Season with salt and cayenne, and thin with a teaspoon of warm water if it's stiffer than soft yogurt.
If the yolks start to look lumpy at the edges, pull the bowl off the heat and keep whisking. Moving on and off the pan is normal, and the bowl holds more heat than you'd expect.
The order that gets every part hot at once
There are four hot components, and two of them, the sauce and the eggs, don't wait well. Working in this order puts everything on the plate together:
- Put the poaching water on first, since a wide pan of water takes a while to reach a simmer.
- Make the hollandaise while the water heats, then leave it over the saucepan with the burner off. It holds for up to an hour.
- Sear the Canadian bacon and keep it on a warm plate.
- Toast the muffins and set them on plates with the bacon on top.
- Poach the eggs last, because they're the only part that can't sit.
If the hollandaise has thickened by the time the eggs are ready, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water. Warm the plates in a 200°F oven if you can, since the sauce cools quickly on cold china.
How do you poach eight eggs without crowding the pan?
Eight eggs at once will crowd a pan and drop the water temperature, so the whites spread and cook unevenly. Poach them in two batches of four in a wide, deep skillet or sauté pan with 3 inches of water at a bare simmer. Crack each egg into its own small cup first so you can slide them in quickly, clockwise around the pan, and remove them in the same order.
A splash of vinegar helps the whites set faster, which matters more when several eggs share a pan. Draining the thin whites through a sieve, the way it's done for avocado toast with a poached egg, gives even neater results if you have time.
For a relaxed brunch, poach the eggs up to a day ahead. Cook them for 3 minutes, move them into ice water, and refrigerate them covered in water. Rewarm in hot, not simmering, water for 60 to 90 seconds just before plating.
Is lightly cooked hollandaise safe to serve?
Both the hollandaise and the poached eggs are lightly cooked, and runny yolks aren't cooked to a firm set. The USDA's shell egg guidance recommends pasteurized eggs for recipes that call for raw or lightly cooked eggs. The FDA advises people at higher risk, such as older adults and people with weakened immune systems, to avoid undercooked eggs.
Pasteurized in shell eggs are sold in most large supermarkets and work in both the sauce and the poaching pan, though their whites are a little looser. If you're serving someone at higher risk, use them for the hollandaise and poach that person's egg for 5 to 6 minutes, until the yolk is firm.
Keep hollandaise warm, not hot, and use it within about an hour. Don't save leftovers.
Florentine, Royale and other swaps
Once you can make the base, the classic swaps are easy. Keep the muffin, egg and sauce, and change the layer in between:
- Eggs Florentine: sauteed spinach with a little garlic in place of the bacon.
- Eggs Royale: smoked salmon instead of bacon, with a few capers or dill.
- Crab Benedict: lump crab meat warmed in butter, or a small crab cake.
- Country Benedict: a buttermilk biscuit instead of the muffin, with sausage.
For a full brunch, set a platter of buttermilk pancakes next to the Benedicts so the table has something sweet, and add a bowl of fruit. Assemble the plates only when everyone's sitting down, since the muffins soften fast under the sauce.
The recipe
Eggs Benedict with Easy Homemade Hollandaise
Ingredients
For the hollandaise
- 3 large egg yolks (pasteurized if serving anyone at higher risk)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and hot
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
For the Benedicts
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 8 large eggs, very fresh
- 8 slices Canadian bacon (about 6 ounces / 170 g)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 English muffins, split
- Chopped chives and sweet paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the poaching water. Fill a wide, deep skillet with 3 inches of water, add the vinegar and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat. Keep it there while you make the sauce.
- Cook the yolks. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Whisk the yolks, lemon juice and water constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until pale, thick and doubled in volume.
- Whisk in the butter. Take the bowl off the heat and whisk in the hot butter a few drops at a time, then in a thin stream, until thick and glossy. Season with salt and cayenne. Keep warm over the saucepan with the heat off.
- Sear the bacon. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the Canadian bacon for 1 to 2 minutes per side until browned at the edges. Keep it warm on a plate.
- Toast the muffins. Toast the English muffin halves until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes in a toaster or under the broiler. Set two halves on each plate and top each with a slice of bacon.
- Poach the eggs. Crack each egg into a small cup. Slide 4 eggs into the simmering water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks jiggle. Lift out with a slotted spoon, blot, and repeat with the rest.
- Assemble and serve. Set a poached egg on each bacon topped muffin half, spoon about 2 tablespoons of hollandaise over each and finish with chives and a pinch of paprika. Serve immediately.
Cook's notes
- If the hollandaise splits, whisk 1 tablespoon of warm water in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken sauce into it, a spoonful at a time, until it comes back together.
- Hollandaise holds for up to an hour in a warmed thermos or in a bowl over hot water, off the heat. It doesn't reheat, so don't save leftovers.
- Poached eggs can be made a day ahead and rewarmed in hot water for 60 to 90 seconds.
Eggs Benedict questions
Why did my hollandaise split?
Hollandaise splits when the yolks get too hot and scramble, or when the butter goes in too fast for them to absorb. You'll see a greasy, curdled look. Rescue it by whisking a tablespoon of warm water in a clean bowl, then adding the broken sauce slowly, a spoonful at a time, whisking until it turns smooth again.
How long will hollandaise hold before serving?
About an hour. Hollandaise can't be chilled and reheated because the butter solidifies and the emulsion breaks. Keep it warm in a thermos rinsed with hot water, or in a bowl set over a pan of hot water with the burner off. Whisk it briefly before serving, adding a teaspoon of warm water if it has thickened.
What's the difference between Canadian bacon and ham?
Canadian bacon, as sold in the US, is cured and smoked pork loin cut into lean, round slices that fit an English muffin neatly. Ham usually comes from the leg and is often fattier and sweeter. Thick sliced deli ham works fine in its place; sear it the same way for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
How do you keep poached eggs warm for eggs Benedict?
Hold finished poached eggs in a bowl of hot tap water, around 140°F, for up to 10 minutes while you cook the rest. The water keeps them warm without cooking the yolks further. Lift each one out with a slotted spoon and blot the bottom on a paper towel before setting it on the muffin, so no water pools under the sauce.
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