Hollandaise is an indulgent, buttery sauce in the ‘emulsion sauce’ category and is a staple of French cooking. Delicious served over poached eggs and seasonal asparagus, the key to getting hollandaise right is creating the harmonious blend of egg yolks and butter. Follow our guide and get it right every time.

At its most basic, hollandaise is simply egg yolks and butter heated and whisked together, although most chefs add a little vinegar and/or lemon juice and sometimes a pinch of cayenne pepper. 

There are a few key steps. First you must gently melt butter, then take off the heat. Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, or put into a roasting tin filled with hot water as a warm bain marie. Add egg yolks (reserving the whites, see below) to the bowl along with white wine vinegar and whisk while warming the mixture until it starts to thicken. Pour in the melted butter slowly, whisking all the time, until it is all fully incorporated and you have a smooth, thick sauce. Season before serving

There are a few key things to watch out for here, firstly it’s important to add your butter very slowly, whisking it right in as you go. Also make sure the heat under your eggs and butter isn’t too high otherwise the eggs will curdle. The water in your pan should be barely simmering, or if you are using the bain marie method the water should be hand hot ie you can comfortably dip your finger in. 

If you see your sauce getting thick and greasy, this is a sign it may be about to split. If this happens take it off the heat, and add a little room temperature water, stirring in the water drawing in the mixture around it slowly. This should bring it back and you should be able to carry on adding your butter from here. However if your sauce does completely split, put a fresh egg yolk in a bowl and vinegar and heat and whisk as before, then gradually add in your split hollandaise as you would have added the butter previously. You may need to add a little more melted butter to get the right consistency as you will now have more egg in your sauce.

This is a sauce that is best served warm. After making, it will keep, set over the pan of warm water or in a bain marie, for up to 30 mins. A good tip, that many chefs swear by, is to store the warm sauce in a thermos, where it will keep its temperature for a couple of hours. If you do want to make your hollandaise ahead of time it can be kept for up to two days in the fridge, however reheating can be tricky as it is hard not to cook the eggs, so it may be best to serve cold if you go down this route.

You can chill hollandaise and store in a lidded container or zip-lock bag, pressing out the air, for up to 3 months. However you must thaw the sauce and very gently heat over a pan of barely simmering water, again watching out that the eggs don’t cook. 

It is possible to make hollandaise in a blender, adding the eggs and vinegar to the jug, then pouring in a little melted butter and whizz until an emulsion is formed. Then you can add the rest of your butter very slowly, blending all the time, until you have the desired consistency. Be careful not to add the milk solids here as this can make the sauce thin.

Once you have separated your yolks for your hollandaise, the whites can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. Use them to whip up a protein-rich egg white omelette. They can also be frozen for up to three months, just defrost overnight before using in recipes such as meringues, in royal icing or as a glaze for pastry. Try Ollie Moore’s simple but delicious citrus meringue 

Bernaise is a derivative of hollandaise made with the same key components of egg yolks, vinegar and butter, but flavoured with tarragon and sometimes shallots. Make your own by following Shaun Rankin’s method and enjoy with steak. 

For hollandaise sauce inspiration see Anna Hansen's Tea-smoked Alaska salmon, poached eggs, spinach with yuzu Hollandaise, Marcus Wareing's Crab Benedict and Geoffrey Smeddle's Feuilleté of poached quail's egg with Hollandaise sauce. Salmon and asparagus are also natural partners for this velvety sauce, try Graham Campbell’s Steamed salmon fillet with asparagus spears and red onion Hollandaise for the perfect combination of flavours.