Julia Child Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

The sauce that scares people. The one that curdles just when you need it most. Except Julia Child Hollandaise Sauce isn’t hard at all. Warmed egg yolks, melted butter added drop by drop, a squeeze of lemon. Ten minutes and you have liquid velvet for pouring over eggs Benedict.

Julia addresses the fear directly on pages 79-83 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking: “It is probably the most famous of all sauces, and is often the most dreaded.” But then she teaches you to make it in five minutes by hand. And she includes the blender method for when you need it even faster.

The trick? Patience at the beginning. The yolks need gentle heat and the butter needs to go in slowly. Rush either one and the sauce breaks. Take your time and it works every time.

I used to think hollandaise was restaurant-only territory. Now I make it on Tuesday mornings.

What is hollandaise sauce? An emulsion of egg yolks and butter, flavored with lemon juice. The foundation of Eggs Benedict and the base for Béarnaise and other daughter sauces.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Not as scary as you’ve heard: Gentle heat and slow butter. That’s the whole secret.
• Done in ten minutes: Including setup.
• Two methods included: Hand-beaten for purists, blender for speed.
• Fixable when something goes wrong: Julia teaches how to rescue every failure.
• The sauce that makes brunch: Eggs Benedict doesn’t exist without it.

Hand-Beaten vs. Blender

Julia taught both methods and respected both.

Hand-Beaten	Blender
Takes 5-7 minutes	Takes 2 minutes
Better control	Nearly foolproof
Traditional technique	Modern convenience
About 1-1½ cups yield	About ¾ cup yield

She wanted you to learn the hand method first because understanding egg yolks teaches you cooking forever. But the blender method works beautifully when you need breakfast fast.

Julia Child Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, Pages 79-83.

Hand-Beaten Method (1-1½ cups):

• 6-8 oz butter (1½-2 sticks)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tb cold water
• 1 Tb lemon juice
• Big pinch of salt
• 2 Tb cold butter (for stopping the cooking)
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Blender Method (¾ cup):

• 4 oz butter (1 stick)
• 3 egg yolks
• ¼ tsp salt
• Pinch of white pepper
• 1-2 Tb lemon juice

How To Make Julia Child Hollandaise Sauce (Hand-Beaten)

Step 1: Prep

1. Melt the butter: Cut into pieces, melt over moderate heat. Set aside.
2. Beat the yolks: Whisk in saucepan for about 1 minute until thick and sticky.
3. Add cold water, lemon, salt: Beat another 30 seconds.

Step 2: Thicken the Yolks

4. Add 1 Tb cold butter: Don’t beat it in yet.
5. Heat gently: Place over very low heat or barely simmering water. Stir constantly with whisk.
6. Watch for thickening: Takes 1-2 minutes. You’ll see the bottom of the pan between strokes.
7. If it heats too fast: Plunge bottom of pan in cold water, keep whisking.

Step 3: Add the Butter

8. Remove from heat: Beat in second tablespoon cold butter to stop cooking.
9. Add melted butter drop by drop: Just droplets at first. The sauce thickens to heavy cream.
10. Pour more steadily: Once thick, you can add butter faster. Leave the milky residue behind.
11. Season: Salt, white pepper, more lemon juice to taste.

How To Make Julia Child Hollandaise Sauce (Blender)

1. Put yolks, salt, pepper, 1 Tb lemon juice in blender jar.
2. Heat butter to foaming hot.
3. Blend yolks 2 seconds.
4. With blender running, pour in hot butter in thin stream.
5. Two-thirds in, you’ll have thick cream. Stop adding milky residue.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Hold in jar in tepid water. Not hot.

Recipe Tips

• Control the heat: Egg yolks need gentle warmth. Too fast and they scramble. Keep a pan of cold water nearby to dunk if needed.
• Slow at first: First quarter of the butter goes in by droplets. Once emulsion forms, you can pour faster.
• Leave the milk solids behind: The white residue at the bottom of the butter pan makes sauce watery.
• Keep it warm, not hot: Hollandaise held too warm thins or curdles. Lukewarm is right.
• White pepper, not black: Black pepper shows as specks. White keeps it golden.

How To Fix Broken Hollandaise

Julia taught this rescue method:

If it won’t thicken:

1. Rinse bowl with hot water.
2. Add 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 Tb of the broken sauce.
3. Whisk until creamy.
4. Add rest of sauce, half tablespoon at a time.
5. It always works.

If it curdles: A tablespoon of cold water whisked in often saves it. If not, use the method above.

Variations

Sauce Mousseline (With Whipped Cream): Fold ½ cup whipped cream into 1½ cups hollandaise. Lighter. Elegant with fish.

Sauce Maltaise (Orange Hollandaise): Use half lemon juice, half orange juice. Finish with more orange and grated zest. Perfect for asparagus.

Hollandaise with Egg Whites: Fold 2-3 beaten stiff egg whites into finished sauce. Lighter for soufflés.

With Fresh Herbs: Stir in minced parsley, chives, tarragon. Excellent on poached eggs or fish.

What To Serve With Hollandaise

• Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine
• Steamed asparagus
• Broccoli
• Artichokes
• Poached fish
• Fish soufflés

How To Hold Hollandaise

You can’t make it too far ahead, but it holds surprisingly well:

• Best method: Set saucepan in lukewarm (not hot) water. Stir occasionally. Holds 1 hour easily.
• Restaurant trick: Beat a tablespoon of béchamel into finished hollandaise. Stabilizes for longer holding.
• Leftover hollandaise: Refrigerate up to 2 days. Use as enrichment for other sauces. Or freeze.

Nutrition Facts

Per 2 Tb serving:

• Calories: 120 kcal
• Protein: 1g
• Total Fat: 13g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 0g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g
• Sodium: 85mg
• Cholesterol: 80mg

FAQs

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child, Pages 79-83

– Claire