Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce

Eggs Benedict is the best part of brunch. Soft, poached eggs over warm Canadian bacon, toasted English muffin, and topped with an easy, homemade Hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise is a rich, smooth, buttery sauce made with only 5 simple ingredients. Make this brunch classic this weekend!

Eggs Benedict

When I go to brunch somewhere, I almost always order the eggs benedict! There’s just something about a warm English muffin topped with savory Canadian bacon and a perfectly poached egg that I can’t resist.

While the runny golden yolk is incredibly delicious, the best part of this breakfast might just be the homemade hollandaise sauce. As many times as I’ve had eggs benedict at a restaurant, I’ve never had a sauce as good as this one. It’s so worth the extra effort to whip it up!

History of Eggs Benedict

The history behind the Eggs Benedict is actually pretty fun! A man named Lemuel Benedict was dining at the Waldorf hotel in New York City with his wife, when he decided he was tired of having the same thing over and over again for breakfast.

Feeling inventive (and legend has it, possibly hungover), Mr. Benedict ordered poached eggs on top of Canadian bacon and English muffins, slathered in hollandaise sauce.

The chef who prepared it, chef Charles Ranhofer, went on later to publish the recipe in his cookbook in 1894. And, well, the rest is history!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for Hollandaise Sauce:

• Butter – Unsalted butter works best for the sauce.
• Eggs – You’ll need to separate the eggs and only use the yolks.
• Lemon – Use the fresh juice of half of a squeezed lemon. It’s much better than using a store-bought container of lemon juice!
• Salt – Sea salt is recommended for best flavor.
• Cayenne Pepper – Just a pinch is needed for a hint of spice.

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict:

• English Muffins – Any brand will do, just keep in mind that you’ll want them relatively thick, so they absorb the egg yolks and hollandaise sauce.
• Eggs
• White Vinegar – This will be used to poach the eggs.
• Canadian Bacon – Canadian bacon can be substituted with pork bacon, turkey bacon, ham, or smoked salmon.
• Fresh Herbs – Dill weed, parsley, or chives all make fantastic fresh garnishes for eggs benedict.

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce

Start by melting the butter in the microwave or in a sauce pot on the stove.

Then, heat up water in a double boiler. Be sure to not put the top part on yet, or you will cook your eggs!

Whisk the eggs and lemon juice in the top part of the double boiler, but not over the hot water. Whisk vigorously!

NOTE: To make it easy, use a hand blender with a whisk attachment to make Hollandaise Sauce.

Once thoroughly whisked, place the top pot onto the bottom pot and start slowly drizzling in the butter while constantly whisking. Be careful not to drizzle the butter in too quickly.

Continue to whisk the sauce vigorously until it lightens in color. It should also thicken tremendously.

Take the sauce off of the heat and stir in the seasonings.

Then, transfer the delicious hollandaise sauce into a serving dish and cover it with Saran Wrap while preparing the Eggs Benedict.

How to Make Eggs Benedict

To make the poached eggs easier to add to the water, crack them into individual small bowls.

You’ll also want to prepare by toasting the English muffins and searing the Canadian bacon.

Then, fill up a pot with at least 3 inches of water. Bring the water to a gentle boil, then add a teaspoon of white vinegar.

Carefully add each egg to the hot water one at a time. Cook each egg for approximately 3-3 1/2 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the water carefully, as you don’t want to break the yolk.

While the eggs are cooking for 3 minutes, use that time to put together the English muffins and Canadian bacon.

That way, when the eggs are done cooking, you can carefully place them on top of a prepared eggs benedict base.

Generously drizzle hollandaise sauce on top of each eggs benedict. Garnish the eggs benedict with your choice of fresh herbs, and enjoy!

Where To Use Hollandaise Sauce

If you have any hollandaise sauce left over, rejoice! There are so many incredible ways to enjoy this homemade sauce.

I love drizzling hollandaise sauce over Eggs Florentine, cooked vegetables like broccoli and asparagus, and breakfast dishes like Crustless Quiche and Sausage Breakfast Casserole.

How to Store Hollandaise Sauce

Store this homemade sauce either in a plastic zip-top bag, or in a glass food storage container. Personally, I keep it in a glass food storage container and place a sheet of plastic wrap over the sauce and make sure it’s touching the sauce before closing the airtight container.

Hollandaise sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

To reheat Hollandaise sauce, I do not recommend using the microwave, because you run a high risk of it overheating quickly. Instead, reheat the sauce slowly in a bottom heavy sauce pot over medium-low heat. Make sure to stir it slowly while it’s reheating.

Other Meats To Use In Eggs Benedict

If you don’t love Canadian bacon, there are so many other options for protein or vegetables. Get creative and use:

Smoked Salmon

Hot Smoked Salmon

Bacon

Ham

Crab Cakes

Pulled Pork

Roasted Vegetables

Host the Best Brunch

There are two cardinal rules for hosting the best brunch – you must serve delicious food and refreshing cocktails!

When you serve this delicious Eggs Benedict, make sure you accompany them with some of these brunch-favorite cocktails.

• Grapefruit Sangria
• Bloody Mary
• Peach Bellini
• Irish Coffee

You can also accompany your Eggs Benedict crunch with other dishes like French Toast and Ricotta Pancakes.

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in February, 2014. Updated March 29, 2021.