If there is one sauce that defines the perfect luxury weekend brunch, it is Hollandaise Sauce. Rich, buttery, and velvety smooth, it is the crowning glory of Eggs Benedict. However, for those of us on a gluten free journey, dining out for brunch can often be fraught with anxiety. While traditional French Hollandaise is naturally gluten free, many restaurants and store-bought packets use wheat flour or starch as a cheap thickening agent.
That is why making it at home is not just a culinary flex, it is a safety necessity. The good news? It is shockingly easy. Forget the rumours that Hollandaise is difficult; with this fool-proof gluten free recipe, you will be pouring restaurant-quality “liquid gold” over your poached eggs in less than 10 minutes.
Gluten Free Hollandaise Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- ½ cup butter
- 1 pinch salt & pepper
- (optional) chopped paprika/parsley/dill to serve
Instructions
- Melt butter until frothy and hot – do NOT brown1/2 cup butter
- Remove foam from butter
- Add egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice to heat resistant bowl and blend for 5-10 seconds3 large egg yolks, 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Pour the hot butter in a slow, thin, steady stream into butter while continuously blending1/2 cup butter
- Blend until smooth consistency achieved
- Add salt & pepper to taste1 pinch salt & pepper, (optional) chopped paprika/parsley/dill to serve
Nutrition Details
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Tried this gluten free recipe?
Let us know how it was!What is Hollandaise Sauce?
Hollandaise is known as one of the five French “Mother Sauces” in culinary arts. Traditionally, it is an emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter, and an acid (usually lemon juice). Unlike gravy or béchamel, which rely on a roux (flour and fat) to thicken, Hollandaise relies on the magical power of emulsification.
Because the thickening power comes from the egg yolks rather than flour, an authentic Hollandaise recipe is naturally gluten free. This recipe returns to those traditional roots, ensuring that those with Celiac Disease and those with gluten sensitivities can enjoy every bite without worry.
The Ingredients: Simplicity is Key
Since this recipe only uses five ingredients, quality matters. Here is what you need to know about your shopping list:
- Butter: This is the base of the sauce. We recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the saltiness yourself, but if you only have salted butter on hand, just skip the added pinch of salt in the recipe. The butter needs to be completely melted and hot—this is crucial!
- Egg Yolks: The yolks provide the richness and the structure. Save your egg whites for an omelet or meringue later; we only want the yellow centers here.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed is always superior to bottled. The brightness of fresh lemon cuts through the heavy fat of the butter, creating that signature “zing.”
- Seasonings: A pinch of salt and pepper is standard. For a classic touch, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika for a little heat and color.
The Secret to Success: The Blender Method
Traditional chefs might whisk Hollandaise by hand over a double boiler until their arms ache. While that method works, it is prone to overheating, which results in scrambled eggs rather than sauce.
We use the Blender Method. By using a high-speed blender (or an immersion blender), you generate enough force to emulsify the sauce instantly. Furthermore, the heat from the melted butter gently “cooks” the egg yolks as it is poured in, making the sauce safe to eat and perfectly thick without ever turning on the stove burner.
How to Prevent Your Sauce from “Breaking”
The most common fear with Hollandaise is that it will “break” or separate, leaving you with a layer of oil floating on top of grainy eggs. This happens when the fat (butter) separates from the liquid (lemon/yolk).
The Golden Rule: Pour the butter slowly. When the instructions say “thin, steady stream,” we mean it! If you dump all the butter in at once, the eggs cannot absorb the fat fast enough. Keep the blender running and drizzle the hot butter in slowly. You will hear the sound of the blender change from a high-pitched whine to a lower, guttural growl as the sauce thickens. That is the sound of success!
Troubleshooting: Can I Fix Broken Sauce?
If your sauce does separate, don’t throw it out! You can save it.
- Pour the broken sauce into a measuring cup.
- Add 1 teaspoon of boiling water (or a fresh egg yolk) into the empty blender bowl.
- Turn the blender on and slowly drizzle the broken sauce back into the water/yolk. The emulsion should re-form, leaving you with a creamy sauce once again.
Serving Suggestions Beyond Eggs Benedict
While we all love a classic Benny on a gluten-free English muffin with Canadian bacon, this sauce is incredibly versatile. Try these delicious gluten-free pairings:
- Vegetables: Drizzle generously over steamed asparagus, roasted broccoli, or artichokes.
- Seafood: Hollandaise pairs beautifully with poached salmon or crab cakes.
- Steak: Swap the lemon juice for a tarragon vinegar reduction to turn this into a Béarnaise-style sauce for your steak dinner.
- Keto Breakfast: skip the bread entirely and serve this over poached eggs and sautéed spinach (Eggs Florentine) for a high-protein, low-carb meal.
Enjoy the confidence of knowing exactly what is in your sauce. Happy cooking!
Q1: Is all Hollandaise sauce gluten free?
A1: Authentic, traditional Hollandaise sauce is naturally gluten free as it is thickened by the emulsion of egg yolks and butter, not flour. However, many store-bought powdered mixes or restaurant versions may contain wheat flour or modified food starch as a cheap thickener. Always ask or check the label.
There are options that are gluten free, including the Mayacamas Hollandaise Sauce Mix, which features a gluten free sauce mix recipe that both chefs and patrons can trust.
This packaged sauce mix is gluten free and features ingredients including Potato Starch, Whey, Natural Lemon Flavor, Salt, Egg Yolk, Organic Sugar, Paprika, Citric Acid, Spices, Guar Gum.
Q2: Can I make Hollandaise sauce ahead of time?
A2: Hollandaise is best served immediately. It relies on raw egg yolks and warm butter, it cannot be kept at room temperature for long (due to food safety) and will harden if refrigerated. If you need to hold it for 30–60 minutes, keep the jar in a bowl of warm (not hot) water.
Q3: Why is my Hollandaise sauce runny?
A3: If your sauce is runny, the emulsion likely didn’t form. This usually happens if the butter was added too quickly. To fix it, blend the sauce for another 30 seconds. If it’s still thin, stick it in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool the butter slightly, then blend again.
Q4: Can I reheat leftover Hollandaise sauce?
A4: Reheating Hollandaise is tricky because high heat will scramble the eggs and separate the butter. The best way to reheat it is to microwave it in 5-10 second bursts at 50% power, whisking in between, or by placing the container in a bowl of hot water until warm.
Q5: Can I use salted butter for Hollandaise?
A5: Yes, you can use salted butter. However, traditional French recipes call for unsalted butter so you can control the seasoning. If you use salted butter, omit the extra pinch of salt in the recipe and taste before adding more.
Q6: How do you poach an egg for eggs benedict?
Learning how to poach an egg for eggs benedict is easy. Being that hollandaise sauce and eggs benedict commonly go hand in hand, we thought we’d take this gluten free recipe one step further providing a how to video on poaching eggs for your eggs benedict.
Click to watch tutorial on Poaching Eggs on YouTube!
Excellent recipe. I was checking everywhere for an easy hollandaise sauce that was GF and I’m impressed! Thank you and best of luck.
Really forgiving hollandaise and delicious. I’ve made h-sauce before but it always separates on me. Maybe just lucky today but I’m keeping this recipe. BTW, served over roasted vegetables for dinner – crowd pleaser!
Love this recipe…but if you want to experiment, try fresh lime. Makes it a bit sharper and tarter but still delicious!
I was craving eggs benedict but was saddened when I realized I didn’t have any hollandaise! I’d never made my own sauce before so I was a little nervous but I did a quick google search and this was the first recipe to pop up. Well, let me just say it was perfect! Super easy as well! I adjusted the recipe for the sauce since I was only making it for myself. I used two egg yolks and honestly eyeballed the rest. I would say I did a tablespoon of both lemon juice and butter and a few dashes of salt and paprika instead of cayenne (I didn’t have any on hand). Used the same cooking instructions and turned out great!
Happy New Years! Made this today, I used smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers instead Canadian bacon, tasted amazing! Thank you
Used this for the sauce and poached eggs. We had 4 left over salmon cakes from the night before, so we used that in placed of the meat and english muffin and it came out delicious. Sauce was relatively easy to make came out smooth and creamy and just the right consistency, but did take A LOT of whisking. Will definitely make again.
Just pull it right before it feels thick, but this was the perfect amount of eggs to butter.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never tried to make Hollandaise from scratch, but this makes it so easy!
This worked out perfect, saved for using again and again!
This was my first try making hollandaise sauce. I forgot to buy lemons but bottled juice worked out ok. It was much easier than I thought and turned out amazing. I’m still awful at poaching eggs as they aren’t pretty but they tasted good. Thanks Christine! Stay well!
Will never use packaged hollandaise again. Who knew it was that easy and WAY better tasting!
Turns out perfect every time!!
Second time I have made this recipe. It’s was a perfect Sunday morning football breakfast with Mimosas!
It’s how we roll during #covid!
This was such a win! So nice being able to enjoy eggs benedict again <3
1st time making this food at all and it turned out great! I used a pot atop of a boiling pot of water and it worked surprisingly well, just had to lift it off a couple of times to prevent egg scrambling.
We made the whole eggs Benedict part of this recipe this morning and it was so good! It made it seem like we were having breakfast in a nice restaurant while we’re sheltering in place. We did add way more cayenne than the recipe recommends but that’s just a taste thing. Also be patient with the whisking. It takes a while and you have to whisk VIGOROUSLY
I used this recipe in my second attempt to make Hollandaise sauce from scratch. It was ai good and so easy to make. I used a glass bowl(a Pampered Chef one), instead of a stainless steel one. It still came out amazing. Will definitely be using this one again.
Amazing… Not sure why it took me so long to make eggs benedict at home. Hollandaise sauce required a little thinning… but used the water and it was near perfect. Maybe.. perfect. Restaurant quality meal all around.
This is such a super easy to make Gluten Free Hollandaise Sauce!!!
Something so simple, yet so easy to screw up! It took quite a few tries before I finally got the perfect consistency for our hollandaise sauce, but it worked.
Fantastic.
Just a fantastic recipe.
As if I never thought to enjoy this. So easy and naturally gluten free.
Yummy
Gave this recipe a try for Christmas, my daughter has celiac disease. It worked perfect for eggs benedict!! Smooth, creamy, yum. I know, naturally gluten free, but when you’ve only made from packets, it was a surprise!
Thank you, printing for future use 🙂
It was easier than I thought it would be!
I have lost count the number of times I’ve made this recipe now. It’s delicious! Of course it is easy to make gluten free when you stick to easy ingredients. Why didn’t I think of this sooner. Thank you!
Excellent and relatively easy recipe. The hardest part for me was not having a double boiler, but I used a stainless steel bowl on top of a saucepan with water in it and it worked well. I added bacon bits on the English muffins, under the eggs and it was delicious. My family loved it.
Thank you so much for this! Had a hankerin for a GF eggs benedict this morning and you made it possible for me!
So good. Easy and delicious. Thanks!
Finally a Holandaise sauce that is easy to make and turns out perfect and delicious. Thank you!
My secret is that I use a hand mixer rather than whisking it by hand! It works wonders and saves a whole lot of energy! I’ve always wondered why its not recommended to begin with – but this recipe is definitely the way to go!
This worked out great during the Christmas holidays! Will become apart of our annual Christmas breakfast.
Delicious!
This was the best hollandaise sauce I’ve ever had. Instead of putting it on the low burner, I use a double broiler you don’t have any chance of it burning or sticking that way!
This was my first time making any kind of true sauce. Directions were easy to follow and it was very tasty. It took longer than I thought it would but, that was due to reading directions. I definitely will make this again!
Was delicious.
This was my first attempt at hollandaise and it came out perfectly. I would reduce the lemon juice for personal taste, but it came out great otherwise. Excellent and easy recipe!
I have NEVER had success making hollandaise sauce. I have tried every method from blender to double broiler. This recipe is just WOW! Incredibly easy and came out PERFECT. This recipe saved my sanity.
I’m not usually one to comment on recipes, but this was perfect! I’ve only ever tried to make this sauce once before, using the drizzle hot butter method, and, it inevitably split. I really fancied eggs royale for my birthday brekki today, so found this, and have it a go. On licking the spoon at the adjust seasoning to taste, I was blown away! It’s delicious! It didn’t split, and kept warm enough while I poached the eggs. The only adjustment I made was using hot paprika and black pepper. Definitely a recipe I’ll do again. Thank you!
So simple and delicious. This will be the recipe I will use going forward.
This is my favourite hollandaise recipe! Perfect every time and always delicious. I had some sauce leftover and used on an open face roast pork sandwich, it was delicious
Finally a Holandaise sauce that is easy to make and turns out perfect and delicious. Thank you GFJ!
The kids got together and decided to do a big brunch for Mother’s Day years ago for our mom, and I was responsible for the hollandaise. I found this recipe and couldn’t believe how good it came out. I actually was never a big fan of hollandaise before this because it was always kinda bland and I never understood the appeal. This one comes out with so much flavor, I get it now. This is what hollandaise SHOULD taste like.
My go to recipe for hollandaise! Easy and always delicious!
The BEST hollandaise sauce I have EVER TASTED!!!!
Delicious every time!
Love this sauce!
So easy and so delicious. Perfect amount of lemon juice. We could taste every flavor. I will definitely make again.
I made this and it was fabulous. You do need to be coordinated so it doesn’t get cold. I WILL be making this again.
My wife loves eggs Benedict, so while we were RV’ing in Indiana it seemed a good time to try your recipe. She said it was the best she ever had, so I thank you for getting me a gold star! Such an easy recipe to follow and your guidance hints were awesome.
This is the second time we’ve used the recipe. I had to scour the internet to find it again because I forgot to save it after the first time we made them. This is a very easy to follow recipe and each time the results have been great! I had never eaten eggs Benedict before this. It’s a new family favorite for special occasions!
Wish I could post with photo because it’s absolutely delicious and restaurant quality.
A keeper!
I have made this sauce multiple times now. The family loves it and it’s probably the most simple hollandaise recipe that I found so far. I have stuck to the directions without modifications.
Wonderful, I made Hollandaise Sauce with my mother as a teenager but I was always afraid to try to make it alone as an adult and now I can.
Delicious and easy!
Always delicious. Always simple! Thanks 🙂
Easy & tasty hollandaise
Continues to be my go to recipe!
One of the better ones I’ve tried!
Wow amazing!
Tried this for our Sunday brunch and so good
Easier than I Thought! Thanks
Works every time
Had with vegetables during dinner. Great sauce idea!
I appreciate the recipe!
Thanks for the poached eggs preview, it was particularly useful!