How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce (2024)

What is Broken Hollandaise Sauce?

If the sauce breaks while you’re whisking or when you serve it on extremely hot food, you’ll know. It’ll become grainy and very thin and will actually be two separate liquids.

If your sauce looks like scrambled eggs, your egg yolks are overheated. Unfortunately, you can’t salvage this. Throw out the egg yolks and start over.

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce (1)

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce

If your sauce separates, beat an egg yolk and a tablespoon of water in a clean bowl over simmering water. Then, slowly whisk the broken sauce into the egg yolk in the clean bowl.

How to Save Hollandaise That's on the Verge of Breaking

If it’s too hot, slowly whisk a tablespoon of cold water or heavy cream into it to quickly bring down the temperature and keep the liquids together.

If the sauce is separating because it’s too cool, or you’ve added the butter too quickly, return the bowl to the double boiler and whisk in a tablespoon of hot water to help “degrease” it. Then continue whisking in the remaining clarified butter.

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce (2)

Why Does Hollandaise Sauce Break?

Over-heating or overcooking the egg yolks is one culprit. Next time, be sure to use a double boiler and heat the yolks gently to avoid overcooking them.The second cause is either adding too much butter or adding it too quickly. When either of these occur, the sauce will look glossy like icing and pull away from the sides of the bowl, while the butter will float on top of the mixture.

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce (3)

Like this article? Check out all of our How-To Cooking Articles & Videos, here.

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce (2024)

FAQs

How to Fix Broken Hollandaise Sauce? ›

Gradually whisk in 1/4 part hot water to your broken hollandaise. Add 1 tbsp hot water at a time until your hollandaise begins to come together. Continue to add the water gradually until your sauce is the right consistency.

Can you fix split hollandaise? ›

Gradually whisk in 1/4 part hot water to your broken hollandaise. Add 1 tbsp hot water at a time until your hollandaise begins to come together. Continue to add the water gradually until your sauce is the right consistency.

What happens when a hollandaise sauce breaks? ›

Tips & Techniques > Troubleshooting Hollandaise

When a sauce splits, this means that the fat has separated from the egg foam (the sauce has lost its emulsion). The result will look thin, greasy, and lumpy.

Can you fix runny hollandaise? ›

How do you fix a runny hollandaise? Blenders tend to make runny hollandaise - it's usually because the butter was too cold and hasn't cooked the eggs enough to thicken them. To thicken a runny hollandaise, tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and whisk over the heat until thickened.

How do you fix hollandaise with too much lemon? ›

What do I do if my hollandaise sauce is too lemony? You can either start again, or try adding another egg yolk and a bit more melted butter.

How do you reverse split sauce? ›

Add more liquid

If it is half-broken, add half as much again as the amount of oil that was used to break it in the first place. If it is completely broken, add equal volumes of oil and liquid. Start with a little bit and keep adding until the sauce comes back together into an emulsion.

How to unsplit bearnaise sauce? ›

Put egg yolk in a clean bowl. Whisk it then add the broken sauce drop by drop with continuing to whisk. If you don't have 3 hands or a way to hold the bowl still, you may want someone to help you. Whisk until the sauce is creamy and hom*ogeneous.

Can I save hollandaise sauce? ›

Hollandaise sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. To store hollandaise, place it in an airtight container and make sure that the hollandaise is cooled down before you put it away.

When making a hollandaise sauce What is the most common mistake that is made? ›

You can substitute vinegar for the lemon juice in Hollandaise if you wish, but in my opinion the flavor isn't as good. The most common mistake people make with Hollandaise is adding melted butter that is too hot, or adding too much too soon.

What temperature does hollandaise split? ›

Hollandaise should be held between 120F to 145F (49 to 63C) so it does not split or curdle. If the sauce is heated above 150F, the eggs can overcook, become grainy and the sauce can potentially split.

How do you keep hollandaise sauce thick? ›

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients

Lemon juice – The acid from the lemon juice helps the egg yolks absorb more fat from butter and adds a nice pop of tang. You also need it to prevent cracks and help the sauce thicken up.

Does butter thicken hollandaise sauce? ›

1. Put the yolks, butter and 2 tbsp water in a heavy-based pan and heat very gently, whisking all the time. As the butter melts, the sauce will begin to thicken; don't be tempted to hurry things along by turning the heat up, the sides of the pan should be cool enough to touch at all times.

Why is my hollandaise liquid? ›

Making hollandaise sauce can sometimes lead to: Watery Texture: To thicken, try adding an additional egg yolk while whisking constantly over low heat. Separation: If the sauce begins to separate, whisk vigorously to re-emulsify or start a fresh emulsion with an egg yolk and slowly whisk in the separated sauce.

What is the best way to re emulsify a broken hollandaise sauce? ›

Gradually whisk in 1/4 part hot water to your broken hollandaise. Add 1 tbsp hot water at a time until your hollandaise begins to come together. Continue to add the water gradually until your sauce is the right consistency.

Why did my hollandaise sauce break? ›

Why Does Hollandaise Sauce Break? Over-heating or overcooking the egg yolks is one culprit. Next time, be sure to use a double boiler and heat the yolks gently to avoid overcooking them. The second cause is either adding too much butter or adding it too quickly.

How to reheat hollandaise? ›

It's important to only add a small amount of butter at a time, the final texture should be thick ribbons when you drizzle it from a spoon. 5. If you need to reheat the Hollandaise this can be done over a pan very gently simmering water with the sauce still in the bowl.

How do you reduce the acidity in hollandaise sauce? ›

Usually you add a pinch of sugar to mask the acidity. Maybe whip in a teaspoon of butter too. Hollandaise is pretty easy to make from scratch.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Carey Rath

Last Updated:

Views: 6017

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Carey Rath

Birthday: 1997-03-06

Address: 14955 Ledner Trail, East Rodrickfort, NE 85127-8369

Phone: +18682428114917

Job: National Technology Representative

Hobby: Sand art, Drama, Web surfing, Cycling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Leather crafting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.