Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (2024)

  • Western European
  • French

This elegant sauce for steaks and fish can be made in five minutes.

By

J. Kenji López-Alt

Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (1)

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated September 15, 2022

In This Recipe

  • What Is Béarnaise?

  • The Key to Making a Foolproof Béarnaise

Why It Works

  • Blending hot butter into the vinegar and egg yolk mixture instead of whisking it over a double boiler makes for a foolproof and stable emulsion every time.
  • Using a tall container that barely fits the head of a hand blender creates a strong vortex that leads to a strong, stable emulsion.

For my money, the very best classic steak sauce you can make at home, a sauce that will wow your guests with its flavor and elegance, and—most importantly—a sauce that can be made start to finish in under half an hour, is béarnaise.

Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (2)

Classic French steak sauces likeespagnoleor its derivatives,bordelaiseor Robert, for instance, require intensely rich, gelatin-packeddemi-glace. Those sauces are multi-day affairs that nobody but the most ambitious home cooks will even attempt.Compound buttersflavored with herbs and aromatics are a great option for a home-cooked steak, as is a simplepan sauce, but they're lacking in class and panache. That's where béarnaise comes in. It's as classy as sauces come, it requires nothing that you can't find at your average supermarket, and it's quick to make.

What Is Béarnaise?

Béarnaise is a fat-in-water emulsion—in this case, butter emulsified into a reduction of white wine and vinegar flavored with shallots, tarragon, and chervil, all bound and thickened with egg yolks.It's technically a derivative of hollandaise sauce, one of the five French mother sauces. And just like with hollandaise, the ways to mess it up are plentiful. Traditionally, you'd make béarnaise over a double boiler, slowly drizzling in clarified butter while whisking egg yolks until a thick emulsion is formed. Add the fat too fast and you break your emulsion. Heat it up too much and it turns into scrambled eggs. Don't heat it enough and you'll have a thin, wet sauce instead of a rich, meat-coating sauce.

The Key to Making a Foolproof Béarnaise

Fortunately, we can use the exact same technique we use to make foolproof hollandaise and mayonnaise to make a foolproof béarnaise. The key is to completely forgo the double boiler, instead heating up the butter and using its residual heat to cook the egg yolks. By placing the yolks and the wine reduction in the bottom of a tall container that just barely fits the head of a hand blender, we can create a strong vortex that then pulls hot butter down towards the blades of the hand blender, creating a strong, stable emulsion. Check out our foolproof hollandaise video to learn more about the science behind this technique.

Stir in some chopped tarragon and chervil (I sometimes also add a few tablespoons of minced chives), and you're ready to serve. Steak never had it so good.

April 2015

Recipe Details

Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe

Cook30 mins

Active15 mins

Total30 mins

Serves14 servings

Makes1 3/4 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

  • 3 sprigs chervil, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately (optional; if not using add an extra sprig of tarragon)

  • 3 sprigs tarragon, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately

  • 1 small shallot, roughly chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

  • 2 egg yolks

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Combine wine, vinegar, herb stems, shallots, and black peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until reduced to about 1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid, about 15 minutes. Carefully strain liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.

    Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (3)

  2. Combine wine reduction, egg yolk, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cup that barely fits the head of an immersion blender. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1-cup liquid measuring cup.

    Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (4)

  3. Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup with the wine reduction and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and wine reduction. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy (see notes). Season to taste with salt. Whisk in chopped tarragon and chervil, if using. Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Béarnaise cannot be cooled and reheated.

    Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (5)

Special Equipment

Immersion blender, tall container that fits blender head, small saucepan, fine mesh strainer, small lidded pot (optional)

Notes

If your béarnaise is thin and runny, transfer to a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until sauce is thickened.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
109Calories
11g Fat
1g Carbs
1g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 14
Amount per serving
Calories109
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g14%
Saturated Fat 6g32%
Cholesterol 66mg22%
Sodium 58mg3%
Total Carbohydrate 1g0%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg2%
Calcium 15mg1%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 40mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in a bearnaise sauce? ›

Béarnaise sauce is a piquant child of hollandaise, one of the so-called mother sauces of French cuisine. It is simply an emulsification — egg yolks and butter cut through with vinegar flavored with tarragon and shallots, with a bite of black pepper.

What if béarnaise is not thick enough? ›

If your béarnaise is thin and runny, transfer to a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until sauce is thickened.

How do you rescue 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 Bernaise sauce be made ahead of time? ›

Béarnaise sauce may be made ahead of time and reheated. Simply leave it in the top half of the double boiler, off the heat. When nearly ready to serve place it back over the bottom half of the double boiler, filled with water that is warm but not simmering. Be careful: if the water is too hot, the sauce will separate.

Which of the following is essential when making bearnaise sauce? ›

Béarnaise Sauce Ingredients

And all you need is dry white wine, white wine vinegar, a shallot, and some tarragon. Béarnaise Sauce: To make the rest of the sauce you'll need egg yolks, lemon juice, unsalted butter, a bit more tarragon, and salt.

Does Ruth's Chris serve bearnaise sauce? ›

Entrée Complements SHRIMP Six additional large shrimp dusted with blackening seasoning and broiled. LOBSTER TAIL Cold water lobster tail, lightly seasoned with Cajun spices, sea salt and butter. OSCAR STYLE Jumbo lump crab cake, asparagus and homemade béarnaise sauce.

How do you keep bearnaise sauce from splitting? ›

The bearnaise should be served warm, not hot - if it gets too hot, it will separate. If you're brave, you can heat it very carefully when it's done - but be careful it doesn't get too hot! The hob should be on no higher than level 2 - and you'll need to whisk continuously.

Why is my bearnaise sauce too thin? ›

Either you have added too much reduction to your eggs or you have added the melted butter too fast. Remove all but 1 tbsp of the sauce from the bowl. Add tsp of the lemon juice or vinegar reduction and whisk in over heat. Once it thickens, start to add the sauce back in slowly as you would the butter.

Why did my bearnaise sauce break? ›

A broken sauce is generally caused by the separation of sauces into two components: a watery liquid and an oily film on top. This happens when there's too much fat or liquid in the mixture. This can happen when there are not enough emulsifiers (which help keep your ingredients together).

What is sauce bearnaise syndrome? ›

sauce béarnaise effect

a colloquial term referring to a conditioned taste aversion. If a person happens to become ill after tasting a new food, such as sauce béarnaise, they may subsequently dislike and avoid that food. Regardless of the actual cause of the illness, the sauce will be identified with it.

Can bearnaise sauce go bad? ›

Béarnaise Sauce is best used immediately. If you must, you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days and reconstitute it. It will become solid in the fridge. Break it up into pieces and reheat it, whisking constantly and vigorously over low heat and sliding the saucepan off the burner if it seems to be melting too quickly.

How do you hold Bernaise? ›

These sauces should be held at low temperatures, 120°F/50˚C. Because they contain egg yolks and must be held in the food temperature danger zone, prepare as close to service as possible and never hold for longer than 4 hours before discarding.

What will happen to a bearnaise sauce if it gets too hot? ›

Be mindful that the emulsion doesn't get too hot. Otherwise, it will begin to separate. If it does, just add an ice cube or one tablespoon of cold water and briskly whisk.

What's the difference between béarnaise and hollandaise sauce? ›

It is regarded as a "child" of hollandaise sauce. The difference is only in the flavoring: béarnaise uses shallot, black pepper, and tarragon, while hollandaise uses white pepper or a pinch of cayenne. The sauce's name derives from the province of Béarn, France.

What does bearnaise sauce taste like? ›

Irresistibly creamy, buttery, and rich, béarnaise combines an herby, slightly acidic reduction of white wine, vinegar, shallots, fresh tarragon, and lemon juice with hollandaise to make a luscious sauce for spooning over grilled steak, chicken, fish, or vegetables.

Why is bearnaise sauce so good? ›

Flavored with tarragon, shallots, and white wine vinegar, bearnaise sauce somehow adds both creamy decadence and a pleasant acidity to cut through the fat of the beef and butter.

How would you describe bearnaise sauce? ›

Béarnaise sauce is a delicious and creamy classic French sauce that is often made from a reduction of vinegar and wine mixed with shallots, tarragon, and (sometimes) chervil and thickened with egg yolks and butter. It's typically served with meat, fish, eggs, or vegetables.

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