This homemade Eggs Benedict recipe tastes as good as, if not better than, what you get from a restaurant. And with our clever tricks, it’s surprisingly easy to make at home.
For a long time, I considered eggs Benedict the ultimate restaurant dish, a special treat reserved for dining out. The idea of making perfectly poached eggs, toasting muffins, crisping ham, and whisking a finicky hollandaise sauce all at once seemed like a recipe for disaster.
But after discovering the trick of preparing the poached eggs ahead of time and using a blender for our creamy homemade hollandaise sauce, this dish has become my favorite way to impress friends and family. Our recipe for eggs Benedict takes away the stress, and it turns out so incredibly well. I can’t wait for you to make it, and your guests are going to LOVE it!
Key Ingredients
English Muffins: This is the classic base for eggs Benedict, although you can always swap them for homemade biscuits. If you’re up for making them from scratch, see our Homemade English Muffins Recipe.
Canadian Bacon or Ham: Traditional recipes have a slice or two of Canadian Bacon, but you can swap this for shaved ham, crisped thick-cut bacon, homemade crab cakes, smoked salmon, homemade breakfast sausage, or make it vegetarian with a slice of tomato. For Eggs Florentine, use sautéed spinach instead.
Poached Eggs: I share how to poach eggs for eggs Benedict below. I like them with firm whites and runny egg yolks.. You can also see more tips here: How to Poach Eggs.
Hollandaise Sauce: This is the classic sauce for eggs Benedict. It’s creamy, rich, and incredibly delicious. The traditional method for making it is in a double boiler, but we make ours in a blender, which makes it a little more failproof. I’ve shared our recipe below, but for more tips, see our Hollandaise Sauce Recipe.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Eggs Benedict – Your Stress Free Game Plan
Eggs Benedict is not just a restaurant dish. With the right plan, it’s easy and absolutely doable for you to make at home. Here’s our stress-free method for making eggs Benedict. We use a make-ahead technique for the eggs, which means you don’t need to rush, and everyone will have a warm dish at serving time.
1: Par-poach the eggs: Poach your eggs for 2 to 3 minutes, so the whites are set but the yolks are still very liquid. Then, transfer them to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once chilled, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. This is your biggest stress-saver! I love this tip when making this for more than two people.
2: Prep your ingredients: Gather all the ingredients for the hollandaise sauce, measure them, and have your ham and English muffins ready.
3: Make the hollandaise sauce: The hollandaise is the most temperature-sensitive part, so it’s best to prepare it close to when you plan to assemble. Keep it warm by placing the bowl over a pot of very warm (not hot) water while you finish the other steps. If, as the sauce sits, it thickens or cools too much, you can always whisk in a tablespoon or two of hot water, and it will bring it right back!
4: Crisp the ham and toast the English muffins: Quickly crisp up the Canadian Bacon or ham in a skillet, then use the rendered fat and a little butter to toast your English muffins in the same pan. By toasting your muffins in the same skillet, they pick up a bit of extra flavor from the bacon (yum!)
5: Reheat the eggs: Fill a wide, deep skillet with water, and heat until very hot, but not boiling. Gently place the chilled poached eggs into the water for about 30 seconds to warm them through. This will make the yolks perfectly runny again.
6: Assemble and serve: Place a piece of ham on each toasted English muffin. Quickly lift a warmed egg with a slotted spoon, dab it on paper towels, and place it on top of the muffin slice. Spoon a generous amount of hollandaise sauce over the top. Serve immediately and enjoy!
More Brunch Favorites
Perfect Eggs Benedict
PREP
15 mins
COOK
20 mins
TOTAL
35 mins
Our recipe for making eggs Benedict walks you through making all the components while keeping the stress low. The trick for making sure everything is hot and ready at the right time is to cook your poached eggs in advance, then keep them in an ice water bath until serving. Then, you’ll quickly dunk them back into hot water to rewarm them so they are hot and have perfect runny egg yolks.
4 Servings
You Will Need
For the Eggs Benedict
8 large eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
8 slices of Canadian bacon, thick-cut bacon, or shaved ham
4 English muffins, try Homemade English Muffins
Butter, for toasting the English muffins
Chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley, optional
For the Hollandaise Sauce
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (170g)
3 large egg yolks, cold from the fridge
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 ½ tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons white wine, optional
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper or cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
Directions
Make Poached Eggs
1This recipe makes 8 poached eggs. You will cook them in two batches of four.
2Strain the eggs: Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Crack one egg into the strainer, allowing the watery whites to strain through. This ensures a compact, clean poached egg. Carefully transfer the egg to a small bowl. Repeat this process with three more eggs, placing each in its own bowl.
3Prepare the poaching water: Fill a wide saucepan at least 4 inches deep with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to low and bring the water to a very gentle simmer. Bubbles should form at the bottom of the pan, but only a few will actually break on the surface. Add the vinegar to the water (optional).
4Add the eggs to the water: Carefully submerge a small bowl with an egg in the water so you can gently slide it out. Quickly follow with the three remaining eggs. Set a timer for 3 minutes for runny yolks.
5Turn the eggs: After 20 to 30 seconds, use a slotted spoon to gently turn each egg over.
6Transfer to an ice water bath: When the timer goes off and the egg whites appear softly set, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
7Repeat the cooking process: Once all four eggs are in the ice bath, repeat the entire poaching process (straining, cooking, and transferring to the ice bath) for the remaining four eggs. Keep the pan of hot water on the stove, but turn off the heat.
Make Hollandaise Sauce
1Clarify the butter: Place the butter in a small saucepan to melt, then bring the melted butter to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until a foamy layer forms on top and the butter underneath appears clear and golden.
2Skim the foam: Use a spoon to skim all the foam from the top and discard it. Set the saucepan of clarified butter aside.
3Blend the eggs: Add the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, white wine, salt, and white pepper to a blender. Pulse for about 5 seconds to combine.
4Reheat the butter: Place the saucepan of clarified butter over low heat and heat until steamy, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let it brown.
5Emulsify the sauce: With the blender running, remove the center insert from the lid. Slowly and steadily pour the hot butter through the opening, stopping just before any milky white milk solids fall in from the bottom of the saucepan. The sauce will thicken and emulsify.
6Season and keep warm: Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Keep the blender jar in a bowl of warm water (or transfer it to a bowl and place it inside a second bowl of warm water) to maintain the perfect temperature.
Assemble Eggs Benedict
1Crisp the bacon and toast the muffins: While the bacon is crisping in a skillet over medium heat, cut your English muffins in half. Once the bacon is done, transfer it to a plate. Add a little butter to the same skillet and toast the cut side of each muffin until golden brown. Arrange the toasted muffins on a serving plate.
2Prepare the water to rewarm the eggs: Place the pan of hot water on the stove over medium heat. Bring the water to a gentle simmer, then immediately turn off the heat.
3Rewarm the eggs: Carefully slide the chilled poached eggs into the hot, steamy water. Let them sit for about 30 seconds to warm through. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove each egg and dab it on a paper towel to remove excess water.
4Assemble and serve: Place a slice of crispy bacon on each toasted English muffin half. Top with a warm, drained poached egg, then spoon over a generous amount of hollandaise sauce. Serve right away. Quick tip: If your hollandaise sauce is too thick, heat a tablespoon of water and stir it in a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
Make-ahead poached eggs: After transferring them to the ice water bath, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. I place them into an airtight container covered with clean, cold water.
Reheating hollandaise: I do not recommend a microwave and prefer to reheat on the stove. Pour your sauce into a saucepan over low heat. Add a little bit of melted butter and a tablespoon of warm water. Whisk it as it warms up so it turns into a smooth, creamy sauce. Adding more warm water if it is too thick.
Clarified vs. melted butter for homemade hollandaise: You can use plain melted butter in this recipe. Clarified butter is an extra fail-safe to prevent the sauce from breaking, AND it tastes richer and buttery. The sauce is still lovely when made with plain butter, though.
The nutritional information provided are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe
/
Calories
541
/
Total Fat
34.4g
/
Saturated Fat
16.3g
/
Cholesterol
518.7mg
/
Sodium
1202.1mg
/
Carbohydrate
29.5g
/
Total Fiber
0.7g
/
Total Sugars
0.4g
/
Protein
27.6g
