Bring the best flavors to your kitchen with this classic Bearnaise Sauce recipe. You have to try our easy-to-follow recipe made in the blender to make this fancy french sauce right at home. Get ready to add this restaurant-approved flavor to your next steak or eggs Benedict.
Traditionally French Bearnaise sauce can be really intensive to make, but we love making recipes accessible for everyone! This is an easy straightforward recipe.
My family has fallen in love with this classic sauce. We add it to steaks, salmon, chicken, and even asparagus. It's a foolproof recipe that adds a lot of flavor with minimal effort.
Add more taste of homemade with these fun sauces to add flavor to any meal. Try our Bang Bang Sauce, Buffalo Sauce, and Cajun Butter Sauce. You'll also love our Cocktail Sauce Recipe, and Smoky Red Pepper Crema.
Don't forget to try our Wingstop Ranch Recipe, Tzatziki Sauce, Lemon Herb Tahini, and homemade Tartar Sauce.
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Ingredients
Because we tried to create a recipe that's accessible to all we used ingredients you can easily find or already have on hand. Look below for tips on how to make clarified butter and tarragon!
- Tarragon- Tarragon is a unique herb and can't be substituted with anything. The flavor of Bearnaise comes from the white whine/ white wine vinegar infused with tarragon and shallots. To get the true flavor, tarragon must be used. You can find tarragon in most cold sections of grocery stores.
- Butter- Unsalted butter or ghee is used in this recipe. Don't be scared or intimidated by the name. We've provided easy to follow instructions on how to clarify the butter for the best taste.
- Eggs- You will need only the egg yolks for this recipe. Put the egg whites in an airtight container in the refrigerator to use for another recipe or breakfast the next morning.
- White Wine Vinegar- With the herbs and spices you will be making an infused vinegar. It's important to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn off too much.
- Shallots- For the true Bearnaise flavor, we recommend using a shallot. You can substitute for a minced yellow onion, but the taste will be altered slightly.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Be sure to follow the steps below carefully for the best results. Use the pictures for best practices and guidance.
Begin by adding white vinegar to a sauce pan with tarragon, shallots, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer to infuse the vinegar with the flavor.
Drain the infused vinegar into a bowl and set aside.
In a blender, add egg yolks, lemon juice, infused vinegar, and more tarragon. Slowly pour the hot clarified butter into the mixture while it blends.
Pour the prepared sauce into a serving dish. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Hint: Be sure to keep an eye on the vinegar while it boils and then simmers. You want to make sure you have about 2 tablespoons to put in the sauce.
Bearnaise Sauce vs Hollandaise Sauce
These two french sauces share a lot of similarities in looks and texture but vary in taste.
Hollandaise sauce is made from a reduction of vinegar or lemon juice, egg yolks, and clarified butter. It has a buttery flavor and tangy taste from the lemon juice. Béarnaise sauce is a variation of hollandaise sauce that includes additional flavors of shallots, and tarragon. It makes a more intense flavor.
Learn From Us
The first time I made this I didn't turn the infused vinegar down from a boil and boiled off all of my liquid and had to add more and start over. Be careful to turn it down to a gentle simmer. The vinegar will be done when you have around 1 ½ Tablespoons.
How to Serve
Some of our favorite ways to eat this sauce is with a rib eye steak, chicken, fish, beef tenderloin, crab meat, lobster tails, and crab cakes. Make it a holiday dinner to remember by serving it with Filet Mignon. It adds a fun touch to any Easter, Christmas, or Valentine's dinner.
We've also seen it served with New York strip steak, tartare, and Swedish pizza kebabs.
Storage
It's best to eat this Bearnaise sauce once it is made. It doesn't store well. Don't over-make the amount of sauce you need so that you don't have excess leftovers. Likewise, it doesn't freeze well!
If you need to make it ahead, infuse the vinegar and then store it at room temperature until ready to use. The rest of the ingredients come together in about 3 minutes.
Top tip
Don't be intimidated by this recipe! We've made it so you can enjoy the great flavors of this sauce without the intensive labor that traditionally goes into it.
Related
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Recipe
Bearnaise Sauce
Ingredients
For the infused vinegar:
- 6 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 shallot peeled and thinly sliced
- .25 ounces tarragon about 2 sprigs, finely chop 1 teaspoon and set aside for later.
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
For the Sauce:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 teaspoon tarragon leaves can be taken from the .25 ounces above
Instructions
- Chop ½ teaspoon tarragon leaves and set to the side.
- Make a clarified butter by cooking butter on high for 60-90 seconds. Let it cool slightly then pour into another container, leaving the white milk solids on the bottom behind. Skim off any foam on top.
- Bring white wine vinegar, pepper, thinly sliced shallot and tarragon to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer then let simmer for about 5 minutes until reduced. Run the mixture through a sieve, pushing the leaves and shallots into the sieve to extract as much flavor as possible. You need about 1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons infused vinegar.
- Place egg yolks, lemon juice, infused vinegar, salt and ½ teaspoon tarragon leaves into a blender and blend until smooth. Keeping the blender on medium/ medium high speed, pour the hot clarified butter in very slowly through the pour spout in the lid. It should take about 1 minute to add all the butter. Blend another 10-15 seconds. If it's too thick to spread easily, add a little water until it reaches the desired consistency. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you let the infused vinegar keep boiling, it will boil off too much liquid and you won't have enough. A very gentle simmer should be used.
- If you don't have time or don't want to clarify the butter, you don't have to, but it is very important to use unsalted butter if you do it this way. Use 8 Tablespoons instead of 10.
- The shallot may be substituted with 1 Tablespoon finely minced yellow onion, if desired. But for the true bearnaise flavor, we recommend a shallot.
- If you use ghee instead of clarified butter, we recommend using 8 Tablespoons instead of 10.
- Make ahead- this doesn't make great leftovers. If you need to make it ahead, we recommend just making the infused vinegar (store at room temperature for up to 2 days) ahead. The rest of the bearnaise sauce only takes about 3 minutes to make, we highly recommend eating it fresh.
Nutrition
FAQ
Similar to hollandaise sauce, with added tarragon and shallots. It is smooth and creamy and has an incredible umami flavor. It's made with an infused vinegar and is very flavorful.
A traditional French sauce, great for grilled meats, fish and vegetables. It's made with white vinegar infused with tarragon and shallots and then mixed with egg yolks, lemon juice, and clarified butter. It has a creamy texture with a tangy flavor. It adds a touch of fancy to any dish.
Bearnaise sauce doesn't store well! If you need to make it ahead of time, make the infused white wine vinegar and herb mixture. You can store that at room temperature for up to two days. Then make the rest of the sauce when ready to serve and eat immediately.
Andrea says
Loved making this Bearnaise sauce! I used it for asparagus and prime rib to make a fun valentine's dinner extra special.