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Eggs Benedict

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 Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast menu item, and it’s super easy to make from home! It starts with a toasted english muffin, topped with a slice or two of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and smothered in traditional Eggs Benedict sauce, called hollandaise sauce.
A plate with two eggs benedict which includes english muffin topped with a slice of canadian bacon, poached eggs and homemade hollandaise sauce.
Eggs Benedict

Most of the time when we eat out at a restaurant my husband could never guess what I’ll order because I mix it up so often. The exception is when we go somewhere for breakfast or brunch, I always order Eggs Benedict. There’s never something on the menu that could tempt me more! Traditional Eggs Benedict is obviously a classic, but I love different variations of it too, like Eggs Benedict with asparagus.

How to make Eggs Benedict:

Start by making this simple recipe for hollandaise sauce (see the step-by-step photos, below). Next, poach the eggs, warm the Canadian bacon, and toast the english muffin.  Finally, assemble your Eggs Benedict by placing the Canadian bacon on top of half of an english muffin.  Place a poached egg on top of the Canadian bacon, and smother the egg in hollandaise sauce.

For a healthier Eggs Benedict, consider trying eggs florentine!

How to poach an egg:

To poach an egg, first fill the pot with about 3 inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat until it reaches a simmer. You should see small bubbles coming to the surface but not rolling.  Add a little splash of vinegar to the water (this is optional, but it helps the egg white to stay together once it is in the water).

Side by side photos of preparing a saucepan of boiling and then simmering water to poach an egg, with text on the photo explaining to boil the water and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Crack one egg into a small cup (I use a measuring cup).  Lower the egg into the simmer water, gently easing it out of the cup.

How long should you cook your poached egg? Cook the egg in simmering water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you want your egg yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon.

Process photos for poaching an egg including a measuring cup with a cracked egg in it being lowered into a saucepan of simmering water, next to another photo of the poached egg being removed from the water.

How to make Hollandaise sauce:

This traditional Eggs Benedict sauce is called hollandaise sauce.  Many people buy hollandaise sauce in a packet that just has you add water….I’ll never understand WHY?! It’s SO easy to make homemade hollandaise sauce and it definitely tastes better from scratch!

The ingredients for Hollandaise sauce are butter, egg yolks, lime juice, heavy cream, and salt and pepper. The method I’m sharing is a more traditional method for making hollandaise sauce. Some people prefer to make hollandaise sauce in the blender, which would work well for this recipe.

Overhead view of the ingredients needed for hollandaise sauce including butter, eggs, cream, lime juice, salt and pepper.

To make hollandaise sauce, start by melting butter in a saucepan.  Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in separate bowl and add lime juice, heavy cream, and salt and pepper.

Overhead photo of a clear glass bowl with beaten eggs yolks, cream, lime juice, salt and pepper, next to a saucepan with four tablespoons of butter in it.

Once the butter has melted, you’re ready to temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot butter to the egg mixture.  Stir it well and repeat this process, slowly adding one spoonful of hot butter to the egg mixture.  We do this to avoid curdling the eggs.

A spoonful of melted butter being added to a beaten egg yolk mixture to make hollandaise sauce.

Finally, add the mixture back to the saucepan and cook it for a few more seconds.

Some people worry about raw eggs in their hollandaise sauce.  In this sauce, the eggs are cooked, they are just cooked very slowly to avoid curdling!  Cooking the hollandaise allows for a thicker, yummy sauce for your Eggs Benedict.

How to make Hollandaise sauce in advance:

For very best results, Hollandaise sauce is best served fresh, right when you’re ready to eat Eggs Benedict.  However, you can make Hollandaise sauce a day ahead of time.  Refrigerate is until ready to eat, and then reheat it for about 10-20 seconds in the microwave.

Homemade hollandaise sauce being spooned over a poached egg, canadian bacon and an English muffin to make eggs benedict.

CONSIDER TRYING THESE CLASSIC BREAKFAST RECIPES:

 

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5 from 8 votes
A plate with two eggs benedict which includes english muffin topped with a slice of canadian bacon, poached eggs and homemade hollandaise sauce.
Eggs Benedict with homemade Hollandaise Sauce
Print Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast menu item, and it's super easy to make from home! It starts with a toasted english muffin, topped with a slice or two of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and smothered in traditional Eggs Benedict sauce, called hollandaise sauce.

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy eggs benedict recipe, hollandaise sauce, poached eggs
Unit: Tablespoon
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 348 kcal
Author: Lauren Allen
Ingredients
  • 2 English muffins
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 slices Canadian bacon
  • Vinegar , just a splash
For the Hollandaise sauce:
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
For the Hollandaise sauce:

  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Mix in lime juice, whipping cream, and salt and pepper.

  2. Add a small spoonful of the hot melted butter to the egg mixture and stir well. Repeat this process adding a spoonful at a time of hot butter to the egg mixture.( Adding the butter slowly, a spoonful at a time, will temper the eggs and ensure they don't curdle).

  3. Once the butter has been incorporated, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for just 20-30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.

To poach the eggs:

  1. Fill a medium size pot with about 3 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat until it reaches a simmer. You should see small bubbles coming to the surface but not rolling.  

  2. Add a little splash of vinegar to the water (this is optional, but it helps the egg white to stay together once it is in the water).

  3. Crack one egg into a small cup (I use a measuring cup).  Lower the egg into the simmer water, gently easing it out of the cup.

  4. Cook the egg in simmering water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you want your egg yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon.

  5. **It is not abnormal for a white foam to form on top of the water when poaching an egg. You can simple skim the foam off of the water with a spoon.

  6. While the egg is cooking, place the slices of Canadian bacon in a large pan and cook on medium-high heat for about 1 minute on each side.

To Assemble:

  1. Toast the English muffin. Top each toasted side with a slice or two of Canadian bacon, and then a poached egg. Top with hollandaise sauce.

Recipe Video

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

 

I originally shared this recipe in August 2013. Updated August 2018.

 

Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast menu item, and it's super easy to make from home! It starts with a toasted english muffin, topped with a slice or two of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and smothered in traditional Eggs Benedict sauce, called hollandaise sauce. #eggsbenedict #poachedegg #canadianbacon #best #easy #hollandaise #breakfast
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Comments

  2. This looks so good! Eggs Benedict are my absolute favorite way to eat eggs, but I’m so intimidated by the poached egg process… I’ll have to give it a try sometime! Yours look wonderful!!!

    Reply

  8. This is such a great recipe and is so easy to follow!! This has been my favorite dish since I was seven and has taken me ten years to find a recipie that i felt comfortable making!! My whole family enjoyed it! Thanks for posting it!!

    Reply

  9. Wow! Thank you for posting this easy to follow recipe. This is a personal favorite but haven’t really had much success making it in the past. I really appreciated the pictures. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  10. Great! We love eggs Benedict. This recipe uses a lot less butter which is why U like it. The lime adds a nice kick. Making it Christmas Morning,

    Reply

  11. Great recipe! Just made it! One question, though. I didn’t have lime so I used lemon juice instead. Would that make a difference? My sauce tasted a bit bitter…

    Reply

  12. I’ve never made Eggs Benedict before let alone poached an egg in my life! And I’m 42! Until today…..my husband loves Eggs Benedict- hasn’t had it in years (would order at a restaurant ). I wanted to do something special for New Year’s Day so decided to give this recipe a try. It’s a keeper! Much to my surprise being an Eggs Benedict and egg poacher virgin, everything came out perfectly! My husband was so surprised and impressed! Said it was a home run and it was excellent! I’m so happy!! The hollandaise sauce came out great!! Loved the look on his face when I said it was from scratch and not a packet. Ha!
    Thank you for sharing this! So glad I found it and was able to execute.
    PS- I also watched a video on YouTube prior to cooking to learn about poaching an egg for extra guidance.

    Reply

  14. Today, January 13th, is my brothers birthday. He met an untimely death last year, June 29th, just 7 days after our mother died.
    Shamus was a chef and taught my sister and I alot.
    His favorite dish was eggs Benedict. Hed make it at family gatherings and it was always a hit.
    Today, my sister and I both used this recipe in his honor. I live in Wisconsin, she lives in Ohio…
    It turned out amazing and delicious. My super picky fiance gobbled it up! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  15. Great recipe. I had to find a substitute for the cream so we opted for a tablespoon of whole milk yogurt and the lemon juice went well with that. Everyone loved it! Will make again.

    Reply

      • I was willing to try lime, and I didn’t like that taste in my hollandaise. I’ve never tasted lime hollandaise until today, and I was cooking eggs benedict for someone and the limecbotched it, it was embarrassing. I could not serve it

        Reply

        • Hi Christie, I’m sorry you didn’t like the lime. All traditional hollandaise sauces contain lemon or lime. Next time you could try lemon juice and use less, if you don’t like the flavor.

          Reply

  17. I liked the lime more than the previous lemon juice recipes I’ve tried. Husband likes runny eggs, but I hate that! So, I poached the leftover whites from the sauce yokes, for myself… Win/win @ our Huas 😀 I heated the liquids (milk, instead of cream) with the butter, then tempered the yokes, and it still turned out fine. Thanks for the photos & great instructions!

    Reply

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