Try my Eggs Benedict made with a foolproof vinegar-free poaching method with creamy hollandaise sauce and ham steaks on an English muffin!
Most days I stick to quick and easy Egg Dishes like Over Easy or Scrambled Eggs. But when I want something a little more special, this classic Eggs Benedict is my go-to recipe – and a great addition to your Mother’s Day brunch!
Sabrina’s Eggs Benedict Recipe
Eggs Benedict is the quintessential brunch recipe! But with the poached eggs and fancy hollandaise sauce, it might seem intimidating no matter your cooking skill level. With my easy shortcuts and hacks, anyone can easily master this classic recipe. You’ll need a blender, a medium saucepan, some pantry ingredients and about 20 minutes to make a dish that rivals your favorite brunch spot!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice , fresh
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Poached Eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 large eggs
To Finish
- 4 English muffins , sliced in half and toasted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ham steaks , quartered
- 1 tablespoon chives , chopped for garnish
Instructions
Hollandaise Sauce:
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam then turn off the heat.
- In a blender add the egg yolks and water and while its mixing slowly pour the butter into the blender pour shoot until fully creamy and combined before adding in the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
Poached Eggs:
- Add water to a pot (about egg height) along with salt and bring to a simmer on medium heat (you don't want the water boiling, it won't cook the eggs gently enough).
- Crack the eggs into a bowl or one at a time into small bowl and add them to the water gently one at a time before turning off the heat and adding the lid to the pan for 2 minutes before removing with a slotted spoon for a perfect poached egg.
To Finish:
- While the English muffins are toasting, sear the ham steaks in a skillet with the butter until browned (about 2 minutes).
- Layer with English Muffin, ham steak, egg, hollandaise and chopped chives for serving.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
This Eggs Benedict recipe breaks all the “rules” they teach in culinary school – but we aren’t in culinary school and there’s no cooking police to kick you out of your kitchen! We’re not swirling water in a pan with white vinegar to poach these eggs, just a pan of water with a lid. We’re also not using a double boiler to make the hollandaise, we’re using a blender!
And the rule breaking doesn’t stop there! Usually Eggs Benedict are made using Canadian bacon rounds. You can absolutely use them if you prefer but giving the thick-cut ham steaks a chance! Just this small tweak takes a classic, by the book dish and turns it into something extra special. And if ham really doesn’t do it for you, this is your breakfast – go-ahead and swap in some fresh cooked bacon instead!
What’s the difference between Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine?
Eggs Benedict is made with ham, egg, English muffin, and hollandaise sauce while Eggs Florentine substitutes the ham for cooked spinach.
Ingredients
- Butter: The butter adds richness and melting it first until foaming gets it hot enough to temper and “cook” the egg yolks in the blender.
- Egg Yolks: Yolks are the star of the sauce, giving it a velvety texture and rich creamy flavor.
- Water: Helps in emulsify and thin out the sauce so it is easy to pour.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a zesty brightness to the sauce. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is ideal for a punchier flavor, but bottled lemon juice will work.
- Cayenne Pepper: Gives a subtle kick to break up the richness in the sauce. A dash of hot sauce or a pinch of paprika can be used instead.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors. Adjust the amount to taste.
- Black Pepper: Adds a slight spice and depth.
- Salt (For Poaching): This helps season the water and the eggs during poaching.
- 8 large eggs: Cold eggs are the secret to perfect poaching! So leave your eggs in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
- English Muffins: Provide a crispy, chewy base that holds up to the heat and moisture from the eggs and rich sauce without getting soggy.
- Butter: Adds a little extra richness and flavor to the muffins and ham.
- Ham Steaks: Salty and savory, thick cut ham steaks are so much more flavorful than Canadian bacon in my opinion. Plus this is a great way to use up leftover Baked Ham during the holidays.
- Chives: A fresh herb garnish helps cut the richness.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Blender: Essential for achieving a creamy, emulsified sauce. If you don’t have a blender, a food processor or an immersion blender can be alternatives.
- Pan: You will need a pan about egg height (so 3 inches or so) for poaching the eggs. You can use the same pan to melt the butter, just make sure you get it completely clean or the residual fat could affect the cooking temperatures.
- Skillet: Used for searing the ham steaks.
- Toaster: For toasting the English muffins to crispy perfection. You can also pop them under a broiler on high.
How to Make
Time needed: 20 minutes
- Hollandaise Sauce
Start by melting your unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it starts foaming, turn off the heat. Using a blender, mix together the egg yolks and water. As it’s going, gradually introduce the hot butter until the mixture becomes creamy and fully combined. Add the lemon juice and cayenne pepper, then salt and pepper to taste.
- Poaching the Eggs
Fill a pot with water up to the approximate height of an egg. Season it with salt and bring it to a gentle simmer. You don’t want boiling, that is too harsh for the eggs! Crack each egg into a separate bowl, then gently slide it into the simmering water. Once all your eggs are in the pot, turn off the heat and let them sit with a lid on for two minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon to separate dish.
- Toast Muffins and Fry Ham
As your English muffins are getting crispy in the toaster, grab a skillet. Melt some butter and sear the quartered ham steaks on both sides for about two minutes.
- Assemble
Lay out your toasted English muffins as the base. On each half, place a ham piece, followed by a poached egg. Pour the sauce generously over each egg. Garnish with chopped fresh chives.
Can This Be Made Ahead of Time?
While technically you can make parts of this recipe ahead of time, I recommend making it fresh right before serving. Both the sauce and the eggs will lose a lot of texture and flavor if you chill them and then reheat them.
Nutritional Facts
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cold Eggs: One trick to getting perfectly poached eggs with this method is to use cold eggs. The whites won’t disperse as easily and the yolks won’t cook as fast so you’ll get creamy runny yolk and a thicker egg white.
- Boiling Level: Also, you want to make sure the water is barely a simmer. The more water bubbles, the more the egg whites will spread and separate.
- Separation: If your Hollandaise begins to separate, you can save it! Whisk in a tablespoon of hot water until it comes back together.
How to Store
- Store: Leftovers will keep for about 1-2 days in the fridge. Try to store them separately if possible so that you can reheat them separately.
- Reheat: You’ll want to heat each component separately, with the sauce and the eggs warmed over low heat so they don’t cook or curdle. Personally, I like toasting a new muffin so it’s crispy.
- Freeze: I wouldn’t recommend freezing any leftovers, as they won’t thaw and reheat well.
Frequent Questions
Absolutely! While traditional Eggs Benedict uses ham, you can easily substitute it with smoked salmon, bacon, sausage patties, or even spinach for a vegetarian version.
A split Hollandaise can be saved! Start with a teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and slowly whisk in the split sauce until it emulsifies again. Make sure to add the sauce gradually and whisk consistently.
Yes, while poached eggs are traditional for Eggs Benedict, you can use soft-boiled or fried eggs. The key is to have a runny yolk for that classic creamy texture.
The hollandaise is easy enough in any quantity that will fit in a blender. When it comes to poaching the eggs, use multiple pans that are simmering before even starting the sauce or toasting the muffins. Then when it is time to poach the eggs you can do 8 each in large skillets and just simply turn them off, turn on a 2-minute timer, and remove them quickly with a slotted spoon.
The origins of Eggs Benedict go back to New York City in the Waldorf Hotel. Legend is that a guest asked for a toast topped with bacon, poached eggs, and a “hooker” of hollandaise sauce. The chef loved the dish but changed it for his menu by altering the toast and the bacon (see this dish is made for bacon!).
Variations:
- Chesapeake: Maryland crab cake made with blue crab instead of ham. You could also use my easy Crab Cake recipe.
- Florentine: Made with cooked spinach instead of ham or Canadian bacon. You could also add a thick slice of tomato along with the spinach.
- Irish: Made with Corned Beef instead of ham. Perfect for after St. Patrick’s Day!
- Steak: Uses steak instead of ham. Usually a Steak Benedict is topped with bearnaise sauce, like in my Steak Oscar recipe.
- Salmon: Also known as Eggs Royale, this variation uses cooked salmon or smoked salmon in place of ham.
- California: Swap in avocado slices and crispy thick cut bacon for the ham. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
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My first attempt at poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. They were a hit with the whole family, which rarely happens.
That’s amazing! I’m so glad you decided to give it a try.
I have attempted Hollandaise sauce multiple times and it’s never turned out this awesome. Recipe was very easy and I had everything in my pantry!
That’s fantastic! I’m so glad you decided to give this recipe a try.
Flavors are on point; however, my sauce (and I point out that I followed the recipe precisely) never thickened but remained runny. No mention in the recipe that the sauce is to be heated except by the melted butter. What went wrong?
Oh no! Adding the butter should’ve thickened it right up. The only tip I can think of is to make sure to add the butter in a smooth stream and not pour it all in right away if that makes sense. So glad you still enjoyed the flavors.
I have always made hollandaise sauce on the stove to cook the eggs. I like your approach, but do the yolks get hot enough to cook them? It looks delicious.
Thanks!!
Hollandaise sauce isn’t completely cooked all the way through but as long as you use pasteurized eggs you’ll be ok. I hope you decide to give it a try.
These would disappear in our house!
Haha, love it!
Holy cow this looks amazing. I want this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Thanks, Alli!
This is one of my favorite breakfasts! Looks so yummy!
I hope you enjoy it!
I’m a lover of all breakfasts that don’t involve me making them, so I’ll be sure to pass this recipe to my hubby for this weekend. Everything looks perfect and delicious 🙂
You sound like a very smart person!! I like the way you think.
I’ve never made hollandaise sauce, and I love eggs benedict! thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Cheryl!