Béarnaise Sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
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This classic Béarnaise Sauce recipe is made in your food processor, or blender, for an easy foolproof method! It’s creamy, rich and perfect on a sandwich, eggs, or a steak for some fancy flare.

Why I Love This Béarnaise Sauce Recipe

Aside from its incredible flavor, here are even more reasons why this simple recipe truly makes the best steak sauce ever:

  • No Whisking: I never used to make Béarnaise sauce, because it was just so hard to get right! And, by the end, my arm basically felt like it was going to fall off from all the whisking! Thankfully I found my new favorite method using a food processor or blender. No more whisking for that perfect Béarnaise!
  • Versatile: This classic French sauce can be used on so many different dishes. There isn’t much that we haven’t tried it on! From a perfectly grilled steak, seafood, vegetables, eggs or even a sandwich, I promise you love it on just about anything.
  • Simple Ingredients: Aside from the fresh tarragon, most everything else are kitchen stables you probably already have!
  • Fast: This easy Béarnaise sauce recipe is so fast to whip together. I usually make it while our steaks are resting after cooking. As long as you have all the ingredients gathered ahead, this sauce will be ready in minutes.

Looking for more amazing homemade sauce recipes? Try these reader favorites: “Oh My!” Steak Sauce, Tzatziki Sauce, Best Chimichurri Sauce and Mushroom Sauce for Steak!

What is Béarnaise Sauce?

Béarnaise sauce is a creamy and savory sauce that originated in France in the 1830’s. It’s named for the province of Bearn, but was really created just west of Paris.

Traditionally, it is a sauce made of egg yolks and clarified butter emulsified with a white wine, tarragon, and shallot reduction. It is a “child” of the “Mother Sauce” Hollandaise. It’s notoriously difficult to make by hand, but thankfully we use a blender or food processor for this version!

A spoon drizzling Béarnaise Sauce on top of a steak on a bed of green beans.

What’s the Difference Between Hollandaise and Béarnaise Sauce?

The major difference between a Hollandaise sauce and a Béarnaise sauce is the flavor. Hollandaise sauce is a creamy, rich, simple sauce made with egg yolks, lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper (or cayenne pepper). Béarnaise sauce has punched up the flavor by adding tarragon and shallots to a wine reduction. These additions make Béarnaise more fragrant with a savory twist.

Ingredients for the Béarnaise Sauce recipe in small bowls.

Recipe Ingredients

Butter wine and eggs are the base of this easy but decadent sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • White Wine: You will want to use a dry white wine, not a sweet wine. Chardonnay works great.
  • Tarragon Vinegar: I like to use Tarragon Vinegar because it adds an extra punch of tarragon flavor. If you don’t have tarragon vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar instead. Champagne vinegar or cider vinegar will also work fine too.
  • Shallots: The small onion-like vegetables with a light reddish skin. You will usually find them next to the garlic and onions in the produce section.
  • Egg Yolks
  • Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper will give you the most flavor.
  • Garlic Salt: Or you can use regular salt instead.
  • Fresh Tarragon Leaves: Tarragon is the signature herb of Béarnaise sauce, so don’t substitute this.
  • Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, I recommend waiting to add the salt to the sauce until the end and season it to taste.

Tips For Best Results

This recipe is pretty foolproof, but here are a few tips for success.

  • Room Temperature Egg Yolks: I highly recommend using egg yolks that are room temperature. Separate your eggs and let the eggs sit in a bowl on the counter for 30 minutes (or up to an hour) before you start.
  • High Power Blender: Make sure to use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender that is powerful and can blend your sauce smooth. No one wants a lumpy sauce! I love this blender, but find an immersion blender is even easier to use.
  • Too Thick: Béarnaise sauce should be thick enough to stick to a spoon easily, but thin enough that you can pour it over a steak or eggs. It will be thinner than mayonnaise. If your sauce turns out too thick, you can add a little water and puree it again to thin it out.
A spoon scooping up some Béarnaise Sauce.

How to Use Béarnaise Sauce

There are SO many ways you will find to use this sauce! Honestly, it goes on just about everything. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Protein: My favorite way to use Béarnaise sauce is on a perfectly grilled and charred steak, like this Flank Steak. It is the best pairing out there. You’ll love it over Air Fryer Salmon and Best Baked Chicken, too.
  • Eggs: This sauce goes great with eggs – top some Scrambled Eggs or an omelette (like my Tortilla Española) with it, drizzle it on top of Eggs Benedict, or smear some on a fried egg sandwich.
  • Vegetables: You can also drizzle it over your favorite veggies, like Air Fryer Asparagus or Sautéed Green Beans.
  • Fries: Have you tried dipping your fries in Béarnaise? Life. Changing. Honestly, one of our favorite dinners is a good steak, some crispy Potato Wedges and this sauce to dip both into!

The Best Way to Store Béarnaise

It’s best to serve your Béarnaise sauce immediately. Once refrigerated, the sauce will harden (like butter) and reheating the sauce can cause it to separate.

However, if you have some that needs storing, just put it in a Tupperware and store it in the fridge. Then you can use it like butter on toast.

If you want to try to reheat your leftover Béarnaise, you’ll need to pull out a double boiler (or a glass bowl fitted over a pot of boiling water). Simmer the sauce over medium heat in your double boiler and add a splash of tarragon vinegar. Give it a few moments to start melting and once it has – Whisk! Whisk! WHISK! As soon as it has returned to normal consistency (runny mayonnaise), remove it from the heat and serve!

More Easy Homemade Sauce Recipes

Béarnaise Sauce poured over a steak on a bed of green beans.
4.4 from 56 votes
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Yield: 6 servings

The Best Béarnaise Sauce

This classic creamy Béarnaise Sauce tastes great on just about everything. It's so easy to make with your food processor or blender, using just a few ingredients!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons white wine
  • 3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
  • 1 large shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons worth)
  • 3 egg yolks, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
  • 4 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter

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Instructions 

  • Combine wine, vinegar, and shallot in top of a double boiler. Simmer until reduced by half and then let mixture cool.
  • Once cooled, place mixture, egg yolks, pepper, garlic salt, and tarragon leaves in food processor or blender. Blend for about 10 seconds.
  • Melt butter in microwave for a 1:15, or until hot and slightly bubbling, but be careful not to burn it! Then remove the center stopper from the food processor (or blender) and slowly pour the butter through the opening while the motor is running. This process should take about 30 seconds.
  • Process for another 10 seconds after all the butter has been added. The sauce should be the consistency of a thin mayonnaise. If not, blend for another 5 seconds. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Raw Egg: The heat from the butter is used to cook the egg yolks. So there are no raw egg concerns!
Storage: It’s best to serve your Béarnaise sauce immediately. Once refrigerated, the sauce will harden (like butter) and reheating the sauce can cause it to separate. However, if you have some that needs storing, just put it in a Tupperware and store it in the fridge. Then you can use it like butter on toast.
Try Reheating It: If you want to try to reheat your leftover Béarnaise, you’ll need to pull out a double boiler (or a glass bowl fitted over a pot of boiling water). Simmer the sauce over medium heat in your double boiler and add a splash of tarragon vinegar. Give it a few moments to start melting and once it has – Whisk! Whisk! WHISK! As soon as it has returned to normal consistency (runny mayonnaise), remove it from the heat and serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 303kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 184mg, Sodium: 171mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g

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5 stars
I made this tonight, first time, it came out EXCELLENT. And it was very easy. I had to use an immersion blender, I was worried about that, but it worked great. I will be making this again for sure. I couldn’t find fresh Taragon so I used dry and only used half (2 tablespoons), any comments or recommendations on this would be appreciated. Thank you.

I did a test run, came out just perfectly. Now my concern for Christmas I need more sauce for a larger group. Can bearnaise sauce recipes be doubled?

A boneless steak cooks at a rate of 3 min. per side per inch of thickness. It demands a special occasion to spend a half an hour making a sauce for a 10 minute steak, so we make everyday Beranaise in about 5 minutes. Egg yolks are used in the classic recipe to thicken melted butter. Its a long pain in the butt way to thicken melted butter. We omit the yolks and thicken with Arrowroot or cornstarch. Arrowroot costs more but puts an attractive sheen on the sauce.

Make the thickener: put cornstarch in a very dry measuring cup. Add the wh wine & vinegar (we skip vinegar. Its better without) and stir until all the thickener is in suspension. Melt the butter in a pan, Add tarragon to the melted butter and a pinch of cherval. Stir the thinker again, it will have settled. Pour it into the butter. Raise heat to boiling and gently boil for 2-3 minutes. This does two things. It causes the thickener to thicken and it boils off the alcohol. Simple, easy, and fast. You can kick up the ‘weight’ of the sauce to more closely resemble the classic sauce by adding a small dollop of heavy cream.

BTW: I do not measure, so you will have to play it by ear to find the right quantities. BTW BTW: There are good reasons to never measure when cooking except fro some baked goods, but that’s another story

I have made this recipe several times now and it is perfect every time. This technique is very similar to James Beard’s hollandaise sauce that I have made for over 40 years. Sauce has a velvety smooth texture and is perfect for steaks and many other meats and vegetables.

Tarragon vinegar? Any substitute for that?

White wine vinegar then add some dried tarragon let it soak and infuse for 10 minutes

I’m sorry but this sauce looks curdeld and not soft and smooth at all.If my bearnaise looks like this I’ll say it went wrong. Still might taste fabulous, but not the way a good bearnaise should look like.

hoping to reheat my sauce tonight very important party

This looks incredibly tasty! I am actually hosting an asparagus-themed linky party over at 2 Sisters 2 Cities as part of our Fresh Produce Tuesday series. I would love if you linked up this post!

-m

Hmmm – this looks sinfully delicious. I can see myself growing very addicted to this sauce.

I love this post!

This is dangerous. My thighs will hate me for this!

Yum! Bernaise sauce has always been one of my favorites… especially on steak! Not the most ass-friendly thing out there, but wort the splurge every once in a while!

You really can’t go wrong with those ingredients…and I love that you found an easier method to make this wonderful sauce. I want to make this now (and it’s well past midnight!) Thank you for sharing yourself with me tonight. Your words and recipes bring me joy.

Oh dear, now look what you’ve done. Béarnaise is pretty good on just about everything, love the stuff 🙂

Sounds rich & delicious!

I’ve never made Béarnaise sauce before and now I’m feeling like I have to try it!

I am so excited you posted this! I recently had a bearnaise sauce on eggs benedict at a restaurant and my boyfriend and I loved it! I’ve never made it before and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing all those great tips with it too!

Oh bearnaise. such a dangerously beautiful thing. I hope you’ll understand if I wait to make this until I lose ten pounds. I’ll need the leeway.

Ok, yum!!!! Trying to get skinny for my wedding and reading food blogs seems to be counter productive….

Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing. I’ve always wanted to try and make this.

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Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.