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Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite meals to have for breakfast. If you’ve ever been intimidated by the prospect of making it, don’t be! When you follow these instructions, making eggs Benedict is almost TOO easy. No one will ever know your secret and they will think you are a culinary master!
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Sunday brunch will become your favorite meal of the week once you make this foolproof eggs benedict recipe. One of the most requested brunch recipes I make is eggs benedict. A classic benedict has a soft English muffin, topped with a poached egg and poured with a yummy hollandaise sauce overtop.
It is practically foolproof, you really can’t mess this breakfast up. Plus, it still tastes every bit as good as doing it the hard way. No one will ever know your secret and they will think you are a culinary master! I make my version with Canadian bacon or ham, and the salty-sweet flavor adds a nice punch to the entire recipe.
Traditional Eggs Benedict Ingredients
There is no need to be afraid of making this recipe. People are often intimidated by making eggs benedict and for good reason. Poaching eggs and making hollandaise sauce is usually challenging, but not with this recipe!
- English muffins – Toast the English muffins in a toaster to give them a shell base before adding the eggs and sauce on top. This will keep the muffin stable and not get soggy.
- Ham – Cook the ham on a skillet to give it that nice crisp flavor. Only heat it until it is warmed through.
- Eggs – These fresh eggs will become poached in a saucepan filled with simmering water.
- White vinegar – It helps cook the egg and set the yolk.
Homemade Hollandaise Sauce
Blend egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender until smooth and frothy, about 10 seconds. With the blender running, very slowly drizzle in the warm butter. Add salt and pepper to taste! Before serving, whisk the homemade hollandaise sauce together.
- Egg yolks – These eggs are cooked very slowly to avoid them from curdling when heating and making whisking in the sauce. Egg yolks are a thickening agent to give the hollandaise sauce texture.
- Fresh lemon juice – The acidity helps cut through the buttery richness and gives it a smooth mixture.
- Unsalted butter – This helps the hollandaise sauce have a rich and creamy base that is smooth and creamy when pouring.
How to Make the Best Eggs Benedict
Without hollandaise sauce, an egg benedict would be nothing more than a runny egg on a toasted muffin. The sauce is what elevates this dish and makes it extra yummy. It sounds extra fancy to say you have made your own homemade hollandaise, but it’s surprisingly simple to make.
- Prepare water bath – Fill a 12” lidded skillet nearly to the rim with water. Add the vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain the water and crack the eggs into coffee mugs or a small bowl, 2 per cup.
- Poach eggs – Reduce the water to a simmer. Lower the rims of the mugs into the water and gently tip the eggs into the skillet simultaneously. Remove the skillet from heat, cover, and poach the eggs for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Cook the meat – Cook the ham or Canadian bacon in a 12” nonstick skillet over medium heat until well-browned on both sides.
- To Serve – Arrange the English muffins on individual plates and top with ham. Gently remove eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and add one poached egg to each English muffin. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the Hollandaise sauce over the eggs and garnish with chives, parsley, basil, or cayenne pepper for a little heat.
Tips for Easy Eggs Benedict Recipe
- Fresh ingredients – Make sure that your ingredients are fresh and up to date for the best results. You will want the freshest eggs. The older eggs will spread as they cook. For best flavor use a high-quality Canadian bacon or ham.
- Poaching eggs – Add a splash of vinegar to the water as it is simmering. This will help the egg coagulate easier.
- Protein – Add slices of bacon or slices of Canadian bacon onto the toasted English muffin.
- Timing – It is hard to get it all done at the same time. Try to space the cooking out and have it finish simultaneously for it to stay hot.
- Double boiler – For the hollandaise sauce, you can use a double boiler or a heatproof bowl when simmering the water. This allows you to control the heat and prevents the eggs from curdling.
- Variations – Try eggs benedict with spinach, smoked salmon, and sliced avocados for different variations.
“We love eggs Benedict and these were pure perfection! Awesome weekend breakfast for the whole family!”
-Anna
Frequently Asked Questions
Eggs benedict is known to be the base and most traditional breakfast out of all the benedict options. Eggs royale is a variation of the eggs benedict. The ham is replaced with smoked salmon instead of ham.
There are several variations and creations that you can make with eggs benedict. Eggs florentine, royale, sadou, Neptune, and Cochon are options when making breakfast. They each have their own ingredients that are slightly varied from the original eggs benedict.
To answer it quickly, no. Unfortunately, this breakfast is not on the healthy side. The hollandaise sauce is very high in fat when covering the eggs. If you omit the sauce and use cherry tomatoes and avocados the breakfast does become a bit healthier.
Traditionally poached eggs are to be runny. With the runny yolk and cream sauce, this makes the perfect combination for the eggs Benedict snobs.
Storing and Reheating Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict will last in the fridge for a day or two. Store the hollandaise sauce separately in an airtight container. This will help prevent it from spoiling. When ready to reheat, simply place everything on a heated skillet on low heat and warm it until hot. Be careful if using a microwave, the eggs can overcook.
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How to Make Eggs Benedict
How to Make Eggs Benedict
Equipment
- Blendtec Blender
Ingredients
- 3 English muffins split in half (I used whole wheat)
- 6 slices ham or Canadian bacon
- 6 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
- salt
Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and warm
Instructions
To Poach the Eggs:
- Fill a medium pot half way full with water. Add the vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Crack the eggs into small bowls, 1 per cup.
- Lower the rims of the bowls into the water and gently tip the eggs into the skillet one at a time.
- Remove the skillet from heat, cover, and poach the eggs for 5-6 minutes. Gently remove eggs from the water with a slotted spoon. Set on a plate.
While the eggs are cooking:
- Cook the ham or Canadian bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until well-browned on both sides.
- Toast the English muffins.
Hollandaise Sauce (prepare right before serving):
- Blend egg yolks and lemon juice together in a blender until smooth and frothy, about 10 seconds.
- With the blender running, very slowly drizzle in the warm butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve:
- Arrange the English muffins on individual plates and top with Canadian bacon or ham.
- Add one poached egg to each English muffin. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the Hollandaise sauce over the eggs.
- Garnish with chives, parsley, or basil.
Notes
DIY Hollandaise Sauce
Take your egg yolks and lemon juice, and put them in a blender until they froth, which is about 10 seconds. Then, while your blender is still running, slowly drizzle the warm melted butter in. Add salt and pepper to taste then drizzle your hollandaise all over your egg benedicts.- 3 egg yolks – You only need the yolks for this recipe. Set aside the egg whites to make a healthy omelet the next morning or even something like this lemon meringue pie.
- 1 cup of melted butter – Make sure to use unsalted butter. The best way to melt it is to chop your butter stick up a bit, then put it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 15 seconds at a time. The butter should be warm while making this sauce, so do this when you are ready to make the sauce.
- Fresh lemon juice – Having a touch of acid is important when making the hollandaise. I like using lemon juice but you can also use white vinegar if that’s all you have on hand.
Nutrition Information
I’ve avoided making eggs benedict because I couldn’t get it that same restaurant quality. Thanks for this easy to follow recipe that truly is foolproof! It turned out perfectly.
My family loves eggs benedict! Can’t wait to make it for them.
We love eggs Benedict and these were pure perfection! Awesome weekend breakfast for the whole family!
We love eggs benedict but I always mess them up. Your tips made me a master! thank you!!!
I make this with ONE STICK OF HOT BUTTER. The recipe calls for 2 sticks. It’s way too greasy. One is perfect
just made this! I ran out of eggs! everyone wanted more. super easy and fast! Thanks
Hey! I was planning on making this for dinner tonight, but I just noticed that you don’t mention cooking the hollandaise sauce….is that correct? What about if I’m pregnant? Is it recommended for pregnant women to eat uncooked egg whites? Thanks!
Just to be safe, I would heat your hollandaise sauce on low before eating if you are pregnant.
Your instructions say to blend the egg *whites* with the lemon juice. I think you mean yolks.
Thanks for catching that! I fixed it.
Actually, it says to use just the yolks for the sauce not the whites.
You could also use pasteurized eggs. Here’s how to do it at home…
http://bakingbites.com/2011/03/how-to-pasteurize-eggs-at-home/
I am SOOOO trying this tomorrow!