Classic Béarnaise Sauce (Foolproof Method)
Here’s an easy way to make a restaurant quality béarnaise sauce at home, to serve with grilled steaks, pan fried fish and lots more. This classic steak sauce is rich, tangy & full of flavour.
A classic Béarnaise sauce is made by stirring chopped tarragon into hollandaise sauce. This rich, herby butter based sauce originates from France and is a classic steak sauce and is easily the best (in my opinion anyway!). Although peppercorn sauce and chimichurri are a close second!
Béarnaise is one of those sauces that can seem quite daunting to make at home and is often reserved for restaurant and steak house visits! Luckily it’s surprisingly easy to make and I’m going to show you how, step by step. This includes making a proper vinegar reduction, 2 different methods of clarifying butter, how to emulsify the sauce properly and how to save a split béarnaise. Plus a few tips & tricks to getting the best flavour & texture.
A popular way to make Béarnaise is in a blender which reduces the chance of splitting. However for this recipe, we’re sticking with the traditional method & cooking the yolks over a bain marie before gradually whisking in the clarified butter. This is the way we used to make it in the restaurant I used to work in & it works every time!
For more side dishes & sauces, take a look at our collection of sides! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade chips, to cornbread, slaws, pickles & loads more. And for a dish to serve your béarnaise sauce with, check out our dinner recipes.
Ingredients For Béarnaise Sauce
- Butter – We’re making our own clarified butter for this béarnaise sauce and it’s best to use unsalted butter then season the sauce yourself. You could use ghee instead, which is clarified already and I’ve included how much you’ll need in the recipe card.
- Egg Yolks – I use 4 egg yolks to 200 grams of butter (un clarified). For a thicker sauce, you could use more butter but this is the ideal ratio in my opinion.
- Vinegar Reduction – A key component of hollandaise & béarnaise sauces. This reduction is made with white wine vinegar, black peppercorns, a sliced shallot, fresh thyme & tarragon stalks.
- Tarragon – We’re using both the stalk & leaves from the tarragon. The stalks go into the reduction and the leaves get finely chopped and added to the sauce at the end. You can add as much or as little tarragon to the sauce as you like!
- Lemon Juice – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice cuts through the richness from the butter & yolks. This is added to taste, so start with a small amount then add in more as needed.
How To Make Classic Béarnaise Sauce
A classic Béarnaise sauce can be broken down into 5 simple steps. Making a restaurant style sauce like this one at home can seem a bit daunting but this method is super easy & essentially foolproof.
1. Vinegar Reduction
Any good béarnaise starts with an infused vinegar reduction, which can be made ahead of time or just before you make the sauce, if you’ve got the time. You can even make a big batch if you’re planning on making lots of sauce & it will keep in the fridge for several weeks!
To make the reduction, add white wine vinegar into a small pan with a sliced shallot, a few black peppercorns, fresh thyme sprigs and the stalks from the picked tarragon. Set the pan over a medium heat, bring the vinegar to a simmer then cook for 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half (50%).
Once cooked, pass the vinegar reduction through a sieve. If you’re making the sauce straight away you can add the vinegar into a heatproof mixing bowl (which is what we’re making the sauce in). Or if you’ve made the reduction ahead of time, pass it into a container, leave to cool then store in the fridge.
2. Clarified Butter
There’s 2 different ways that you can make clarified butter at home or you can use ghee instead. The method I like to use is with a microwave but feel free to clarify the butter on the stove instead, if you’d prefer. Clarified butter needs to be used warm for this style of sauce so that it doesn’t split, so it’s best to make it just before using.
Method 1 – In The Microwave
To clarify butter in a microwave, roughly chop up the butter then place into a heatproof jug. Microwave on a low heat until melted (without stirring!). Then once melted, skim any white foam off the top. The white milk solids will have settled in the bottom of the jug and the golden clarified butter will be sitting on top.
Method 2 – On The Stove
To make clarified butter on the stove, add chopped butter into a small saucepan then cook over a low heat until melted, without stirring. Once melted, use a spoon to skim any white foam off the top of the butter then pour the clarified butter into a jug, leaving the milk solids in the bottom of the pan.
3. Egg Yolk Base (Sabayon)
Next, the vinegar reduction is used for the egg yolk base (a sabayon). To make this, set the bowl with the vinegar in over a pan of barely simmering water (or a bain marie) then whisk in egg yolks.
The yolk and vinegar mix needs to be cooked whilst being whisked constantly until it’s very pale and fluffy. This will take around 4-6 minutes and you’ll know when it’s ready when you lift the whisk out & it leaves a trail on top.
4. Whisking In Butter
Now it’s time to bring the sabayon and clarified butter together by slowly & gradually whisking the butter into the yolks, with the bowl set off the heat. The 2 components need to emulsify together so it’s key to make sure that are both warm & to whisk the butter in a little bit at a time. However, if the sauce does split it’s an easy fix & you simply whisk in a spoonful of hot water to bring it back together.
Once all of the butter has been added, the hollandaise sauce should be velvety, smooth and thick enough to be pourable. If it’s too thick, whisk a small amount of the milk solids in (from when you clarified the butter) or a splash of warm water.
5. Finishing
To turn hollandaise into béarnaise, you need to stir finely chopped tarragon into the sauce. To cut through the richness from the yolks & butter, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon then season with salt & pepper. Give the sauce a taste once it’s made then add in more chopped tarragon, lemon juice or salt & pepper, as needed. Serve straight away or keep warm over a pan of hot water (off the heat) for up to an hour.
Tips & Tricks
- Keep An Eye On Temperatures – Béarnaise sauce is made by egg yolks and clarified butter, so to prevent splitting or breaking this emulsion, it’s key that the yolks and butter are both at a similar temperature (warm) when they’re mixed together.
- Make A Reduction – To give your sauce the best flavour, make an infused vinegar reduction by simmering vinegar with herbs, shallots & black peppercorns.
- Whisk Butter In Slowly – To avoid splitting your béarnaise, gradually pour the warm clarified butter into the egg yolks whilst whisking constantly.
- Add Herbs In Last – For the best flavour, add the chopped tarragon in last (off the heat). Fresh tarragon has a delicate flavour that will turn bitter if cooked for too long.
- Serve Warm – Serve your Béarnaise sauce whilst it’s warm and at its best! Once cool, hollandaise based sauces like this one will thicken & solidify and will most likely split. You can keep Béarnaise sauce warm over a pan of warm water or in a thermos flask where it will keep warm for up to an hour.
Serving Suggestions
Béarnaise sauce is a classic steak sauce to serve with grilled beef but it’s great with loads of other dishes, not just steaks! You can serve it spooned over fries, alongside pan fried fish like salmon or trout, use it instead of hollandaise on eggs Benedict or even as a burger topping. This herby, tangy sauce goes especially well with oily fishes and well marbled meats, as it cuts through the richness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use the simmering plate when whisking the eggs. You can clarify butter on an Aga by placing the butter into a heatproof jug and leaving it on the top of the Aga to melt gently (the black top not the simmering or boiling plates!). To keep the sauce warm, place the bowl on top of one of the lids.
It’s best not to make béarnaise sauce ahead of time, as it’s not suitable for reheating. Although you can prepare the reduction & chopped tarragon ahead of time.
As béarnaise sauce is made with an emulsion of clarified butter and egg yolks, it’s best to serve it straight away as it will most likely split when reheated.
If your béarnaise sauce is split, it means that the emulsion is broken. This is an easy fix though, simply whisk a spoonful of hot water into the sauce to bring it back together.
Although it is possible to make béarnaise sauce with regular butter, it’s best to use clarified butter as the sauce will be less likely to split (due to removing the milk solids).
Steak Recipes To Serve This Sauce With
- Black Garlic Roasted Picanha (Beef Rump Cap)
- Reverse Seared Fillet Steak
- Black Garlic Hanger Steaks
- Sirloin Steak With Peppercorn Sauce
- Slow Roasted Prime Rib (Reverse Seared)
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Classic Béarnaise Sauce (Foolproof Method)
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Heatproof Mixing Bowl
- Small Sieve
- Juicer
Ingredients
Vinegar Reduction
- 100 g White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Shallot (Peeled & Thinly Sliced)
- 10 Black Peppercorns
- 6 Thyme Sprigs
- Tarragon Sprigs (From Picking The Leaves – See Notes)
Clarified Butter
- 200 g Unsalted Butter
Béarnaise Sauce
- 4 Egg Yolks (60 Grams)
- 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Tarragon
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice (Plus More To Taste If Needed)
Instructions
- First, pick the tarragon leaves from the stalks then finely chop the leaves and set to one side. Save the stalks for the reduction.Pick enough leaves for 2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon! You'll need most (if not all) of a 20g bunch. You can use all of the stalks for the reduction.
Vinegar Reduction
- Add the vinegar, shallot, peppercorns and herbs into a small saucepan then set over a medium heat.
- Bring the vinegar to the simmer then cook until the liquid has reduced by half. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Once the vinegar has reduced, pass it through a sieve, into a heatproof mixing bowl. This is what we'll be making the béarnaise sauce in.Press the herbs & shallots with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Clarified Butter
- There's 2 ways that you can clarify the butter! The method that I use is to roughly chop up the butter then place into a heatproof jug and microwave on low heat until melted (without stirring!). Then once melted, skim any white foam off the top. The clarified butter needs to be used whilst it's hot, so make it just before the sauce.
- Alternatively, add the chopped butter into a small saucepan then cook over a low heat until melted, without stirring. Once melted, use a spoon to skim any white foam off the top of the butter then pour the clarified butter into a jug, leaving the milk solids in the bottom of the pan.
Béarnaise Sauce
- Set the bowl with the vinegar in over a pan of barely simmering water (a bain marie) then whisk in the egg yolks.
- Cook the yolks, whisking constantly until the mix is very pale and thick enough to leave ribbons on top when you lift the whisk out. This will take 4-6 minutes.
- Once the eggs are ready, take the bowl off the heat then slowly pour in the clarified butter whilst whisking constantly. Make sure to pour the butter in, in a thin stream.Set the bowl over an empty saucepan with a tea towel in to stop it sliding around!
- If the sauce is too thick once all of the butter has been added in, whisk in a splash of the milk solids (from when you clarified the butter) or a splash of warm water.
- To finish your Béarnaise sauce, add in the chopped tarragon & lemon juice then season with salt & pepper. Give the sauce a taste then add in more lemon juice, tarragon, salt or pepper as needed.
- Serve your Béarnaise straight away or set it back over the pan of warm water (off the heat) to keep warm. It's best served within an hour of being made.
