Bearnaise Sauce Recipe brings a silky, tangy, butter-rich sauce scented with tarragon and shallot that tastes luxurious without feeling heavy. It suits steak night, roasted veggies, and brunch eggs, and you can finish it in about 20 minutes. I still whisk mine in a thrift-store metal bowl that has survived more dinner parties than my potted herbs.
Why Choose This Bearnaise Sauce Recipe
Bearnaise Sauce Recipe rewards a few careful minutes with restaurant-level flavor and a spoon-coating texture. You use a quick tarragon-shallot reduction, warm clarified butter, and steady whisking that stays friendly even if you feel new to sauces.
I dial in acid and salt so the butter tastes bright, not greasy. I also include a blender shortcut that saves tired wrists on weeknights.
Bright, buttery, and herb-forward, this sauce turned Tuesday steak into date-night material in under 20 minutes ★★★★★
Ingredients You Need
- Unsalted butter, 10 tablespoons, melted and clarified – or use 10 tablespoons ghee to skip clarifying
- Egg yolks, 3 large – room temp helps the emulsion
- White wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons – I like Colavita or O, but any clean-tasting brand works
- Dry white wine, 2 tablespoons – Sauvignon Blanc or whatever you opened for dinner
- Shallot, 1 small, finely minced – shallot paste from a tube works in a pinch
- Fresh tarragon, 2 tablespoons chopped leaves, plus a few stems for the reduction – dried tarragon works at half the amount
- Fresh chervil, 1 tablespoon chopped – optional but classic; parsley works as a swap
- Cracked black pepper or peppercorns, 6 to 8 – adds a gentle bite
- Lemon juice, 1 to 2 teaspoons, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
Equipment
- Small saucepan for the reduction
- Small skillet or saucepan to melt butter
- Heatproof bowl that nests over the saucepan to make a gentle steam bath
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Balloon whisk – or use a blender for the shortcut method
- Instant-read thermometer, optional but helpful
How to Make Bearnaise Sauce Recipe
Make the tarragon reduction (5 to 7 minutes)
- Combine vinegar, white wine, minced shallot, peppercorns, and a few tarragon stems in a small saucepan.
- Simmer on medium until the liquid reduces to about 2 tablespoons and smells fragrant.
- Strain into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the shallots to catch every drop. Discard solids.
Prep the butter (5 minutes, or use ghee)
- Melt butter gently until it separates. Skim off foam and pour the clear butterfat into a measuring cup, leaving milk solids behind.
- Keep the clarified butter warm, not hot. You want it roughly 130 to 150 F so it blends smoothly.
Whisk the yolks over gentle heat (3 minutes)
- Set the bowl with the warm reduction over a saucepan that holds barely simmering water. The bowl should not touch the water.
- Whisk in the egg yolks and keep whisking until they look thick, creamy, and form soft ribbons. If the bowl steams vigorously or the yolks look grainy, pull it off the heat and keep whisking.
Emulsify with butter (3 to 5 minutes)
- Start a slow drizzle of warm clarified butter while you whisk constantly.
- Pour in a thin stream and keep the sauce moving until it looks glossy and thick. Adjust the bowl on and off the heat to keep it warm but not hot.
Finish and season (1 minute)
- Whisk in chopped tarragon and chervil.
- Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the richness.
- Taste and tweak the balance so you get herb, acid, and butter in every bite.
Optional: Blender method (3 minutes)
- Add warm reduction and egg yolks to a blender and run it on low for 20 seconds.
- Drizzle in warm clarified butter through the lid opening while the blender runs until the sauce thickens.
- Fold in chopped herbs by hand, then season with salt and lemon.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Keep the heat gentle; hot steam scrambles yolks fast.
- Warm butter blends best; cold butter seizes and hot butter breaks the sauce.
- Drizzle butter slowly; a rush of fat floods the yolks and thins the sauce.
- Reduce to about 2 tablespoons; too much liquid weakens the emulsion.
- Strain the reduction; stray shallot bits make the texture chunky.
- Whisk in lemon at the end so you control the zing.
- Fix a split sauce by whisking 1 teaspoon warm water into it, or start a fresh yolk and slowly whisk the split sauce into it.
- Hold the finished sauce warm, not hot; a preheated thermos keeps it happy for about 45 minutes.
- Use ghee as a pantry shortcut; it brings reliable results and saves time.
- Taste for salt last; herbs and acid change how salty the sauce reads.
Variations I've Tried
- Sauce Choron: whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons warm tomato puree for a rosy, savory finish.
- Fines Herbes: mix tarragon with chervil, parsley, and chives for a softer herb profile.
- Peppercorn kick: crush green peppercorns and stir them in for a steakhouse vibe.
- Citrus twist: swap lemon with a mix of lemon and a splash of orange for grilled salmon.
- Brown butter riff: use lightly browned clarified butter for nutty depth with asparagus.
How to Serve
Spoon bearnaise over seared steak, grilled salmon, or roasted asparagus and watch plates clear. I also love it on crispy fries and on a Benedict with seared mushrooms. Pair it with a bright white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or a bubbly that cuts through the butter. Add a simple green salad and call dinner a win.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Make the tarragon reduction up to 3 days ahead and chill it in a covered jar.
- Prepare the full sauce up to 1 day ahead if you must, though fresh tastes best. Chill it in a covered container and press plastic wrap on the surface.
- Skip the freezer; the emulsion turns grainy after thawing.
- Reheat gently: place the bowl over hot tap water or a barely steaming pot, whisk, and loosen with a teaspoon of warm water or lemon if it thickens too much.
- Hold finished sauce warm in a preheated thermos for up to 45 minutes for service.
Bearnaise Sauce Recipe
Bearnaise Sauce Recipe brings a silky, tangy, butter-rich sauce scented with tarragon and shallot that tastes luxurious without feeling heavy. It suits steak night, roasted veggies, and brunch eggs, and you can finish it in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the white wine vinegar, dry white wine, minced shallot, cracked peppercorns, and a few tarragon stems in a small saucepan.
- Simmer over medium heat until the liquid reduces to about 2 tablespoons and smells fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Strain the reduction into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the shallots to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
- Gently melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan until it separates into clear fat and milk solids.
- Skim off the foam and pour the clear butterfat into a measuring cup, leaving the milk solids behind. Keep the clarified butter warm, about 130°F to 150°F.
- Set the bowl with the warm reduction over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water.
- Whisk in the egg yolks and continue whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, looks creamy, and forms soft ribbons. If the bowl gets too hot or the yolks look grainy, remove from the heat and keep whisking.
- Start a slow, thin drizzle of the warm clarified butter into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
- Continue to drizzle and whisk until the sauce becomes glossy, thick, and spoon-coating, moving the bowl on and off the heat as needed to keep it warm but not hot.
- Whisk in the chopped tarragon and chervil (if using).
- Season with kosher salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to brighten the richness.
- Taste and adjust herbs, acid, and salt so each bite balances butter, herbs, and tang.
- Add the warm tarragon reduction and egg yolks to a blender and blend on low for about 20 seconds.
- With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the warm clarified butter through the lid opening until the sauce thickens and emulsifies.
- Transfer to a bowl, fold in the chopped herbs by hand, then season with salt and lemon juice to taste.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Approximate per serving (about 2 tablespoons, 6 servings total): 190 calories; fat 20 g; saturated fat 11 g; carbohydrates 1 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 0 g; protein 2 g; sodium 120 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on brands, exact amounts, and portion size.
Approximate per serving (about 2 tablespoons, 6 servings total): 190 calories; fat 20 g; saturated fat 11 g; carbohydrates 1 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 0 g; protein 2 g; sodium 120 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on brands, exact amounts, and portion size.