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    Home » Recipes » Creamy Sauces

    Bearnaise Sauce

    Published: Oct 22, 2022 Modified: Jan 13, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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    Creamy, rich Bearnaise sauce is only a few steps away with this easy Bearnaise Sauce recipe! This tangy and delicious sauce has a history of being hard to make, but I promise with this easy recipe you'll have a luxurious Bearnaise sauce for steak, chicken, lamb, or even your favorite roasted vegetables- with only six ingredients!

    a spoon full of bearnause sauce held up close with a gravy boat full of bearnaise sauce in the background
    Jump to:
    • Classic Bearnaise Sauce
    • Sauce Bearnaise FAQs
    • Bearnaise Sauce Ingredients
    • How to Make Bearnaise Sauce
    • Bearnaise Recipe Tips
    • More Creamy Sauce Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📖 Recipe

    Classic Bearnaise Sauce

    As an offshoot of Hollandaise sauce, one of the five classical Mother Sauces, Bearnaise has an immediate air of luxury- and it tastes just as delicious! I always thought it would be difficult to make, but with my easy recipe for Bearnaise sauce, you'll be shocked at just how quickly it comes together!

    This is one of my favorite sauces for steak and truly elevates any cut of meat into a luxurious showstopper. You can serve up a fancy restaurant-worthy meal in minutes that will leave everyone asking how you made it!

    Steak isn't on the menu? Don't worry- the mild flavors and rich consistency of this sauce makes it a great option for anything grilled or broiled! Try it on lamb, chicken, or hearty vegetables like sliced cauliflower steaks, and you won't miss the beef!

    a turquoise gravy boat filled with bearnaise sauce resting on a grey towel, with a shallot, spoon and herbs in the background

    Sauce Bearnaise FAQs

    What is Bearnaise sauce?

    A relative of one of the five Mother Sauces, Bearnaise is made from a base of white wine vinegar, butter and egg yolks, and flavored with shallot, tarragon and black pepper. It makes a smooth, creamy, and mild sauce.

    What does Bearnaise sauce taste like?

    Thanks to the vinegar, which is boiled down into a reduction alongside the herbs, Bearnaise sauce is tart with a subtle flavoring of tarragon. If you haven't tried this herb before, it's much like licorice and fennel, a flavor that mellows out beautifully when simmered!

    What's the difference between Bearnaise sauce and Hollandaise?

    As an offshoot of the Hollandaise mother sauce, Bearnaise differs in the addition of delicate herbal flavors, and the use of vinegar instead of lemon juice. This makes Bearnaise ideal for balancing out rich, roasted foods!

    Is Bearnaise sauce gluten-free?

    Because Bearnaise sauce is thickened with egg yolks instead of using a classic roux, this sauce is completely gluten-free! It's also keto-friendly and soy-free!

    Bearnaise Sauce Ingredients

    • White wine vinegar
    • Shallot
    • Dried tarragon (fresh works too!)
    • Black pepper
    • Egg yolks
    • Unsalted butter
    labeled ingredients to make bearnaise sauce on a grey counter with a towel

    How to Make Bearnaise Sauce

    1. In a small frying pan, add vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and tarragon over medium low heat. Let it simmer until well-reduced, 10-15 minutes; there should only be a few tablespoons of liquid left. Set aside to cool.
      metal bowl with reduced vinegar and herbs on a white counter with butter and egg yolks on the side
    2. Heat about an inch of water in a small saucepan. In a metal mixing bowl, combine the fully cooled reduction, egg yolks, and a splash of water. Place the mixing bowl on top of the water-filled sauce pan, making sure the water isn't touching the bowl. (Or, use a double boiler!)
      adding egg yolks to the reduced vinegar and herbs in a metal bowl
    3. While whisking continuously, add butter 2-4 Tablespoons at a time, whisking until fully melted. Continue until all the butter has been added.
      bearnaise sauce being whisked in a metal bowl
    4. Once your sauce is at the desired level of thickness, remove from heat. Pour into a gravy boat, drizzle over the prepared dish, and serve!
      a steak, sliced side forward, with a spoon pouring bearnaise sauce on it and lettuce in the background

    Bearnaise Recipe Tips

    • Always make sure to cook your Bearnaise sauce at as low a temperature as possible! This will keep the yolks from solidifying and turning your sauce into tart scrambled eggs.
    • It is extremely important for yolk-based sauce recipes that the mixture is whisked continuously! Keeping the yolks vigorously whisked for the entire cooking time makes sure they cook without turning solid.
    • If it's a little too thick, don't be afraid to add a splash of water!
    • If you can find them, using fresh farm eggs will make a world of difference. The quality of the yolk is everything in a mild sauce like this!

    More Creamy Sauce Recipes

    • Easy Hollandaise Sauce
    • Creamy Mushroom Sauce
    • Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
    • Swedish Meatballs Sauce
    • Creamy Leek Sauce
    • Diane Sauce
    top view close-up of a bowl of bearnaise sauce, garnished with tarragon, resting on a grey dish towel

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    📖 Recipe

    a spoon full of bearnaise sauce over a turquoise gravy boat filled with bearnaise sauce

    Bearnaise Sauce

    Isabel Laessig
    Creamy, rich Bearnaise sauce is only a few steps away with this Easy Bearnaise Sauce Recipe! This tangy and delicious sauce has a history of being hard to make, but I promise with this easy recipe you'll have a luxurious Bearnaise sauce for steak, chicken, lamb, or even your favorite roasted vegetables- with only six ingredients!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine French
    Servings 1 cup
    Calories 1408 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Sauce pan
    • 1 metal mixing bowl
    • 1 double boiler (Optional, replaces mixing bowl)

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup White wine vinegar
    • 1 Shallot minced
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons Dried tarragon
    • 1 teaspoon Black pepper
    • 2 Egg yolks
    • 1 ½ sticks Unsalted butter

    Instructions
     

    • In a small frying pan, add vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and tarragon over medium low heat. Let it simmer until well reduced, 10-15 minutes; there should only be a few tablespoons of liquid left. Set aside to cool.
      ½ cup White wine vinegar, 1 Shallot, 1 ½ Tablespoons Dried tarragon, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
      metal bowl with reduced vinegar and herbs on a white counter with butter and egg yolks on the side
    • Heat about an inch of water in a small saucepan. In a metal mixing bowl, combine the fully cooled reduction, egg yolks, and a splash of water. Place the mixing bowl on top of the water-filled sauce pan, making sure the water isn't touching the bowl. (Or, use a double boiler!)
      2 Egg yolks
      adding egg yolks to the reduced vinegar and herbs in a metal bowl
    • While whisking continuously, add butter 2-4 Tablespoons at a time, whisking until fully melted. Continue until all the butter has been added.
      1 ½ sticks Unsalted butter
      bearnaise sauce being whisked in a metal bowl
    • Once your sauce is at the desired level of thickness, remove from heat. Pour into a gravy boat, drizzle over the prepared dish, and serve!
      a steak, sliced side forward, with a spoon pouring bearnaise sauce on it and lettuce in the background

    Notes

    • Always make sure to cook your Bearnaise sauce at as low a temperature as possible! This will keep the yolks from solidifying and turning your sauce into tart scrambled eggs.
    • It is extremely important for yolk-based sauce recipes that the mixture is whisked continuously! Keeping the yolks vigorously whisked for the entire cooking time makes sure they cook without turning solid.
    • If it's a little too thick, don't be afraid to add a splash of water!
    • If you can find them, using fresh farm eggs will make a world of difference. The quality of the yolk is everything in a mild sauce like this!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 1408kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 10gFat: 148gSaturated Fat: 91gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 40gTrans Fat: 6gCholesterol: 753mgSodium: 55mgPotassium: 554mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 5208IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 232mgIron: 5mg
    Keyword bearnaise recipe, bearnaise sauce, how to make bearnaise sauce, sauce bearnaise
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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and hosts Family Foodie Friday on WTSP's Great Day Tampa Bay along with other television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

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