Eggs Benedict Recipe (2024)

Learn how to make the best Eggs Benedict with Poached Eggs and easy Hollandaise Sauce on a toasted English muffin. This is a famous American dish and it’s a staple on restaurant breakfast menus. You can absolutely recreate this restaurant classic at home.

Eggs Benedict Recipe (1)

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We love special breakfast and brunch recipes from Crepes to tender Omelettes and Fluffy Waffles. If you love special weekend breakfasts this Eggs Benedict is a must-try!

What is an Egg Benedict?

Egg benedict is essentially an open-faced breakfast sandwich. You can change up eggs benedict in many ways but a classic egg benedict starts with a toasted English muffin half, then meat which is usually Canadian bacon, ham, or regular bacon. That is topped with a poached egg, a generous coating of hollandaise sauce, and finished with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

It all sounds fancy but each step is relatively simple and you can comfortably crank out 4 eggs benedict all at once.

Eggs Benedict Recipe (2)

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict

  • Hollandaise Sauce– the traditional eggs benedict sauce
  • English Muffins – 2 halved English muffins make 4 eggs benedict
  • Unsalted butter – for toasting the English muffins
  • Canadian Bacon, or substitute with thinly shaved ham, or Crispy Bacon
  • Eggs – use large grade AA eggs and super fresh eggs are best for holding their shape
  • Distilled white vinegar – added to the water for poaching eggs
  • Cayenne Pepper, to garnish
  • Garnish – with Chives or dill
Eggs Benedict Recipe (3)

Egg Benedict Variations

  • Classic: Ham, egg, and hollandaise
  • California: Tomato and avocado, air fryer bacon, egg, and hollandaise
  • Sophisticated: smoked salmon, avocado, poached egg, and hollandaise
  • Fancy: 3 blanched asparagus spears, poached egg, hollandaise

Pro Tip: If you really want to go all out and impress someone, try Eggs Benedict with Crab Cakes or Salmon Cakes.

How to Make Eggs Benedict

  1. Make the Hollandaise Sauce: cook according to our hollandaise recipe instructions. Cover to keep warm. Add a little hot water to thin if needed.
  2. Prep for Poached Eggs: Place a pot of water on the stove for making poached eggs and bring it to barely a simmer.
  3. Sauté meat: In a large skillet, sauté meat until warm and golden then transfer to a plate, cover to keep warm.
  4. Toast English muffins: Melt 2 tsp butter on the same skillet and add English muffins cut-side down. Toast until golden brown. Turn off the heat and leave muffins in the pan to keep warm.
  5. Poach Eggs: Once water is barely simmering, poach 4 eggs according to our easy poached eggs recipe.
  6. Assemble: Place English muffin halves on serving plates, cut side up, and top with your meat. Place the egg over the meat. Pour the hollandaise sauce over the eggs, sprinkle the top with cayenne pepper and garnish with chives. Serve immediately.
Eggs Benedict Recipe (4)

Common Questions

Are Eggs Benedict French?

People assume eggs benedict are of French origin because they use Hollandaise Sauce (a popular French sauce), but it actually originated in New York, USA at the Waldorf hotel when a customer requested the combination as a custom order, and the restaurant was so impressed by it, they added it to their menu.

What is the difference between Eggs Florence and Eggs Benedict?

Eggs Florence has a layer of sauteed spinach beneath the poached eggs, but otherwise, they both have a toasted English muffin and are topped with Hollandaise.

When to serve eggs benedict?

This is typically a breakfast or brunch menu item.

Can I substitute hollandaise?

You can serve the poached egg without hollandaise and just add a sprinkle of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. You can also try topping with Salsa, Pico de Gallo, or Adjika.

Eggs Benedict Recipe (5)

Make-Ahead

This is really best when enjoyed freshly made. You can cover and keep the Hollandaise sauce warm while you are making the other components of the recipe, but I don’t recommend making these ahead of time.

More Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast is my favorite meal on weekends because those are our ‘days off,’ we aren’t in a hurry and can afford to take a little extra time to make breakfast special. If you love this Eggs Benedict Recipe, then you won’t want to miss these breakfast favorites:

  • French Toast
  • Shakshuka
  • Easy Frittata
  • Banana Bread
  • Breakfast Burritos

I hope you’re excited to make Eggs Benedict. The combination of poached eggs, warm Canadian bacon, and creamy hollandaise sauce over a buttered and toasted English muffin makes an excellent weekend breakfast.

Eggs Benedict Recipe

5 from 28 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Eggs Benedict Recipe (7)

How to make the best Eggs Benedict with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce on an English muffin. This recipe makes 4 Eggs Benedict but you can scale it down and make 1 or 2 if you prefer.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 4 people

  • 1 recipe Hollandaise Sauce
  • 2 English muffins, halved
  • 4 tsp unsalted butter, to toast muffins
  • 4 slices Canadian bacon, thin shaved ham, or crispy bacon
  • 4 large eggs, for poached eggs
  • 1 Tbsp white vinegar for poaching eggs
  • cayenne pepper, to garnish
  • chives or dill, to garnish

Instructions

  • Make the Hollandaise Sauce: combine hollandaise sauce in a small saucepan and cook according to our hollandaise recipe instructions. Cover with lid to keep warm. If it gets too thick, add a teaspoon of hot water at a time to thin it out.

  • Prep for Poached Eggs: Place a pot of water with 1 Tbsp vinegar on the stove for making poached eggs and bring it just to a simmer.

  • Sauté meat: In a large skillet, sauté your meat until hot and golden then transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

  • Toast English muffins: Melt 2 tsp butter on the same skillet and add English muffins cut-side down and toast until golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat, leaving the muffins in the skillet to keep warm.

  • Poach Eggs: Once water is barely simmering, poach 4 eggs according to our easy poached eggs recipe.

  • Assemble: Place English muffin halves on serving plates cut-side up. Top with your desired meat. Place the egg over the meat. Pour the hollandaise sauce over the eggs, dividing the hollandaise recipe between the 4 eggs. Sprinkle the top with cayenne pepper and garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

Notes

Variations:
1. California: Tomato and avocado, bacon, poached egg, hollandaise
2. Sophisticated: Lox smoked Salmon, Avocado, poached egg, hollandaise
3. Fancy: 3 blanched asparagus spears, poached egg, hollandaise

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: egg benedict recipe, eggs benedict

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $$

Natasha Kravchuk

Eggs Benedict Recipe (8)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Eggs Benedict Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is egg benedict sauce made of? ›

The ingredients for Hollandaise sauce are butter, egg yolks, lime juice, heavy cream, and salt and pepper.

What is the secret of eggs Benedict? ›

That's One Eggs-ellent Benedict

The cornerstone of the dish is the Hollandaise, a rich and creamy sauce made from eggs, butter, and lemon juice. Add eggs on top of English muffins, and meat or fish and cover it all with Hollandaise for the best breakfast in town.

What is the difference between classic and Florentine eggs Benedict? ›

Eggs Florentine swaps the Canadian bacon for cooked spinach, creating a vibrant and nutritious variation. The spinach is typically sautéed with garlic and spices, then nestled between a toasted English muffin and a poached egg, and topped with hollandaise sauce.

What is the difference between eggs royale and eggs Benedict? ›

The Difference Between Benedict, Florentine and Royale.

Eggs Benedict is with ham or pancetta. Eggs Florentine is with sauteed spinach. Eggs royale is with smoked salmon. All three breakfasts are created the same, starting with a toasted English muffin, poached eggs and topped with hollandaise sauce.

What can I use instead of hollandaise sauce? ›

5 Alternative Takes on Hollandaise Sauce for Your Eggs Benedict
  • Use red wine. For a heartier sauce (that's especially good with steak and eggs), reduce dry red wine and port instead of white wine.
  • Make a cheese sauce. ...
  • Brown the butter with capers. ...
  • Add morels. ...
  • Use avocado.
Nov 15, 2022

What is the basic formula for hollandaise? ›

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

Why are eggs benedict so high in calories? ›

Worst: Eggs Benedict

The calories come in the high-fat Hollandaise sauce. When you're eating out, going light on the sauce can help. If you're making it at home, you can use an alternative, like crushed avocados -- think guacamole -- or low-fat cheese as a topping instead.

Can you buy hollandaise sauce in the supermarket? ›

Tesco Finest Hollandaise Sauce 165G - Tesco Groceries.

What is the difference between a poached and a coddled egg? ›

It's similar to a poached egg. The difference between a coddled egg and a poached egg is that a poached egg is made by cooking the egg directly in the cooking liquid, whereas a coddled egg is cooked in a small dish (usually a small ramekin) instead.

What is Eggs Benedict without ham called? ›

Eggs royale is similar to Eggs Benedict or florentine but uses smoked salmon instead of ham or spinach. Using cold butter rather than warm, melted butter means the sauce takes a few extra minutes to come together, but there's far less risk of it splitting – worth the time we think.

What do you call Eggs Benedict with bacon? ›

Eggs Zenedict – adds toasted scone and peameal bacon smothered in sundried tomato Hollandaise. A specialty of restaurants in the defunct Canadian retail chain Zellers. Huevos Benedictos – adds sliced avocado or Mexican chorizo, topped with salsa (such as salsa roja or salsa brava) and Hollandaise sauce.

How do you order Eggs Benedict not runny? ›

Over Hard: Over hard eggs are the same as over easy except that their middle is solid. If you dislike the runny texture of egg yolk, this is a perfect option.

What is eggs Hemingway? ›

Eggs Hemingway (also called Eggs Copenhagen) are a variation of the famous Eggs Benedict. They are often served for breakfast and are a combination of an english muffin, smoked salmon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

What are the three types of Eggs Benedict? ›

Eggs Benedict and three delicious versions–Eggs Florentine with spinach, Eggs Royale with smoked salmon and Eggs Norwegian with both–are perfect ways to create a delicious Sunday brunch. Sometimes I offer more than one version at the same meal.

What's the difference between Benedict sauce and hollandaise sauce? ›

It's what happens next that sets them apart: Hollandaise gets its acidity from lemon juice (sometimes vinegar) and is usually seasoned with salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Béarnaise, meanwhile, builds upon hollandaise with white wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and other fresh herbs.

Which of the five mother sauces is used to make Eggs Benedict? ›

Hollandaise. Most notable for its role in the popular breakfast dish of eggs Benedict, hollandaise sauce incorporates lemon juice and clarified butter (butter stripped of its milk solids) into egg yolks through whisking at low temperatures.

Is hollandaise sauce the same as mayonnaise? ›

Mayonnaise and hollandaise are not the same sauce. They're both emulsion sauces, and they both contain egg yolks and vinegar, but the similarities begin to end right there. Mayonnaise is made with room temperature vegetable oil, hollandaise with hot clarified butter.

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