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.

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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 the secret of eggs Benedict? ›

Hollandaise can break, which means the butter and eggs will separate. The secret is all in the butter–make sure the butter is hot, but not too hot, add it slowly, and don't add too much!

Why isn't my hollandaise thickening? ›

How do you fix a runny hollandaise? Blenders tend to make runny hollandaise - it's usually because the butter was too cold and hasn't cooked the eggs enough to thicken them. To thicken a runny hollandaise, tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and whisk over the heat until thickened.

Why is 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.

Should eggs Benedict have a runny yolk? ›

The eggs should cook for 3-4 minutes so the egg white is fully cooked but the yolk remains runny. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the water and serve immediately. Bon appetit!

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

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 is a common mistake with hollandaise sauce? ›

If the butter is too hot, it cooks the egg on contact, also preventing the emulsion. If you add oil too fast, the emulsion breaks. If the egg is too cool, or the butter is too cool, then the yolks also won't emulsify as well. Think of Hollandaise as a sort of hot custard mayonnaise.

Can you add too much butter to hollandaise sauce? ›

Why Does Hollandaise Sauce Break? Over-heating or overcooking the egg yolks is one culprit. Next time, be sure to use a double boiler and heat the yolks gently to avoid overcooking them. The second cause is either adding too much butter or adding it too quickly.

Does more butter make hollandaise thicker? ›

Because of its water content, more whole butter is needed to thicken a hollandaise then just straight clarified butter. Make sure your acid reduction is cool before the egg yolks are added or they may curdle. The fresher your egg yolks, the easier it is for you to make your emulsion.

Are omelettes healthier than pancakes? ›

The Bottom Line. Unless it's a whole-grain, nut-flecked, bursting-with-berries kind of pancake, I'd usually stick with eggs because they're more inherently nutritious and higher in protein than pancakes made with white flour. The protein will help keep you full longer.

Is Eggs Benedict good for breakfast? ›

Eggs Benedict is a delightful dish that features the best components of any breakfast, bacon & eggs.

What's so great about Eggs Benedict? ›

The English muffin provides a crispy, buttery base for the dish. By contrast, Canadian bacon or ham adds a salty, savory flavor. The poached egg adds a rich, creamy texture, and the hollandaise sauce provides a tangy, buttery flavor that ties everything together! Eggs Benedict is also an excellent source of protein.

How to 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.

How to eat egg benedict etiquette? ›

You break the yolk (one egg at at time) first. Allow the yolk to mingle with the Hollandaise sauce on the muffin as well as the plate. Cut a bite-sized piece of the muffin, bacon, and egg. Holding the piece on your fork, you swab up the yolk/Hollandaise mixture and put it into your mouth.

Is it safe to eat raw egg yolks in hollandaise sauce? ›

Tips & Techniques > Food Safety of Hollandaise

There is always a risk of food-borne illnesses when using undercooked eggs. If you are concerned about salmonella, use pasteurized eggs or cook the eggs to at least 165F to kill any bacteria; however, this can potentially cause the eggs to scramble.

What is special about Eggs Benedict? ›

The English muffin provides a crispy, buttery base for the dish. By contrast, Canadian bacon or ham adds a salty, savory flavor. The poached egg adds a rich, creamy texture, and the hollandaise sauce provides a tangy, buttery flavor that ties everything together! Eggs Benedict is also an excellent source of protein.

What is the story behind Eggs Benedict? ›

Supposedly, Delmonico's created the dish for Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict in the 1860s when they requested something new and not on the menu. One of Delmonico's former chefs also published a recipe named eggs à la Benedick in 1894.

Does Eggs Benedict have anything to do with Benedict Arnold? ›

The most important thing to know about eggs Benedict is that they have nothing to do with the famed traitor Benedict Arnold.

Does Eggs Benedict always have ham? ›

Yes, it always should include some kind of ham / pork product! Eggs Royale is with smoked salmon instead of ham and Eggs Florentine is with spinach instead of ham/smoked salmon.

References

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