Béarnaise sauce
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Sauce béarnaise
A tarragon-scented cousin of hollandaise: egg yolks and butter emulsified over a reduction of vinegar, wine, shallot and peppercorns, classic with steak frites.
Béarnaise sauce is a French sauce from France, ready in about 25 minutes and made with tarragon (fresh), egg yolk and unsalted butter. It serves 6 and is rated advanced to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Advanced
- Calories
- 251
Method
Step 1
Put the vinegar, wine, shallot (opens in a new tab), half the tarragon (opens in a new tab) and the crushed peppercorns (opens in a new tab) in a small pan and simmer until only about 2 tablespoons of liquid remain. Strain, pressing on the solids, and let it cool for a minute.
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels Step 2
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the reduction with the yolks in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water until thick, pale and foamy.
- 4 min
- 65°C · Hot but not scrambling.
- low heat
- Double boiler / bain-marie (opens in a new tab)
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 3
Off the heat, whisk (opens in a new tab) in the warm melted butter drop by drop, then in a thin stream, until thick enough to hold soft peaks on a spoon.
Step 4
Stir in the remaining tarragon (opens in a new tab) and the salt. Serve warm, not hot.
- 1 min
Food safety: Egg-butter sauces sit at temperatures bacteria like. Make them close to serving, keep warm (not hot) for no more than about an hour, and discard leftovers rather than reheating.
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- France · Commonly attributedA 19th-century Parisian classic named after the Béarn region; the details of its creation are anecdotal.More food from France
- Dish
- Dinner · Sauces
- Cooking method
- Whipped, Simmered
- Taste
- buttery, herby, tangy, rich
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carbWith the listed swaps: Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb - Cook more with
- Tarragon (fresh) · Egg yolk · Unsalted butter · Wine vinegar · Dry white wine · Shallot
- Techniques
- Simmering · Emulsification
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom unsalted butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk
- Contains, can be adapted: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar, dry white wine
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
251 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 42 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 3%
- Carbohydrate 3%
- Fat 94%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 251 kcal | 602 kcal |
| Protein | 1.8 g | 4.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.6 g | 3.9 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 1.4 g | 3.3 g |
| Sugars | 0.6 g | 1.3 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 25.9 g | 62.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 15.5 g | 37.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | — | — |
| Sodium | 106 mg | 255 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 49 mg
- Calcium
- 24 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 4 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 234 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- —
- Folate (DFE)
- —
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Tarragon (fresh): USDA SR Legacy has only dried tarragon; fresh basil is used as a nutritionally similar fresh-herb stand-in.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Béarnaise is meant to be thicker than hollandaise — almost spoonable.
Common mistakes
- Leaving too much liquid in the reduction gives a thin, sharp sauce.
Serve with
- Steak frites
- Grilled lamb chops
- Roast fillet of beef
Food safety
- Contains raw or lightly cooked egg yolk. Use pasteurised eggs for pregnant people, babies, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system; keep refrigerated and use within the stated time.
- Egg-butter sauces sit at temperatures bacteria like. Make them close to serving, keep warm (not hot) for no more than about an hour, and discard leftovers rather than reheating.
Storage
- Not suitable for storing; make fresh.
Variations
- Sauce Choron (France): Béarnaise with a little tomato purée stirred in.
- Sauce paloise (France): Mint instead of tarragon, for lamb.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Egg yolk3 piece · 51 g
- Unsalted butter, melted and kept warm175 g
Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.
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