This quick and easy hollandaise sauce recipe with a rich, citrusy flavor is not only delicious, but gluten-free, low carb, and keto-friendly. It will become the perfect addition to many of your main and even side dishes.

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Ingredients and substitutes
Egg yolks and butter - These two ingredients are the body of our keto hollandaise sauce. Use unsalted butter and make sure that there are no egg whites in your egg yolks! If you don’t know where to use egg whites leftovers, you can try to make these CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SUGAR-FREE MARSHMALLOWS or my favorite KETO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.
White wine vinegar and lemon juice – Vinegar will give our sauce acidity, while lemon juice will introduce a bright and refreshing flavor. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is the best, but you can use bottled as well or omit it altogether, replacing it with extra vinegar if you want.
Water – If you do everything correctly, you won't need any water at all. However, if sauce turns out to be too thick by the end of cooking, gradually add some water and whisk until you achieve your desired consistency.
Seasoning – Salt and freshly ground black pepper are the only things that are usually used to season homemade hollandaise sauce, but I decided to make this recipe my own and spiced it up with an additional pinch of ground cayenne pepper. However, you’re free to omit it if you don’t like it!
Step by step directions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. It should melt completely, but not brown.
Meanwhile, add the egg yolks and white wine vinegar into a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan with simmering water (the water should not touch the bowl). Heat the egg yolks, stirring continuously with a whisk until the mixture becomes creamy.
Then, slowly in batches, add the melted butter while still whisking the egg mixture. Keep whisking until no butter is left and the sauce is glossy – thick, but pourable. Then, add the lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and whisk until incorporated. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add ½ tablespoon of water at a time and whisk again.
Remove from the heat, transfer into a warm sauce dish, and serve our low carb hollandaise sauce right away.
Serving ideas
The first thing that pops up in my mind when I hear hollandaise sauce is eggs benedict. Yes, this sauce will be a perfect addition to your breakfast eggs. However, there are many more dishes that go well with hollandaise. Cod, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, and even fatty salmon - all those things are even more delicious under a generous coating of classic hollandaise sauce.
How to reheat hollandaise
The best way to reheat the sauce is to use a double-boiler method. The gentle heat and constant whisking will make the sauce warm again without it separating.
Carbs in hollandaise sauce
This hollandaise recipe is 100% keto and low carb, as it consists primarily of fats from egg yolks and butter. One serving of it has less than 1g net carbs, which is what I want from my keto-friendly sauce!
More low carb recipes
Recipe
Easy hollandaise sauce recipe
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
- Water, optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. It should melt completely, but not brown.
- Meanwhile, add the egg yolks and white wine vinegar into a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan with simmering water (the water should not touch the bowl). Heat the egg yolks, stirring continuously with a whisk until the mixture becomes creamy.
- Then, slowly in batches, add the melted butter while still whisking the egg mixture. Keep whisking until no butter is left and the sauce is glossy – thick, but pourable. Then, add the lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and whisk until incorporated. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add ½ tablespoon of water at a time and whisk again.
- Remove from the heat, transfer into a warm sauce dish, and serve right away.
Notes
This website, https://heretocook.com, offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculators such as Cronometer.com and MyFitnesPal.com
Sue
It was so easy to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Anna
Thank you for you comment!
Heather
How much is 1 serving size?
Anna
Around 3 tablespoons.
Jillian Kinsel
Butter is dairy.....I will still try with vegetable butter