Learn how to make traditional eggs benedict with my tested and PERFECT recipe! An english muffin topped with homemade hollandaise sauce, a perfect poached egg, and a slice of Canadian bacon. Eggs benedict is the perfect brunch for Easter or any special occasion.
Mom’s Eggs Benedict
My mom absolutely loved eggs benedict, so it’s impossible for me to see it, make it, or eat it without thinking of her.
When we were in LA we had smoked salmon Eggs Benedict at The Ivy… and that was too die for! But more often than not, mom enjoyed traditional eggs benedict. No frills, just a toasted english muffin topped with a perfectly poached egg and a crispy slice of Canadian bacon. Oh, and homemade hollandaise sauce, of course!
I took the liberty of dolling my eggs bene with some fresh herbs from the garden (dill and scallions and chives, too!). But you can absolutely leave out the fresh herbs if you’re a die-hard traditional eggs benedict believer. I get it!
Toast the English Muffins
One mistake I often see with eggs benedict? Under toasting the english muffin! This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is.
The reason under toasting your english muffins is a crucial mistake? Eggs Benedict packs a lot of moisture. Eggs bene is literally a muffin topped with a poached egg (hello, runny egg yolk) and creamy hollandaise sauce!
So to avoid a soggy bottom, you want to start with maximum crunch. I suggest you toast the english muffins until they’re quite firm – but not burnt. That way you get a nice crunch and it holds up as you’re enjoying your meal.
Thankfully toasting your english muffins all at once is super easy! Just line a large sheet pan with the cut muffins and pop them in the oven at 450 for about 3 minutes. Or until the edges turn lightly browned.
Make Perfect Poached Eggs
Poaching eggs can seem scary… and if you’re new to the game, making the perfect poached egg might seem impossible! But I promise, with a little practice and patience, you can make perfect poached eggs over and over again! Here’s how to make perfect poached eggs:
First, you’ll fill a small pot with a few inches of water. I usually add about 3-inches, to be exact.
Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a low simmer over medium-heat. Seriously, you don’t want many bubbles at all, so make sure it’s on low enough heat.
Crack an egg into a small bowl or cup. Make sure there’s no shell in the bowl. Then gently tip it into the hot water.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the egg.
Set eggs aside on a plate. They should dry off a good amount before serving, but you can always dab any excess water off with a paper towel!
You can add up to 4 eggs at a time, as long as you remember which one you put in first. And keep an eye on the bubbles, you may need to reduce heat to keep the water at just a simmer.
Fry a Few Slices of Canadian Bacon
Canadian bacon is not the same as American bacon. Although both will technically work, traditional eggs benedict uses Canadian bacon. And it’s what I suggest for the best experience! You should be able to easily find it at the local grocery store.
To prepare the Canadian bacon, you’ll simply place a skillet over medium high heat. Once it’s piping hot, you’ll reduce the heat to medium. Then add a few slices of the Canadian bacon and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes in total. This will vary depending on the brand you use!
Let’s Make Homemade Hollandaise Sauce
I use the blender method to make my homemade hollandaise and it comes out super thick and creamy every single time! But there are a few things that you need to know for this to work:
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. You don’t want to make homemade hollandaise sauce with cold eggs! I like to leave them out on the counter for at least an hour before cracking. This also makes separating the egg yolks from the eggs whites much easier!
Heat your butter until melted, but not browned! As much as I love brown butter, you don’t want it for this recipe, so don’t even let it come to a simmer. This is an easy step, just keep a close eye and remove the hot melted butter as soon as the sticks have completely liquified.
Strain your lemon juice. This is optional, but I find this extra step makes a difference!
if your homemade hollandaise sauce does break, don’t panic! Almost everyone I know has experienced it. You can easily save your sauce by adding an extra egg yolk and hot water to the hot buttered hollandaise mixture. Add slowly, and whisk until the mixture is smooth again.
Much like learning to make the perfect poached egg, learning to make perfect hollandaise sauce takes patience and practice.
Honestly, you don’t need much more than that to have the perfect brunch! But if you feel inclined, you could also add extra sides like bacon, sausage, side-salad, etc. But you don’t need it! Eggs benedict shines because it has it all: bread, eggs, sausage, and a sauce!
Featuring golden brown toasted English muffins, poached eggs, slices of Canadian bacon, and hollandaise sauce, this Eggs Benedict recipe is pure perfection! Top with freshly chopped dill and scallions, or simply serve with salt and pepper. Perfect for any special at-home breakfast or brunch!
Fill a small saucepan with a 3 to 4 inches of cold water. Heat the water on high until it reaches a light simmer and small bubbles begin to appear at the bottom of the pan, then stir in the vinegar. Reduce heat to keep it at a simmer and avoid the water coming to a boil.
Crack the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl or cup, preferably one with a spout.
Place the bowl as close to the surface of the simmering water as possible, then gently slip the egg into the pan. If you’d like, you may use a spoon to gently push some of the egg whites closer around the yolk, but I find this optional as they typically float around the yolk well enough on their own.
At this point, you can add up to 3 more eggs, one at a time, repeating the steps listed above, and leaving a little space in between each one.
Cook the eggs for 4 minutes, or until the egg whites are completely cooked, but the egg yolks are still runny.
Using a slotted spoon gently lift the poached eggs out of the pan and place them on a plate. Repeat with all eggs.
For the English Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (F).
Carefully slice the English muffins in half. Place them on a large baking sheet.
Toast for 2 top 3 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Set aside.
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
In the body of a blender of medium speed, combine the egg yolks and lemon juice.
In a small saucepan, melt butter until just liquified! Pour butter into a glass spouted measuring cup.
Add the hot water to the egg yolk/lemon juice mixture and pulse until combined.
With the blender speed on low, very slowly start to pour in the melted butter. It’s very important to do this in a slow stream! (You’ll want to have your blender lid ON, but the cap removed. You’ll be pouring the butter through that hole, so that the sauce doesn’t splash everywhere).
Add in remaining ingredients and beat on high speed for 30 seconds, or until combined.
For the Canadian Bacon:
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once searing hot, reduce to medium, heat, then add Canadian bacon and cook until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.
Garnish:
Wash and dry herbs. Finely chop and set aside.
Assembly:
Place English muffin halves on a large serving platter.
Top each half with a two slices of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, a dollop of hollandaise sauce, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs, if using. Repeat for all muffins, and serve at once.
Video
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They look very good, but not sure why these days people seem to refer to “Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict” or “Eggs Benedict with Spinach”. I always understood they had different names:
Eggs Benedict – as per the recipe above
Eggs Royale – with smoked salmon
Eggs Florentine – with steamed spinach
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Followed this exactly- turned out perfect and very easy. Thank you!
They look very good, but not sure why these days people seem to refer to “Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict” or “Eggs Benedict with Spinach”. I always understood they had different names:
Eggs Benedict – as per the recipe above
Eggs Royale – with smoked salmon
Eggs Florentine – with steamed spinach