Kitchen rescueSauces and emulsionsUsually saveable

How to fix split hollandaise

Whisk a fresh egg yolk with a splash of warm water in a clean bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then whisk the split sauce in a little at a time until it thickens and turns glossy again.

How you can tell

  • The sauce looks greasy, with pools of melted butter on top
  • It has a curdled or grainy texture instead of being smooth
  • It has gone thin and runny after being thick
  • Tiny bits of cooked egg are visible

Why it happens

Hollandaise is an emulsion, where tiny droplets of melted butter are held suspended in egg yolk. The yolk contains lecithin, an emulsifier that coats the fat droplets and stops them joining back together. If the sauce gets too hot, the yolk proteins tighten and coagulate, so they can no longer hold the butter and it leaks out. Adding the butter too quickly overloads the yolk before it can emulsify it. A sauce that cools too much can also split as the butter starts to firm up.

How to fix it

Option 1Start again with a fresh yolk

  1. Put a fresh egg yolk and a splash of warm water in a clean bowl
  2. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, using it as a bain-marie
  3. Whisk until the yolk is pale and slightly thickened
  4. Add the split sauce a little at a time, whisking constantly
  5. Wait until each addition is fully absorbed before adding more

Option 2Whisk in a splash of water

  1. If the sauce has only just started to split, take it off the heat straight away
  2. Add a splash of cold water if it got too hot, or warm water if it got too cold
  3. Whisk hard until it comes back together

Next time

  • Cook the yolks very gently over barely simmering water, not boiling water
  • Add the butter slowly, a little at a time at the start
  • Take the bowl off the heat now and then if it feels hot to the touch
  • Keep the finished sauce somewhere warm, not hot, and whisk it occasionally

Terms on this page

General kitchen guidance, not food-safety advice. If food may be unsafe, for example undercooked meat or anything left out too long, follow the Food Standards Agency and throw it away if in doubt.