We tackled every element of the classic eggs Benedict recipe to optimize it for a crowd. Poaching eggs in advance. A hollandaise that will stay luscious for hours. A tray of perfectly toasted, buttery muffins. Yep—it’s all here. This recipe comes together in under an hour and much of it can be prepped in advance, leaving you free to entertain.
Recipe information
Yield
12 servings
Ingredients
Eggs
12
Hollandaise Sauce
1¼
3
2
¾
Assembly
6
12
1
Preparation
Eggs
Step 1
Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water and bring to a bare simmer. Set up a large bowl of ice water and place near stove.
Step 2
Working one at a time, crack egg into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl and shake gently to allow the more liquid part of egg white to pass through. Gently transfer egg to a medium bowl (eggs are more resilient than you think, but be careful not to break the protective ring of egg white surrounding yolk). This step might sound insane, but it eliminates the thin tentacle-like strands of egg whites that form when the egg hits the hot water.
Step 3
Once you have 6 strained eggs in bowl, gently position bowl over pot of simmering water and, one at a time, slip each egg into pot. Cook eggs, gently encouraging each to rotate with a slotted spoon so they cook evenly, until whites are set and yolks are still runny, 3 minutes. Transfer to ice bath and let cool (you’ll reheat them later on).
Step 4
Skim off and discard any foam or bits of egg white in pot. Return water to a bare simmer. Repeat poaching process with remaining 6 eggs.
Step 5
Do Ahead: Eggs can be poached 1 day ahead. Store in ice bath in fridge.
Hollandaise Sauce
Step 6
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over low until melted. Set aside ¼ cup melted butter for assembly. Transfer remaining butter to a small liquid measuring cup.
Step 7
Fill a blender pitcher with very hot water and let sit 3 minutes to warm blender (this will prevent the sauce from separating). Drain pitcher; dry well. Blend egg yolks and lemon juice in blender just to combine. With the motor running, slowly stream in melted butter in liquid measuring cup until hollandaise is thickened, glossy, and pale yellow. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in salt and cayenne. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed (it will need a fair amount of salt to balance the acidity and fat). If sauce seems too thick, thin with 1–2 Tbsp. warm water and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 8
Do Ahead: Hollandaise can be made 1 hour ahead. Transfer to a heatproof container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a small saucepan of very hot water to keep warm. Whisk until smooth before serving.
Assembly
Step 9
Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange English muffins, cut side up, on a sheet tray. Brush with reserved ¼ cup melted butter. Toast muffins until golden brown around edges, 6–8 minutes.
Step 10
Divide ham among muffins. Return sheet tray to oven and toast until ham is warmed through, about 1 minute. Transfer muffins to a large platter.
Step 11
To reheat eggs, bring a large pot of water to a bare simmer. Remove each egg from ice bath and lower into pot, then turn off heat. Cook eggs 1 minute, then gently transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet tray to drain.
Step 12
Place 1 poached egg atop ham. Season eggs with salt and black pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over. Top with chives and cayenne.
Leave a Review
Reviews (17)
Back to TopSorry Molly - I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I've tried this 3 times and the hollandaise just breaks. The promise of this recipe is so high, but I think I'm going to have to go back to arm cramps over a double boiler.
Anderson Imes
Seattle, WA, USA
1/29/2022
Xcellemt recipe great time saver
Gillian DidierSerre
🇨🇦 Toromto
5/19/2021
I didn’t bother with the egg straining part. I make poached eggs often. I just rotate them in the boiling water so that the strings are minimal. I then remove them from the water with a slotted spoon, let them drain a few seconds on a paper towel, and then set them on the ham with any string underneath. They can’t be seen and if by chance they can be seen, they won’t be seen once you spoon the sauce over. If you’re doing them in advance, just cut the strings off before you heat them the second time.
Lori
Houston
12/26/2020
I'm not a hollandaise expert, but I thought it tasted really good once it mixed with the egg yolk. And it was incredibly easy. I didn't need to cover it and place in hot water, keeping the sauce on top of my oven while it pre-heated and the muffins toasted kept it pretty warm. The poached eggs also turned out perfect. They were the best part. I did make them about 6 hours in advance. I strained the egg, but I didn't bother placing all the eggs in another bowl before poaching. I went straight from strainer to simmering pot. All eggs cooked for between 3-4.5 min, and they all turned out the same. I didn't want to dirty another bowl! Speaking of dishes, I didn't use a new dish to catch the strained egg either. I used some already dirty dish from breakfast. And when re-heating the eggs, I placed the eggs on my serving platter on the paper towel, then I assembled on my baking sheet, dried off my platter, then plated (rather than using a plate just to dry the re-heated eggs). Finally, I just made sure to leave a 1/4 of melted butter in my measuring cup after streaming into blender, rather than set aside in advance in yet another dish. Is it just me who is crazy about dishes? If so, sorry! Great recipe, but if you don't have a dish washer be careful. So many dishes if followed exactly as written!
Anonymous
Toronto
9/8/2020
The Poached eggs were definitely not foolproof and I don't recommend this method of putting them in the same bowl and then separating because it's hard to give each yolk the right amount of white as you slide them in. My sauce didn't thicken, but that was probably just my fault.
Anonymous
California
7/12/2020
I am an Eggs Benedict connoisseur. I am extremely picky, I hate it. I pay top dollar for a delicious hollandaise sauce (secrets in the sauce) with that said I thought I would surprise wifey this morning with a nice breakfast since we had leftover smoked Salmon. I made the sauce per video and recipe word for word, dressed the homemade biscuits (no English muffins in home) with smoked Salmon, poached eggs,Hollandaise sauce, cayenne, capers and a couple of thinly sliced red onion. This is the way it's served at a high-end restaurant. It looked lovely, the eggs were perfect only I did not like the Hollandaise sauce. To me, it was too much lemon. I am not sure what is missing. I served wifey and she loved it. I had a bowl of cereal, big sighs. I will give it one more try when I am feeling adventurous and use less lemon...I appreciate your video and recipe. But for now, I'll continue to pay top dollar for my beloved Eggs Benedict & Salmon. Angel from The Bay
AmericanMe
Bay Area
5/15/2019
I made this for 6. Really good process for getting everyone served together. I did not make ahead but will next time. You just keep the cooked eggs in the melted ice water in the frig for a day or two, put them in warm to hot water for about 45 seconds and place the Canadian bacon. This is even an easier method for toasting the muffins and heating the bacon. Straining the eggs is a real bonus on serving presentation and they don't cook as long either. For ease, the eggs should be broken, strained, and kept separate otherwise the whites all want to mix together.
karenfar
Huntington Beach, CA
6/11/2018