This rich, creamy, lick-it-from-the-spoon recipe is inspired by the vegan hollandaise sauce in our cookbook, but we adjusted the flavors and simplified it even more!
Just 8 ingredients, 1 pan, and 10 minutes required for this decadent sauce that gives the real thing a run for its money. Let us show you how it’s done!
What is Hollandaise Sauce?
Classic hollandaise sauce is made from egg yolk, melted butter, lemon juice (or another acidic ingredient), salt, and spices. It gets emulsified until creamy and is best known for being served over Eggs Benedict.
From French, the name translates to “Hollandic sauce,” implying Dutch origin, but it’s unclear if that’s where it began. The first recorded recipe was in a 1651 French cookbook, and a similar recipe appeared in a Dutch cookbook shortly after, in 1667. Along the way, hollandaise sauce made its way onto the list of the French mother sauces (basic sauces that are the basis for other more complex ones).
The following is our plant-based take on hollandaise sauce made without the eggs or (dairy) butter, but with similar flavor, texture, and uses!
How to Make Vegan Hollandaise Sauce
This vegan hollandaise sauce starts with making a roux by melting vegan butter in a skillet and whisking in your choice of all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend (we used our DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend). While the vegan butter provides richness, the flour helps the sauce thicken.
Next, we add in (unsweetened plain) almond milk for a creamy element, plus water to provide enough liquid while keeping it neutral in flavor. Other dairy-free milks should work in place of almond milk — just make sure to use one that’s neutral in flavor and not sweetened!
The remaining ingredients are lemon juice and dijon mustard for classic hollandaise flavor, plus sea salt because always, garlic powder for a savory endnote, and nutritional yeast for depth of flavor and a beautiful subtle yellow color.
Heat the mixture for a few minutes until thickened, and serve anywhere you’d want classic hollandaise!
We hope you LOVE this vegan hollandaise sauce! It’s:
Creamy
Rich
Balanced
Savory
Versatile
& Quick and easy!
It’s delicious on roasted asparagus, Vegan “Eggs” Benedict, or traditional Eggs Benedict (if you’re dairy-free but not vegan).
More Creamy Vegan Sauces
- Vegan Bechamel Sauce
- 5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing
- How to Make Tahini Dressing
- 4-Ingredient Dill Garlic Sauce
- Easy Vegan Aquafaba Mayo
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Vegan Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp vegan butter (we like Miyoko’s Hint of Sea Salt)
- 1 Tbsp DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend (or unbleached all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk* (or other neutral-flavored dairy-free milk of choice)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Heat vegan butter in a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once melted, turn off the heat and whisk in flour until no lumps remain.
- Add the almond milk, water, lemon juice, dijon, salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast and whisk to combine. Heat over low-medium heat, whisking frequently, until thickened — about 3-5 minutes (keeping in mind it will continue thickening as it cools). Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt to taste, nutritional yeast for cheesiness and yellow color, lemon juice for brightness, or garlic powder for more savory notes.
- Serve warm on roasted asparagus, Vegan "Eggs" Benedict, or traditional Eggs Benedict (if dairy-free, not vegan).
- Store any leftover hollandaise sauce covered in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Reheat in a microwave or small saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.
Video
Notes
*Some brands of dairy-free milk have a stronger flavor than others. We recommend a brand with a neutral flavor — we used the shelf-stable Whole Foods 365 organic unsweetened original almond milk.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Wilma says
Amazing sauce and no animals were harmed in this process.
Thank you THANK YOU for all the fabulous recipes you develop.
Sooo delicious. It is on my repeat recipes.
Keep on creating.
💕Wilma
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Wilma! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Dee says
This is simple and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Dee! Thanks so much for sharing!
Justin says
I feel like this sauce is a vegan bechamel instead of a hollendaise. have you considered using something like soy as an emulsifier to get the thickness. I feel like that would be much closer to the real thing
Yoshi says
Is there an alternative to the vegan butter?
Hi Yoshi, we think olive oil or another oil could work. Let us know if you try it!
Beth says
Great recipe! Next time I will double it because it’s that good! Especially after it cools.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Beth! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Bunnie Chambers says
This was better than the non-vegan version! I just made it for Easter brunch at it was tasty! I was great on the Benedict and broccoli.
Definitely recommend this recipe. It is going in my collection!
Whoop! We’re so glad you loved it, Bunnie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Mark says
Hi are the measurements USA . E.g. cup in UK is different to US in millilitres.thanks
Hi Mark, the cup measurements are US measurements. To find the metric measurements, you can click “metric” beneath the ingredients header. Hope that helps!
Renae says
I have been making this recipe now for a few months and LOVE it! I’ve served it to several guests, a mix of vegan, vegetarian and carnivore, and everyone else has loved it too! I add half again as much lemon and sometimes the same with the dijon. Thank you for making it so easy!
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, Renae! xo
Christine says
Very good. I quadrupled the recipe for 6 people and there was some left over. It was like by all 6 of us. Really simple to make. I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review, Christine!
Mia says
Great easy recipe! Also added some kala namak (black salt) for extra eggy flavor.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Mia! Love that addition for extra eggy flavor. Thank you for sharing! xo
Katrina says
This was so easy and delicious! I wanted an even more lemony flavor, so I added some lemon zest and that really took it to the next level.
Yum, that sounds extra delicious! Thank you for sharing, Katrina! xo
Sam says
Delicious and so easy! We ate it on salmon eggs benedict. I like it better than traditional hollandaise (and so much easier to make).
Yum, sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, Sam! xo
Katie says
I made this today and it was everything I was hoping for! I used the dairy free butter that I had on hand (Earth Balance, soy free). I did add a little bit more salt and garlic powder. I also added paprika and black pepper. This will definitely be something I make again and again. Thank you for sharing!
We’re so glad to hear it, Katie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Beth says
I used Oat milk instead of Almond & I didn’t have Dijon mustard so I used yellow about 3/4 of a tsp. Funny thing I thought I turned the burner off to cool but it was on low bubbling away. So it did get quite thick when cooked. I put a smidge of black salt in it when cooled. I put it on asparagus & it was D E L I C I O U S! Can’t wait to put it on brussel sports & the Benedict! Genius receipe! To me it tasted like the egg based hollandaise.
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Beth. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
This came out great!
I let it thicken over the heat a while. I guess it’ll thicken more cooled down. I’ll enjoy the leftovers another day.
I added extra Dijon mustard because YUM!
I poured it over “Eggs” Benedict as recommended and it was delicious! (I’ll add a review there as well.)
Thanks for the inspiration!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed. Thanks for the review!
sherry M says
this sounds really interesting. i must give this a go!
Let us know how you like it!
Allison says
Could you just use regular butter if desired?
Yes!
Paula M says
Can you substitute coconut oil for vegan butter?
Hi Paula, the vegan butter adds a nice flavor so we wouldn’t recommend coconut oil in its place. If you want to try it, we’d suggest refined coconut oil so it doesn’t have a coconut taste. Hope that helps!