Seed Oil Free Béarnaise Sauce
Few sauces feel as luxurious as a properly made béarnaise, with its silky, buttery body and bright herbal finish from fresh tarragon and chervil. What makes this version especially clean is that every drop of fat comes from real unsalted butter — clarified low and slow until it's a pure, golden liquid free of milk solids and completely clear of the industrial seed oils that sneak into so many restaurant and jarred versions. The emulsion builds on a sharp white wine and vinegar reduction with shallots and cracked pepper, giving the sauce a tangy backbone that keeps all that richness from feeling heavy. Whisking the yolks over a gentle bain-marie and bringing them to a safe 160°F means you get a stable, food-safe sauce without any shortcuts or additives. Adding the clarified butter drop by drop at first is the move that makes or breaks the texture — patience here pays off in a sauce that coats a spoon in one clean, glossy sweep. Spoon it over a seared steak, poached fish, or roasted asparagus and it genuinely elevates the whole plate. Once you've made it from scratch with ingredients you trust, the store-bought alternatives just don't compare.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the reduction
- 3 tbsp dry white wine
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 medium shallots, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped (for reduction)
- ¼ tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked
For the sauce
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 pasteurized egg yolks
- 1 tbsp cold water
- ¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped (for finishing)
- 1 tsp fresh chervil, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the white wine, white wine vinegar, minced shallots, roughly chopped tarragon, and cracked black pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tbsp, 5–7 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid; discard the solids. Let the reduction cool for 2–3 minutes until no longer steaming.
- 2
Melt the butter in the small saucepan over medium-low heat, then increase the heat slightly and cook until the foam subsides and the milk solids settle to the bottom, about 5 minutes. Skim off any foam from the surface. Carefully pour the clear golden butter into a liquid measuring cup or small pitcher, leaving the white milk solids behind in the pan; discard the solids. Keep the clarified butter warm.
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