Béarnaise Sauce for Steak: A Classic French Recipe for Home Cooks

This website is independent and not affiliated with Miller & Carter. It is a recipe guide for home use, written for the United Kingdom.

Béarnaise sauce for steak is a warm, buttery French sauce made by whisking egg yolks with a reduction of shallot, white wine vinegar and tarragon, then blending in melted butter. It tastes rich with a gentle tang and a clear aniseed note from the tarragon, and it suits grilled and pan fried beef. The recipe below makes enough for two steaks and takes about 20 minutes.

What You Need for Béarnaise Sauce for Steak

You need only a handful of ingredients. Fresh tarragon matters most, so buy a bunch rather than relying on the dried jar for the finishing herb.

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 4 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp water
• 4 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped, plus extra to serve (dried tarragon works in the reduction if that is all you have)
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 100g unsalted butter
• Fine sea salt

How to Make Béarnaise Sauce for Steak

Work in two stages: the reduction first, then the sauce itself.

1. Make the reduction. Put the shallot, vinegar, water, peppercorns and half the tarragon in a small pan. Simmer gently until the liquid has reduced to about 1 tablespoon, then strain it into a small bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
2. Set up a gentle heat. Put a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. The bowl must not touch the water, or the eggs will cook too fast.
3. Whisk the yolk. Add the egg yolk and the strained reduction to the bowl and whisk until the mixture is thick, pale and creamy. Lift the bowl off the heat now and then if it gets too hot.
4. Melt the butter. Melt the butter in a small pan until liquid and just foamy. Do not let it brown.
5. Add the butter slowly. With the bowl off the heat, whisk the melted butter into the yolk mixture a little at a time, starting with a few drops. Once it thickens, you can pour in a thin stream while whisking constantly.
6. Finish the sauce. Stir in the rest of the chopped tarragon and a pinch of salt. Taste and add a drop more vinegar if you like it sharper. Serve warm over steak straight away.

Béarnaise Sauce at a Glance

Tips to Stop Béarnaise Sauce Splitting

Béarnaise splits when the emulsion breaks, usually from too much heat or butter added too fast. These habits keep it together:

• Keep the water at a bare simmer, never a rolling boil.
• Add the butter slowly, drop by drop at first, whisking all the time.
• Use warm butter, not hot butter.
• If the sauce thickens too much, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water to loosen it.
• Take the bowl off the heat the moment the yolks look thick and creamy; the remaining warmth finishes the job.

How to Fix Béarnaise Sauce If It Splits

A split sauce looks greasy and separated, but it can usually be rescued. Put a teaspoon of hot water (or a fresh egg yolk, whisked) in a clean bowl, then whisk the split sauce back in, a little at a time. The fresh liquid gives the mixture something to hold on to, and the sauce should come back together. If it still looks thin, a second teaspoon of hot water usually does it.

What to Serve With Béarnaise Sauce

Béarnaise is the classic partner for lean, tender cuts where the sauce can be the star. Our guide to the best sauce for fillet steak (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live) explains why, and it also works beautifully with sirloin (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live) and T-bone (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live). For the full method on the steak itself, see our rump steak cooking guide, and our Miller and Carter sauces menu shows the sauces the restaurants serve if you would rather order in.

Béarnaise Sauce FAQs

Can I make béarnaise sauce ahead of time?

It is best eaten within the hour, kept somewhere warm rather than hot. Leftovers keep for a day in the fridge in a sealed container; warm them very gently over low heat and whisk, but never boil them.

What is the difference between béarnaise and hollandaise?

Hollandaise is the simpler cousin: egg yolk, butter and lemon, with no herbs. Béarnaise adds the shallot, vinegar and tarragon reduction, which is what gives it the savoury depth that suits steak.

Can I use dried tarragon?

Yes in the reduction, where it simmers and softens, using about half the amount. But fresh tarragon stirred in at the end gives the sauce its bright flavour, so use fresh there if you can.

Recipe guidance only. This website is independent and not affiliated with Miller & Carter. Our Miller and Carter main menu guide shows what the restaurants serve if you fancy the full steakhouse experience.