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Just 8 ingredients, a blender, and under 10 minutes make for a wonderfully creamy vegan hollandaise sauce. It’s dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, optionally gluten-free, and creamy, rich, & delicious!

completed Easy Vegan Hollandaise Sauce against a white background
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What is Hollandaise Sauce?

Traditionally, Hollandaise sauce (Dutch sauce) is a classic emulsion-based sauce dating as far back as the mid-17th century. Made with ingredients like egg yolks, melted butter, and lemon juice, this sauce is super thick and creamy and has become well known for serving over eggs benedict and asparagus.

Obviously, for anyone living the vegan or dairy-free lifestyle, though, this sauce was well off-limits… until now, that is. By utilizing a few clever ingredient swaps, you can throw together a super creamy and delicious vegan hollandaise sauce recipe in just minutes in a blender.

Plus, you don’t even have to worry about broken emulsions, so it’s heaps easier to make. It’s also lighter and healthier than the classic version while maintaining a super silky, creamy, rich, full-bodied flavor. And all with just a few simple and inexpensive pantry staples. You’ll want to dip and drizzle it over everything!

The Ingredients

ingredients for Easy Vegan Hollandaise Sauce measured out against a white surface
  • Tofu: Use soft tofu (or firm silken tofu), but definitely not firm tofu, for the super creamy consistency required for this dairy-free hollandaise sauce.
  • Plant-based milk: Use any. I.e., soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc.
  • Mustard: Regular yellow mustard works fine, though Dijon will work, too, for a little brightness and tangy depth.
  • Nutritional yeast: This provides an umami-rich flavor and yellow color.
  • Soy sauce: Use regular or reduced sodium. If you’re gluten-free, use coconut aminos or tamari instead. This will add an umami-rich salty, savory flavor.
  • Lemon juice: We prefer fresh lemon juice, but bottled works, too. Distilled white vinegar works in a pinch.
  • Spices: To season, all you need is turmeric (for color), paprika, and salt & black pepper.

Optionally, a pinch of onion powder and/or garlic powder will help to add even more complex flavor to the eggless Hollandaise sauce. Add a tiny pinch of black salt (kala namak) for more of an eggy flavor.

  • Olive oil: This helps to replace some of the silky mouthfeel in dairy-based Hollandaise. Vegan melted butter would also work.

For Vegan Eggs Benedict

  • English muffins: Or regular bread if preferred. Use gluten-free if necessary.
  • Vegetables: For this eggless eggs benedict, we use fresh and delicious large tomatoes and avocado instead.
  • Spices: Finally, we love to garnish this delicious vegan eggs benedict with a dash of cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes), smoked paprika, flaky salt (optional), and black pepper.

Other Vegan Eggs Benedict Topping Ideas

You can easily mix and match several topping ideas to find your perfect combo, including:

  • Tofu ‘egg’ (seasoned with kala namak, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder for eggy flavor)
  • Tofu/tempeh slices (grilled or pan-fried)
  • Sauteed spinach (or kale)
  • Sautéed mushrooms
  • Steamed asparagus
  • Vegan bacon or ham slices (or vegan carrot bacon)
  • Roasted tomatoes
  • Micro-greens/sprouts
  • Fresh herbs (to garnish – like parsley, chives, or dill)

How to Make Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

Just two steps, a blender, and a few minutes are all you need to prepare this creamy dairy-free Hollandaise sauce alternative.

  • 1) First, combine all the vegan Hollandaise sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • 2) Then, to warm the sauce, transfer it to a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often.
process shot of adding blended ingredients to pot

To Make Vegan Eggs Benedict

  • 3) While the sauce heats, toast the English muffin halves and slice the tomato and avocado.
  • 4) Assemble it by placing a slice of tomato and 2-3 slices of avocado over each muffin and then drizzling it with the warmed egg-free hollandaise sauce. Finally, sprinkle with a little paprika, cayenne, and back pepper. Enjoy!
process shot of adding tomato and avocado slices to sandwich

Pro Recipe Notes

  • Use soft tofu: It’s important to use the correct kind to achieve the super creamy vegan Hollandaise sauce consistency.
  • The turmeric is for color: You only need a little to provide the classic yellow color.
  • Season to taste: Taste it after blending and then season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust any of the other flavors (mustard, lemon juice, etc.)
  • To adjust the consistency: The amount of plant-based milk added will directly affect how thick the sauce is.
  • Heat gently: Boiling/overheating the sauce may negatively affect its texture and consistency.

FAQs

Does Hollandaise have dairy?

Yes, traditionally, Hollandaise sauce is butter-based and contains eggs, too. For those unable to eat either, this vegan Hollandaise sauce recipe comes to the rescue!

Can I replace the tofu?

It’s possible to make an easy vegan Hollandaise sauce recipe with soaked cashews (or sunflower seeds). Soak 1 cup of cashews either overnight in cold water or for about an hour in hot water and blend in a high-speed blender with almost equal parts water and the remaining sauce ingredients (minus the plant-based milk) until smooth. It will thicken slightly when simmering to heat it.

Can you freeze the sauce?

You can technically freeze the tofu or cashew-based vegan Hollandaise, though both may become grainy/separated upon thawing and require re-blending for several seconds.

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Storage Instructions

Only heat the amount you need. Otherwise, store the leftover vegan hollandaise sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The sauce may slightly thicken in the fridge, so thin it with water or plant-based milk if needed.

Serving Suggestions

You can use this versatile dairy-free hollandaise in all the ways you’d enjoy the original, including:

More Vegan Sauce Recipes

Photos by Alfonso Revilla

completed Easy Vegan Hollandaise Sauce against a white background

Easy Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

4.86 from 74 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Just 8 ingredients, a blender, and under 10 minutes make for a wonderfully creamy vegan hollandaise sauce. It’s dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, optionally gluten-free, and creamy, rich, & delicious!

Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup of soft tofu
  • 2 teaspoons of mustard
  • 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice
  • ½ cup of plain unsweetened plant-based milk
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
  • Pinch of paprika
  • Pinch of turmeric
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • 8 slices of bread or English muffins (whatever is available or preferred), toasted (optional)
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced (optional)
  • Cayenne pepper, for garnishing (optional)
  • Paprika, for garnishing (optional)
  • Freshly ground black pepper, for garnishing (optional)

Instructions 

  • Place the soft tofu, mustard, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, plant-based milk, oil, soy sauce, paprika, and turmeric in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
  • In a saucepan over low heat, warm the hollandaise sauce.
  • Optionally, to assemble a sandwich: On each half muffin or toast, place a slice of tomato and a few slices of avocado. Drizzle the warmed hollandaise sauce on top and sprinkle the sauce with a bit of pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

Notes

  • Use soft tofu: It’s important to use the correct kind to achieve the super creamy vegan Hollandaise sauce consistency.
  • The turmeric is for color: You only need a little to provide the classic yellow color.
  • Season to taste: Taste it after blending and then season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust any of the other flavors (mustard, lemon juice, etc.)
  • To adjust the consistency: The amount of plant-based milk added will directly affect how thick the sauce is.

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 14gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 579mgPotassium: 682mgFiber: 8gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 479IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 137mgIron: 3mg

Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Additional Info

Author: Miranda Rivera
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: French
Method: Stovetop
Diet: Vegan
Tried this recipe?Please tag us at @PlantBasedOnABudget! 🙂
About

Miranda Rivera

Cooking vegan meals brings such excitement and richness to my life! The simple things in life are so beautiful to me. I love meeting new people. Welcome to my plant-based journey!

More about Miranda Rivera

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve been looking for a good vegan hollandaise sauce recipe and this one is a winner! Thanks for the recipe.

  2. 5 stars
    I was a big Hollandaise fan for years, until I had to watch my cholesterol. This looks like an excellent, and healthier substitute. This looks so good that I am making it for lunch today. I just bought the Kindle version of Plant Based On A Budget, and can’t wait to dive into it this afternoon. The reviews on Amazon are outstanding. I am not a vegan per se, but because of health issues, I eat vegan much of the time. Blogs like this one, make it easy and delicious. Thank you so much for giving me back my health.

    1. You’re going to love this vegan hollandaise 🙂 And Toni’s cookbooks are amazing! Hope you enjoy everything you make!

  3. 2 stars
    After I initially left a comment I appear to have clicked on the
    -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and
    from now on whenever a comment is added
    I recieve 4 emails with the same comment. Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service?
    Thank you!

    1. Not on our end, unfortunately. I’m wondering if there’s a subscription editing option at the bottom of each email that you can modify. If you run into any issues, feel free to email andrea@plantbasedonabudget.com and I can try to help assist you more there!