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    Home » Recipes » Sauces for Beef

    Bearnaise Sauce for Steak

    Published: Mar 17, 2023 Modified: Mar 17, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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    Take your steak to a new level of luxury with a creamy, decadent Bearnaise Sauce for Steak! Just made a perfect steak? Top it with this incredible restaurant-worthy sauce following my easy and foolproof recipe.

    bearnaise sauce on a spoon being poured on a steak
    Jump to:
    • Steak Bearnaise Sauce
    • What is Bearnaise sauce?
    • Steak with Bearnaise Sauce Ingredients
    • How to Make Bearnaise Sauce
    • Bearnaise Steak Tips
    • Bearnaise Steak Sauce FAQs
    • Best Sauces for Steak
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📋 Recipe

    Steak Bearnaise Sauce

    A masterfully cooked steak deserves a masterfully cooked sauce! I've definitely had my days where I've cooked up the best steak yet, only to realize there's no sauce in the house worthy of it- I want the best sauce for steak. What I want is creamy, rich, luxurious Bearnaise.

    Luckily, steak bearnaise sauce is so much easier thank you might think. Don't let its reputation scare you! With attention to detail and a bit of time, you'll be cooking up sauce for beef fit to be served in a fancy restaurant. And as one of the best steak sauces I've ever tried, I promise, it's worth making!

    So if you've never tried steak with Bearnaise, now's the time! Follow my recipe and you'll be wowing your family with steak Bearnaise in no time. Make a little extra: you'll want more!

    a teal serving dish of bearnaise sauce with herbs on a towel

    What is Bearnaise sauce?

    Bearnaise is an offshoot of Hollandaise, made with much of the same base. Bearnaise still uses butter and egg yolk for the bulk of the sauce, but changes things by swapping lemon juice out for vinegar and adding tarragon and pepper.

    Originating in Béarn, France, this sauce was accidentally created by Jean-Louis Françoise-Collinet, a French chef who was attempting to make the mother sauce Hollandaise with a few little changes. It quickly became a classic sauce for steak!

    Steak with Bearnaise Sauce Ingredients

    • White wine vinegar
    • Shallot
    • Tarragon
    • Black pepper
    • Egg yolks
    • Unsalted butter
    all of the ingredients for bearnaise sauce in separate bowls with labels

    How to Make Bearnaise Sauce

    1. Place a small frying pan over medium low heat, and add in the vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and tarragon. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until well reduced- there should be no more than a few tablespoons of liquid left. Set aside.
      a metal bowl filled with reduced vinegar and herbs next to a stick of butter and egg yolks
    2. In a small saucepan, heat about an inch of water. While heating, take a metal mixing bowl and combine in it the cooled herb reduction, egg yolks, and a splash of water. Place the mixing bowl on top of the water-filled pan, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. (You can also use a double boiler.)
      egg yolks being added to a metal bowl full of reduced oil and herbs
    3. While whisking continuously, add in the butter 2-4 tablespoons at a time. Whisk until fully melted before adding more butter.
      a double boiler full of bearnaise sauce being whisked
    4. Once the sauce is at your desired level of thickness, remove from the heat and pour into a gravy boat. Drizzle over steak, and serve!
      bearnaise sauce poured over a freshly sliced steak

    Bearnaise Steak Tips

    • Bearnaise sauce isn't too hard, but it does take patience! Always make sure to cook it at as low a temperature as possible. This will keep the yolks from solidifying into scrambled eggs in butter!
    • It's extremely important to whisk the entire time the sauce is cooking. Even a minute without whisking can create hot spots on the sides of the pan that will overcook some of the yolk and leave the sauce chunky.
    • If it's getting a little too thick, add a splash of water. Just make sure it's not hot water!
    • The quality of the eggs makes a huge difference in Hollandaise-based sauces, so if you can get them, try to get eggs from a local source. If not, high quality free-range eggs from the store are worth the price for this recipe!

    Bearnaise Steak Sauce FAQs

    What do you put Bearnaise sauce on?

    Bearnaise sauce is rich and creamy with a vinegar tang, making it perfect for savory dishes. Its delicate tarragon flavor compliments meatier, heavier flavors like beef, marinated chicken breasts, and flavorful vegetables like beans and broccoli.

    What meat goes with Bearnaise sauce?

    Bearnaise sauce is delicious paired with all kinds of meat, but for the best combination, pour it on steak! The heavy umami of steak and tender, juicy meat pairs incredibly with tangy bearnaise, making for a luxurious meal you'll want to make again.

    What does Bearnaise sauce taste like?

    Bearnaise sauce is mainly made of butter and egg yolks, giving the base of the sauce a rich and buttery flavor. Vinegar, shallots, tarragon and black pepper build on this to give bearnaise a flavor of zippy vinegar and a mild, gentle touch of licorice that pairs just beautifully with steak!

    Best Sauces for Steak

    • Red Wine Reduction
    • Horseradish Sauce
    • Au Jus
    • Garlic Butter

    Looking for something a little different? There are so many amazing sauces for steak! Try out any of these steak sauce recipes and you'll be sure to love the results!

    Serve Bearnaise Sauce with one of my Best Steak Recipes.

    a top down view of a bowl of bearnaise sauce with sprinkled herbs

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    📋 Recipe

    a spoonfull of thick bearnaise sauce over a bowl of bearnaise
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    Bearnaise Sauce for Steak

    Serve up nothing short of luxury with my Bearnaise Sauce for Steak! This rich, decadent sauce is a classic with steak for a reason!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: bearnaise sauce for steak, bearnaise steak sauce, steak bearnaise sauce, steak with bearnaise sauce
    Servings: 1 cup
    Calories: 1408kcal
    Author: Isabel Laessig

    Equipment

    • Sauce pan
    • Metal mixing bowl
    • Double boiler optional, replaces mixing bowl

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup White wine vinegar
    • 1 Shallot minced
    • 1½ Tablespoons Tarragon dried or fresh
    • 1 teaspoon Black pepper
    • 2 Egg yolks
    • 1½ sticks Unsalted butter

    See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!

    Instructions

    • Place a small frying pan over medium low heat, and add in the vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and tarragon. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until well reduced- there should be no more than a few tablespoons of liquid left. Set aside.
      ½ cup White wine vinegar, 1 Shallot, 1½ Tablespoons Tarragon, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
      a metal bowl filled with reduced vinegar and herbs next to a stick of butter and egg yolks
    • In a small saucepan, heat about an inch of water. While heating, take a metal mixing bowl and combine in it the cooled herb reduction, egg yolks, and a splash of water. Place the mixing bowl on top of the water-filled pan, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. (You can also use a double boiler.)
      2 Egg yolks
      egg yolks being added to a metal bowl full of reduced oil and herbs
    • While whisking continuously, add in the butter 2-4 tablespoons at a time. Whisk until fully melted before adding more butter.
      1½ sticks Unsalted butter
      a double boiler full of bearnaise sauce being whisked
    • Once the sauce is at your desired level of thickness, remove from the heat and pour into a gravy boat. Drizzle over steak, and serve!
      bearnaise sauce poured over a freshly sliced steak

    Notes

    • Bearnaise sauce isn't too hard, but it does take patience! Always make sure to cook it at as low a temperature as possible. This will keep the yolks from solidifying into scrambled eggs in butter!
    • It's extremely important to whisk the entire time the sauce is cooking. Ever a minute without whisking can create hot spots on the sides of the pan that will overcook some of the yolk and leave the sauce chunky.
    • If it's getting a little too thick, add a splash of water. Just make sure it's not hot water!
    • The quality of the eggs makes a huge difference in Hollandaise-based sauces, so if you can get them, try to get eggs from a local source. If not, high quality free-range eggs from the store are worth the price for this recipe!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1408kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 148g | Saturated Fat: 91g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 40g | Trans Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 753mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5208IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 5mg

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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and makes regular television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

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