A Restaurant-Worthy Brunch Recipe at Home
There’s something magical about a perfect eggs Florentine. When the knife slides through the poached egg, the golden yolk pools into buttery hollandaise, and everything soaks into a crisp English muffin. Heaven, right? It swaps the Canadian bacon of a classic eggs Benedict for a bed of tender spinach sautéed with shallot, garlic, and a bright hit of lemon zest. It’s rich, savory, and naturally vegetarian.
As a former restaurant chef, here’s the industry secret: brunch cooks don’t make everything to oder. They prep.
The silky, two-minute blender hollandaise comes together without a single whisk, the spinach takes about 5 minutes, and the poached eggs can be made a full day ahead and rewarmed in seconds. That’s exactly why this is one of my favorite elevated breakfast recipes for entertaining. With holiday season around the corner, it’s the dish I’d put on the menu for Thanksgiving-weekend houseguests or a slow Christmas morning.
Quick Ingredient Overview
Plan for two eggs per person, unless you’ve got a really large brunch spread happening.
Any kind of English muffins will work (I still dream about Model Bakery’s muffins from Napa!), but if you’re making this gluten-free, I gotta say… I love using crispy hash browns instead. A potato lovers dream!
As far as greens, I love the delicate texture of baby spinach, but feel free to experiment with arugula, kale, or Swiss chard.
How To Make Eggs Florentine At Home
Here’s the order I work in so everything lands on the plate warm. You’ll find full measurements and instructions in the recipe card below.
Make the Hollandaise
Hot butter = thick hollandaise. The heat of the butter is what gently cooks the yolks and thickens the sauce, so be sure to warm it a bit first. The other thing I’ve learned from making hollandaise sauce at home dozens of times… if you want a more pourable sauce, use 10 tablespoons of butter, not 8.
Pro tip: place toasted English muffins on a wire rack to prevent them from getting soggy!
To build and serve, you’ll top each muffin half with spinach (use tongs to leave any excess liquid behind so the muffins stay as crispy as possible!), and a poached egg, a generous spoonful of hollandaise. Finish with flaky sea salt, black pepper, and chives.
If making hollandaise by hand, whisk constantly to prevent curdling. If this happens, whisk in 1 tablespoon of cold water, a little at a time, until it comes back together.
Poach Eggs, Demystified
- Use fresh, high-quality eggs, preferably at room temperature.
- Strain for tidy eggs. Crack each egg into a fine-mesh sieve and let the thin, watery outer white drain away before poaching.
- Keep the temperature at a bare simmer.
- White vinegar: A splash in the poaching water helps the whites set quickly.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Two eggs at a time cook the most evenly.
Make It Ahead (Yes, Even the Poached Eggs!)
This is where my eggs Florentine recipe really shines for entertaining:
- Poached eggs can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store them submerged in ice-cold water in a sealed container in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, slip them into a pan of hot (not simmering) water for 30-60 seconds to rewarm.
- Spinach: Sauté up to 1 day ahead, then rewarm in a skillet for a minute.
- The hollandaise is best fresh, but leftovers keep for up to 2 days. Rewarm very gently over low heat, whisking constantly.
- English muffins should be toasted just before serving for maximum crunch.
Make A Full Brunch Spread
A few well-chosen sides can easily turn this into a full, restaurant-worthy brunch spread. My favorite, hands down, are these crispy pan-fried breakfast potatoes with onions. We also like a plate of crispy bacon or breakfast sausage, some sliced tomatoes, and fresh fruit.
If you make my easy eggs benedict with spinach, please let me know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Eggs Florentine with Fresh Spinach & Blender Hollandaise
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Hollandaise Sauce
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, or use 10 Tbsp for a thinner sauce
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- Pinch of Cayenne pepper
For the Eggs
- 2 English muffins
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided (2 Tbsp for toasting, 2 Tbsp for spinach)
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest, about ½ medium lemon
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Thinly sliced chives, for serving
Instructions
- Begin the hollandaise sauce. Melt 8 Tbsp unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. For a thinner sauce, use 10 Tbsp unsalted butter. Try not to let the butter boil, as this allows some of the moisture to evaporate.
- Blend ingredients. Combine 3 large egg yolks, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp Dijon mustard, and a pinch of Cayenne pepper in a blender. Blend until well mixed, about 30 seconds.
- Stream in the melted butter. Remove the rubber plug from the top of the blender, and with the speed on low, slowly stream in the hot melted butter. Blend until the hollandaise sauce is smooth, creamy, and fully emulsified. Pour into a bowl, then set aside.
- Toast the muffins. You can do this either in a toaster oven or pan-fried in a skillet with a little butter, cut side down, until crispy, about 5 minutes. If you use a toaster oven, spread each half with about 1-2 tsp softened butter
- Poach the eggs. Fill a medium saucepan with at least 3 inches of water, then add 1 Tbsp white vinegar. Set over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, or just lower. You don’t want the water to boil. Crack each egg into a small ramekin or bowl. When the water is just below a simmer, carefully drop one egg at a time into the water and poach for 3 minutes, or until the whites are fully set, but the yolk is still runny. I recommend doing two eggs at a time to ensure even cooking. The eggs will not overcook as they rest!
- Drain the eggs. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the poached eggs to a paper towel or kitchen towel lined plate to absorb excess moisture. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs.
- Cook the spinach. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 1 chopped shallot then cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add 1 chopped clove of garlic, then cook for 1 minute more. Stir in 6oz spinach, then season with 1 tsp Kosher salt and 1 tsp lemon zest. Cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Assemble, then serve! Place 2 toasted English muffin halves on each plate. Divide the cooked spinach evenly between the 4 halves. Place one poached egg on top of each muffin, then spoon on as much of the hollandaise sauce as you like. If needed, you can warm up the hollandaise. Top with a pinch of flaky sea salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper, then garnish with chives and enjoy!
Notes
- If you want perfectly round poached eggs, with no stringy bits on the side, crack each egg first over a fine-mesh sieve and let the excess loose egg whites drain off. You can then pour each egg into a ramekin before poaching.
- The vortex method: for a single egg, stir the simmering water into a gentle whirlpool and drop the egg into the center — the white wraps neatly around the yolk. Skip it when poaching in batches.
- Storage: Store each component separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator: poached eggs (submerged in cold water) and sautéed spinach for up to 1 day, hollandaise for up to 2 days. Rewarm eggs in hot water for 30–60 seconds and hollandaise gently over low heat, whisking constantly. Assembled eggs Florentine don’t keep well, and I don’t recommend freezing.
- Gluten-free option: enjoy without the English muffin or serve on top of crispy hashbrowns.
- This recipe makes more hollandaise sauce than you need for 2 servings. However, it’s easier to make it in this quantity because it’s made in a blender. Leftover hollandaise can be enjoyed for up to 2 days, and can be reheated gently on a stovetop.
Nutrition
Photography by: Cambrea Bakes
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