What’s better than a dinner party? A brunch party with a build-your-own Eggs Benedict bar.
If Eggs Benedict is on the menu, there’s a 90% chance I’m ordering it. But, it’s even better at home because you can customize it any way you’d like. If you’ve never made Eggs Benedict, here is my easy-to-follow recipe. Eggs Benedict seems like it would be a challenge to make but this Classic Eggs Benedict recipe makes it simple with a few tricks.
This Build-Your-Own Benedict Bar is perfect for a Sunday birthday celebration or a holiday like Easter or Mother’s Day. It’s also a great excuse to host a gathering for friends, no matter the occasion. Bringing people together over an activity and good food is enough of a reason to get together.
This hosting guide will tell you everything you need to host a Build-Your-Own Benedict Bar. So, invite your friends over for weekend brunch plans because the Benedicts and booze are always bottomless at home.
The Benedict Basics
The building blocks for an Eggs Benedict include an English muffin (or other base), a protein, vegetables or additional toppings, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce.
The Eggs
For a Build-Your-Own Benedict Bar, you’ll need to buy lots of eggs. You should account for two eggs per person. Plus, the hollandaise sauce requires at least four egg yolks for eight people. So, if you’re hosting a party of eight, buy at least two dozen eggs. You’ll always want to have extra eggs on hand in case one of the yolks breaks while poaching.
The Base
For your base, English muffins are the way to go. A typical pack of English muffins comes with six muffins. Each muffin will be cut in half, which leaves you with 12 bases for your Benedicts. You should account for one English muffin (or two halves) for each person. Alternatively, you can provide croissants or sourdough slices to switch things up but I recommend the traditional route for ease.
Make sure to toast your English muffins ahead of time so they’re ready to go when it’s time for people to build their Benedicts.
Protein
A variety of proteins will allow your guests to get creative with their Benedicts and help you cater to any dietary restrictions. My go-tos are thick-cut bacon, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, and smoked salmon (my favorite). I recommend at least two protein options, meat and fish.
Toppings
Before you add the poached egg, you pile on the toppings. Here are a few toppings to add to your spread:
- Tomato
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Cheese (a bit untraditional but tasty)
You could even add chives for garnish.
Extras
For a bigger feast, you can serve additional breakfast items. A side of roasted potatoes or hashbrowns would pair nicely with the Eggs Benedict. For something sweet, make a stack of pancakes.
Alongside your Benedict Bar, you can also set up a mimosa bar. For a mimosa bar, all you need is Champagne or Prosecco paired with different fruit juices like orange, cranberry, and peach puree.
Grocery List
Here is a list for a party of eight guests:
- 2 dozen eggs
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter
- Cheese of your choice
- Lemon
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Spinach
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- White vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- 12 English muffins (2 packs)
- Canadian bacon
- Thick-cut bacon
- Prosciutto
- Smoked salmon
Setting up your Build-Your-Own Benedict Bar
Before your guests arrive, prepare all the building blocks of your Benedict bar except for the poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. (We’ll save this for last). Toast your English muffins and cook any protein like bacon. Then, slice tomatoes, avocado, and other other vegetables. I also like to put spinach in a bowl for guests to make Florentine Benedicts. Arrange each of the ingredients on a platter and set on a table (or counter) with serving spoons/forks/tongs/etc.
You should put the platters in order of serving starting with English muffins (your base), followed by protein and toppings, and ending with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
When your guests arrive
Once your guests start to arrive, you can begin poaching the eggs. Personally, I like to poach my eggs one at a time, but you can poach multiple at once if you’re careful. For instructions on how to poach eggs refer to this recipe.
Make sure to poach enough eggs so there are two eggs per person. After each egg is poached arrange them on a platter for serving.
After every guest has arrived, make your hollandaise sauce. The hollandaise sauce needs to be the very last thing you do because it cannot be reheated or else it will turn into a clumpy mess. Luckily, you can prepare it in under 10 minutes. The recipe for hollandaise sauce can be found here.
Transfer your hollandaise sauce from the blender to a bowl or for serving on your Benedict bar. The ideal serving vessel would be something like a gravy boat but anything will do.
And, just like that, you have a Build-Your-Own Benedict Bar ready to be enjoyed by your guests. Happy Benedict building!
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