What Exactly Is In Powdered Béarnaise Sauce Mix?

If you're a fan of French cookery, béarnaise sauce can be your secret to getting the most amazing steaks you've ever had. And that's because of its ability to lend a rich, buttery, tarragon-infused flavor to anything it touches. You can find it being sold by the jars at many specialty stores or online, but if you don't think you'd use it often enough to justify having a whole jar in the kitchen, luckily, there's a more manageable option: Béarnaise sauce mix.

These mixes arrive as dry, shelf-stable powders in packets. Whenever you need some of this sauce, mix the powder with water and heat it on the stove, and voilà, béarnaise!

But what's actually in these packets? Mostly cornstarch and maltodextrin for that creamy texture, plus dried tarragon and parsley for flavor. The ingredient label on the popular Knorr Béarnaise Sauce Mix also throws in some whey protein, wheat flour, and yeast extract to make it taste rich and buttery. There's also a touch of citric acid for tang, guar gum to keep it smooth, and a bit of paprika and turmeric to give it that pretty golden color. So rest assured, the signature herbal flavor comes from genuine tarragon. The sauce mix should get you something very close to homemade béarnaise sauce (though, of course, it might not be as good).

For people with celiac disease, the presence of wheat flour in most store-bought béarnaise mixes means these convenient packets are unfortunately off-limits. It's used as a thickener to create the sauce's creamy texture and, as its name suggests, contains wheat gluten that can trigger reactions. Additionally, for those who are lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies, be cautious as well — most mixes contain whey protein concentrate or buttermilk powder as substitutes for fresh butter in fresh béarnaise.

But here's a bit of good news: If you're gluten-sensitive, you don't have to give up on béarnaise sauce entirely. Several specialty brands, like Epicure, use substitutes (like cornstarch instead of wheat flour) to make gluten-free bernaise. Finding a commercial sauce mix that doesn't have dairy is more difficult, however — most use one form of milk derivative or the other to smoothen the texture and give the sauce its rich flavor. Instead, if you want to try a dairy-free option, consider the DIY route. Take this homemade béarnaise sauce recipe and swap out the emulsified butter with margarine. It's a lot fussier but will be worth it if you're after a special meal. And if you're feeling adventurous, you can also customize and upgrade béarnaise sauce to your taste. 

Keep in mind that manufacturers occasionally change their formulations, so even if you've safely enjoyed a particular brand before, it'd be smart to review the ingredient list periodically if you have dietary restrictions. A bit of precaution is a reasonable trade-off for being able to fully enjoy a béarnaise-dressed tenderloin without worry, we'd say!