How to Lighten the Calories in Eggs Benedict
How to Lighten the Calories in Eggs Benedict

Nothing says brunch like eggs Benedict, with its luscious hollandaise sauce, beautifully poached eggs, crispy ham or bacon, and toasted English muffin. This brunch classic tantalizes the taste buds, but the fat and calories make it more of an indulgence. Here are ways to make eggs Benedict a little lighter on the calories and much more nutritious.

How Many Calories Are in Eggs Benedict?

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A typical plate of eggs Benedict can serve up more than 700 calories, and much more at popular restaurants. An order of eggs Benedict contains 910 calories at IHOP and 1,230 calories at the Cheesecake Factory.

Eggs are usually a great option for breakfast. They're one of the few complete proteins containing all nine essential amino acids. Eggs are also packed with healthy fats, vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, and folate.

Two large poached eggs are about 140 calories. A couple of slices of bacon add 40 calories to eggs Benedict, and an English muffin is an additional 130 calories, according to Nutritionix. This brings us to just over 300 calories.

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The real calorie culprit? The gloriously smooth and creamy hollandaise sauce that's poured over top. One-third of a cup of hollandaise delivers about 400 calories — and that's because one cup of prepared hollandaise is made up of a half-cup of butter.

Indulge in traditional eggs Benedict once in a while and savor every bite, but to enjoy it more often, try some of these tricks for fewer calories and more nutrition.

Cut the Carbs

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An English muffin contains about 25 grams of carbs. To reduce the carbs and boost the nutrition factor, build the benny on a thick slice of tomato with swiss chard. Or, roast up some rounds of sweet potato toast for some beta-carotene, vitamin C, and potassium.

Another option is to bake the eggs benny in a muffin tin, serving it in a ham cup instead of on English muffins. Add just a bite of English muffin inside each cup.

Reduce the Sodium

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Processed meats, such as bacon and ham, come with a lot of sodium. Try eliminating the meat and going with a colorful and healthy veggie eggs Benedict featuring sliced avocado and sautéed spinach or roasted squash. Jamie Oliver suggests dry-grilled mushrooms seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Lighten Up the Sauce

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Now for the hollandaise. When dining out, ask for the sauce on the side and use only a spoonful or two. At home, whip up a yogurt-based sauce that swaps out butter for plain Greek yogurt. It's only 60 calories for two tablespoons.

Another option is to blend up avocado hollandaise, which gets its creaminess from ripe, heart-healthy avocado, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper.

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