This easy Greek Avgolemono Sauce recipe is a refreshing burst of flavor! Ready in 15 minutes or less, all you need is 4 ingredients that you probably already have on hand. This egg-lemon sauce is perfect on Lahanodolmades, soup, or with meat and vegetables!
This post was originally published on April 20th, 2021.
🍋 Easy Avgolemono Sauce Recipe
This Avgolemono Sauce is going to blow your mind! For something so simple it has so much flavor and elevates any dish it meets. It’s one of those recipes that you think about the next day…and the next day…It is truly Greek food at its finest.
“Avgolemono” (αυγολέμονο or αβγολέμονο) literally means Egg (avgo) Lemon (lemono). The term covers Greek recipes like soup and sauces made with egg and lemon, and half of the ingredients in this easy sauce recipe happen to be…egg and lemon. The rest? Broth and starch. For the broth, I highly recommend adding broth from my Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe, these two are just meant to be together, and the flavor of the broth after steaming the cabbage rolls is absolutely delicious. It seasons the egg and lemon sauce perfectly.
For the starch, add tapioca starch to keep it paleo and whole30 friendly, however, cornstarch or wheat flour will work in a pinch as well. Make sure you mix up the starch-broth paste (more info in the recipe) a little at a time so it doesn’t turn lumpy.
💛 Why you will love this recipe
- Authentic: This is the recipe my other half (who is from Greece) has made time and time again. I adapted this version of egg and lemon sauce slightly to make it gluten-free, but other than that the flavor, color, and smooth, creamy texture are 100% Greek.
- Easy: Made with only 4 ingredients, there is no need to separate the eggs from the egg yolks in my version. It’s made in one pot as well which means less clean-up later.
- Quick: I love that this egg lemon sauce can be made in just 15 minutes. I’ve often made it on a whim when dinner just needed a little something extra, and a simple creamy egg-lemon mixture would hit the spot.
- Healthy: This simple egg-lemon sauce is made with eggs, lemon juice, chicken stock (or another stock), and a little starch to thicken it up.
- Fits many diets: My version of avgolemono sauce is gluten-free, low-carb, keto-friendly, paleo, vegan, and whole30 friendly too!
🗝️ Key Ingredients for Avgolemono Sauce
Lemon: The juice from 2 freshly squeezed lemons is added to this recipe. It’s deliciously tart. I haven’t tried making it with store-bought juice, but it may be fine. Let me know if you try it that way!
Eggs: Large eggs help to thicken up this Avgolemono Sauce, and to make it creamier. The eggs do get cooked, and are not raw. There’s no need to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, just whisk the whole egg.
Broth: I added the remaining broth from the Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls I was making to go with this Greek egg-lemon sauce. It helps to season the avgolemono perfectly. However, if you’re not making that recipe, I’d suggest using chicken stock or vegetable stock. You can add cool or hot broth, and you can use up to 2 cups if you like the sauce a little runnier.
Starch: Here is my secret ingredient! I went for tapioca starch to keep this recipe paleo and whole30 friendly. Corn starch would work, and traditionally the Greeks use wheat flour.
🥣 How to make Greek Egg-Lemon Sauce
1. Whisk eggs: Without turning on the heat, whisk the eggs in a medium saucepan until frothy.
2. Add the lemon juice: Juice the lemons and whisk the juice into the egg mixture.
3. Add stock: Slowly pour 1 cup of chicken stock (or lahanodolmades broth) into the egg mixture, whisking the whole time. It should be room temperature and not hot broth or the egg whites will cook and become scrambled eggs.
4. Turn on the heat! Turn the stove on medium-low heat and continue whisking until the avgolemono mixture begins to thicken.
5. Make a starch slurry: In a small bowl, mix starch with some of the remaining 1/2 a cup of broth to make a paste, and then stir in the rest of the stock. You can use regular flour, tapioca, or corn starch to do this.
6. Thickening and serve: Slowly whisk the tapioca or corn starch mixture into the hot liquid in the saucepan on the stove until it thickens up. Turn off the heat, season with salt and black pepper to taste, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and serve this tangy creamy Greek sauce with one of the suggestions below!
🍽️ What does this creamy egg-lemon sauce go with?
This Avgolemono recipe is an amazing Greek sauce to pair with meats, fish, vegetables, and traditional Greek soups! Here is a breakdown of my suggestions:
Vegetables: Baked or raw, as a dip
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Beets
- Artichoke Hearts
- Zucchini
- Eggplant/Aubergine
- Yellow Squash
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
Fish – baked, pan-fried
- Sardines (ideally fried)
- Sea Bream
- Cod
- Swordfish
- Haddock
- Salmon
- Tilapia
- Halibut
- Catfish
Meat: Grilled, pan-fried or baked
- Chicken
- Lamb
- Meatballs (beef/pork/lamb/turkey/chicken)
- Sausage (links or patties)
🇬🇷 How is avgolemono sauce used in Greek cuisine?
If you’re wondering how is avgolemono sauce used in Greek dishes, there are just a few Greek recipes that feature this amazing flavor:
This is an easy avgolemono sauce for dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves) or Stuffed Cabbage Leaves. This is classic Greek food that appears on many dinner tables in Greece.
Greek Avgolemono Soup with meatballs and Avgolemono Chicken Soup are hearty and warming for the winter. Greece actually gets pretty cold!
❓ Is this Avgolemono recipe low carb?
Yes! This recipe comes in at 3.8g net carbs per portion, making it perfect for a keto diet.
🥚 What is avgolemono sauce made of?
Avgolemono sauce is frothed egg and lemon juice mixed with broth and sometimes flour or starch to thicken it up.
😋 More Greek recipes you will love
- Sfougato (Greek Crustless Quiche)
- Lahanodolamdes (Greek Stuffed Cabbage Leaves)
- Gemista (Greek Stuffed Tomatoes)
- Greek Leg of Lamb Recipe
- Greek Frappe Coffee Recipe
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📖 Recipe
Avgolemono Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 fresh lemons juiced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon starch cornstarch or 1 tablespoon tapioca
- 1.5 cups 355ml broth *see notes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Drizzle of olive oil optional
Instructions
- Without turning on the heat, whisk the eggs in a medium saucepan until frothy.
- Juice the lemons and whisk the juice into the eggs.
- Slowly whisk in 1 cup of broth.
- Turn heat on medium and continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Mix starch with some of the remaining 1/2 cup of broth to make a paste, and then mix in the rest of the broth.
- Slowly whisk the tapioca mixture into the pot on the stove until it thickens up. Turn off the heat, season with salt and black pepper to taste, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (optional), and serve.
Notes
- if you happen to be making Lahanodolmades, the broth from steaming them is amazing in this recipe, and it's totally fine to add it hot, straight from the pot. Otherwise, use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- you can add up to 2 cups of broth (475ml) if you like your sauce runnier.
Hi. This looks so much simpler than the traditional way I’ve made this sauce. I was wondering if I’d does well made ahead, kept refrigerated, and then reheated. I like to do thing the day before a big family dinner so I don’t spend my time in the kitchen. 🙂Thanks!
Hi Tina!
My mother-in-law (who gave me this recipe) happens to be visiting from Greece so I asked her and she said you could make it the day before and store it but the proper way would be to make the sauce when you’re about to serve. We often make the stuffed cabbage a day (or more) before and refrigerate/freeze it for later, but not the avgolemono.
Hope that helps!
Bethany
Given my Polish heritage I have made stuffed cabbage roles many times. I never liked tomato sauce and usually substituted beef broth but tonight for a family dinner I decided to make the lemon/egg sauce. I couldn’t believe what a great decision. Everyone was blown away with how great this s sauce complimented the cabbage roles. Everyone loved it so much I will use it for many of my dishes that I create in future.
That’s amazing to hear, Donald! Thanks for sharing – I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! I have a few more avgolemono-based recipes in the pipeline (layered casserole and soup), so keep an eye out for those too.
Cheers!
Bethany
Does tapioca make the sauce gritty in texture?
Hi Jean,
No, tapioca is a soft, powdery starch. It’s very similar to cornstarch. When it’s whisked with liquid over heat it thickens up, kind of like flour but maybe a little stickier depending on the amount of liquid. It can even be kind of gummy, like in bubble tea – the boba pearls are made of tapioca. It’s used as a binder in baking as well when there is no gluten.
Hope that answers your question!
Best wishes,
Bethany
Thanks, Jane! Glad you enjoyed it =]
Wow, this really hit the spot! So easy to make. Delicious!
Wow, this really hit the spot! So easy to make. Delicious!
Thanks, Jane! Glad you enjoyed it =]