Important to realize, a homemade mayonnaise recipe was first invented in 1756 by the French chef of Duc de Richelieu. After the Duc beat the British at Port Mahon, his chef created a victory feast that was to include a sauce made of cream and eggs. Realizing that there was no cream, the chef substituted olive oil for the cream, and a new culinary creation was born.
The chef named the new sauce “Mahonnaise” in honor of the Duc’s victory. On one hand, commercialized Mayonnaise often contains soybean oil and added sugar. However, it’s easy to make your own healthy homemade mayonnaise. In particular, with coconut oil or olive oil to begin with. Whereby, the second recipe on this list uses coconut oil.
More so, as one of the fats for healthy homemade mayonnaise. On the other hand, homemade dark chocolate is a delicious way to get coconut oil’s health benefits. Just remember to store it in the refrigerator or freezer, since coconut oil melts at 76°F (24°C). It’s easy to find a recipe online for it and get started. To keep things healthy, look for sugar-free ideas.
And now, let’s learn more about how to go about making a super healthy homemade mayonnaise recipe in simple steps. But first, it’s worth elaborating a little bit about what mayonnaise entails.
What Mayonnaise Is All About
Mayonnaise is a thick, creamy sauce or dressing that is made of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar, and seasonings. It’s not the same as salad dressing, which doesn’t contain egg yolks and is generally sweeter than mayonnaise. In short, a Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe is made of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar, and seasonings like spices and herbs.
Mayonnaise is an emulsion, which is a mixture of two liquids that normally can’t be combined. Combining oil and water is a classic example. Emulsifying is done by slowly adding one ingredient to another while simultaneously mixing rapidly. This disperses and suspends tiny droplets of one liquid through another.
However, the two liquids would quickly separate again if an emulsifier were not added. Emulsifiers are liaisons between the two liquids and serve to stabilize the mixture. Eggs and gelatin are among the foods that contain emulsifiers. In mayonnaise, the emulsifier is egg yolk, which contains lecithin, a fat emulsifier.
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Chemically, emulsions are colloids, heterogeneous mixtures composed of tiny particles suspended in another immiscible (unmixable) material. These particles are larger than molecules, but less than one one-thousandth of a millimeter (.001mm).
Small particles like this do not settle out and will pass right through filter paper. The particles in a colloid can be solid, liquid, or bubbles of gas. The medium that they are suspended in can be a solid, liquid, or gas (although gas colloids cannot be suspended in gas). Basically, emulsions are liquid-liquid colloids, tiny liquid droplets suspended in another liquid.
They are usually thick in texture and satiny in appearance. For your information, emulsions are used in many different ways.
Consider the following:
- first, by pharmacists, as a vehicle for medication
- secondly, in photography, to coat plates, film, and paper
- thirdly, in explosives, paints, coatings, make-up, and detergents
- lastly, in food, including baked goods and confectionery products
Mayonnaise is made by combining lemon juice or vinegar with egg yolks. Eggs (containing the emulsifier lecithin) bind the ingredients together and prevent separation. Then, oil is added drop by drop as the mixture is rapidly whisked. Adding oil too quickly (or insufficient, rapid whisking) will keep the two liquids from combining (emulsifying).
But, as the sauce begins to thicken, oil can be added more rapidly. Seasonings are whisked in after all of the oil has been added. Blenders, Mixers, and food processors make it easy to make homemade mayonnaise, which many gourmets feel is far superior in taste and consistency to commercial mayonnaise.
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Since homemade mayonnaise is uncooked, be sure to use the freshest eggs possible, and the ones that you are reasonably sure are free from salmonella. Homemade mayonnaise will last three to four days in the refrigerator.
Commercial mayonnaise, which will last up to six months in the refrigerator, contain (by law) at least 65 percent oil by weight (except reduced-fat and fat-free mayonnaise). The standard of identity law also requires that all commercial “real mayonnaise” use only eggs as an emulsifier. Reduced-fat mayonnaise isn’t considered real mayonnaise.
Obviously, this is because it contains modified food starch, cellulose gel, and other thickeners and emulsifiers. Mayonnaise is used as the base for other sauces like tartar and thousand-island salad dressing. Aioli is garlic-flavored mayonnaise. Another classic emulsion sauce is hollandaise, which is a cooked mixture of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice.
A 14-gram serving has:
- 100 grams of calories
- 11 grams of quality fat
- 1.5 grams of saturated fat
- 10 grams of cholesterol
- 80 milligrams of magnesium
The American Heart Association recommends that saturated fat make up 5% to 6% of your daily calories. That means that for a 2,000-calorie diet, you should be eating no more than 120 calories (13 grams) of saturated fat.
Important to realize, that saturated fat can raise your LDL “bad” cholesterol in this case. Whereby, high levels of cholesterol can raise your odds of stroke and heart disease. Commercial mayonnaise is available in low-fat or fat-free versions. These types of mayo use modified food starch and other emulsifiers to get the right texture.
Creating A Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe In Less Than 10 Minutes!
Making mayonnaise at home lets you control the amount of salt and other ingredients you add. Try whipping up some homemade mayonnaise to use in your sauces and spreads.
To make about 1 cup of mayonnaise, whisk together one large egg yolk and a half tablespoon of water. Blend the mixture until slightly thickened. While blending, add one drop of neutral oil, like canola oil. Then begin to slowly stream in the oil. Keep blending as you add in the rest of the oil, for a total of 1 cup of oil. If it gets too thick, add a little bit of water.
After adding all the oil, mix in the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt to taste. You can make mayo with any type of oil, but it’s best to use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable. If you choose to use unrefined oil, such as extra-virgin olive oil, the emulsion may separate after several hours. Unrefined, old, or improperly stored oils, tend to make them unstable.
Video Tutorial Guide: How To Make Homemade Mayonnaise – An Easy & Perfect Recipe
You can store homemade mayo in the fridge for only a few days. Spread it, mix it, and savor it while you can. Using whole eggs instead of just the yolk makes this homemade mayonnaise recipe practically fail-proof and extra easy.
So, why should you make a Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe? Personally, I’ve used this mayonnaise recipe more times than I can count. If you’ve never tried homemade mayonnaise, then you are in for a treat. Homemade mayo is ultra creamy and so much more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store.
Here’s why I love this recipe so much:
- it uses whole eggs instead of just the yolks so you can skip separating the eggs
- the remaining ingredients are simple and very likely in your kitchen right now
- again, the whole process takes less than 10 minutes.
- also, you can add extra ingredients for more flavor (like roasted garlic or herbs).
For a garlicky version, you can go ahead and try the homemade garlic aioli as your starting point.
Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe Ingredients
Forthwith, a homemade mayonnaise recipe isn’t just for sandwiches! You can use it to make one of these delicious salads: We love using this mayonnaise to make Potato Salad, Creamy Coleslaw, or even Broccoli Salad. It’s absolutely perfect for making Simple Egg Salad, Tuna Salad, or your Favorite Chicken Salad too.
All of which are perfect for make-ahead lunches. Joe loves using homemade mayo to make his Maryland-Style Crab Cakes and I love it when he does! You can also turn mayo into your own creamy salad dressings! And, as such, you can try this Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, this simple Tartar Sauce, or my favorite Ranch Dressing as well.
In a nutshell, a homemade mayonnaise recipe is such a treat. It’s very simple to make, too. Room-temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes.
Video Tutorial Guide: A Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe For Beginners
If you have a large food processor, use the smaller bowl attachment that came with your processor so that the bowl is not too large for the amount of mayonnaise this recipe makes. Not using the smaller bowl can prevent the mayonnaise from emulsifying since the mixture will not have enough contact with the blade. What if you do not have the smaller bowl?
Well, making the mayonnaise with an immersion blender or by hand is an alternative. Or simply make a larger batch and double the recipe and use the standard bowl attachment. For instance, we use our food processor with a small bowl attachment. But, an immersion blender or making it completely by hand and a large whisk will work. Expect tired arms and strong biceps.
That’s if you do choose to do it by hand. But, by all means, all ingredients need to be at the same temperature. Not forgetting, if you have cold eggs and no time to leave them out on the counter. More so, in order to come to room temperature.
And then, place the egg into a bowl of warm water. Set it aside for a few minutes before using it in the recipe. Overall, the ingredients to make mayo are simple — I bet you even have them right now.
You will need the following:
- Egg — You need to use eggs to make mayonnaise. I do use raw eggs in the recipe.
- For mayonnaise made without egg, you can see the vegan mayonnaise recipe guide for more details
- Mustard — I know that not everyone loves the flavor of mustard
- Neutral Flavored Oil — By neutral-flavored oil, I mean use an oil that is light in flavor
- Vinegar or lemon juice — Not only does a little acid like wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, etc.
- Or even add lemonade juice for the incredible flavor of the mayonnaise — it also helps to stabilize the mixture
Personally, I don’t have an issue adding raw eggs to the recipe, but if you are concerned about eating raw eggs, buy pasteurized eggs. They are sold in the egg section of the grocery store. You can also pasteurize eggs yourself.
All you’ll need to do is just search for a tutorial online. Perse, when it comes to a homemade mayonnaise recipe, mustard is sort of a magical ingredient. Quite a bit of oil is added to make mayonnaise. So, it’s important to like the flavor of the oil you use. Whilst, for clean-tasting mayonnaise, use something like grape seed, safflower, avocado, or canola oil.
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Since posting the recipe, quite a few readers have asked about olive oil in mayonnaise. You can use olive oil, but it can be a little overpowering. Usually, I prefer to use a brand that’s light and fruity. I think robust or spicy olive oils would be too much. You might also consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil.
And then, use something more neutral for the rest. Mustard adds a bit of flavor, but it also helps to keep the mayonnaise stable. Along with the egg yolk, mustard helps emulsify the mixture, reducing the risk of our mayo breaking. There are a few other ways to make mayonnaise. For example, you can use a food processor with a small bowl attachment.
But, an immersion blender or making it completely by hand will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand.) Room-temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes.
The Key Steps For Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe:
- Prepare your food processor. I prefer to use the small bowl attachment that came with our food processor
- Add an egg to the bowl of your food processor and process for about 20 seconds
- Add mustard, vinegar, and salt then process for another 20 seconds
- Slowly add the oil, in tiny drops, until about a quarter of the oil has been added
- Adding the oil slowly is really important. If you were to dump it all in at once, you’d have mayonnaise soup!
- Taste the mayonnaise and adjust with additional salt and vinegar or lemon juice
By all means, I love this classic mayonnaise as-is but love it, even more, when I make it my own. I almost always add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up a little. I love how fresh it makes it tastes.
Fresh herbs, roasted garlic, chipotle, Sriracha, or curry powder are all amazing options, as well. Eggs are essential for making mayonnaise. The risks of using raw eggs are low, but there is a chance that the egg contains a germ called Salmonella. Personally, I am not too concerned about this, but here’s what the CDC suggests.
To reduce the risks of using eggs:
- Consider buying and using pasteurized eggs
- Keep eggs refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or colder at all times.
- Only buy eggs from stores and suppliers that keep them refrigerated.
- Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
On the contrary, you can make a homemade mayonnaise recipe without mustard. But, always remember, that mustard is one of the fail-safes I have added to my recipe to encourage emulsification in this case.
Consider the following:
- Add egg to the small bowl of a food processor and process for 20 seconds
- Add vinegar and salt and then process for another 20 seconds
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and turn the food processor on
- Begin to slowly add the oil in tiny drops until about a quarter of the oil has been added
- When you notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify, you can be a little less strict.
- With the processor on, continue to add it slowly, but increase it to a very thin stream instead of drops of oil
- When all of the oil has been added, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and process for an extra 10 seconds.
- Taste mayonnaise for seasoning then add salt, lemon juice, or extra vinegar to taste
Pro Tip: If the mayo seems too thin, slowly stream in more oil with the processor running until thick. Quite a bit of oil is called for in the recipe so a strong or robust flavored oil will make the mayonnaise strong in flavor. Moreover, when I use olive oil, I like using a light, fruity brand and only replace half of the oil with olive oil and use a neutral-flavored oil for the remaining oil.
How To Fix Broken Mayonnaise
When making mayonnaise, the worst, but the not unfixable, thing that can happen to you is that the mixture breaks, leaving you with a curdled mess. The homemade mayonnaise recipe we’ve shared tries to prevent this in a few ways: we use a whole egg. After all, which adds a little more liquid to the mix, mustard acts as an emulsifier from the get-go.
And then, we are careful to stream our oil in slowly. While we have never had this particular recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it. To fix broken mayonnaise, add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then use a whisk to slowly beat the broken mayonnaise, bit by bit. More so, into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again.
Another trick is to add an egg yolk to a large bowl and slowly use a whisk to beat the broken mayo, bit by bit, into the yolk. My mayonnaise won’t thicken, what am I doing wrong? Ugh, I’m sorry! There are other quick facts that you should know as well you try out a homemade mayonnaise recipe.
Consider the following:
- Storing Homemade Mayonnaise: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Raw eggs: When choosing eggs for homemade mayonnaise, go for fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells.
- Olive oil: Olive oil can be a little overpowering so use one that’s light and fruity and consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.
- Fixing Broken Mayonnaise: While we have never had this recipe for mayonnaise break on us if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it.
- Adding Mustard: Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then slowly beat the broken mayonnaise into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again (a tip from Julia Child). Another trick is to repeat the same process, but replace the teaspoon of mustard with an egg yolk.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. 1 serving equals 1 tablespoon.
Technically, broken mayonnaise happens to everyone — doesn’t mean you did wrong, or the recipe was a bad one.
The key thing to keep in mind when making mayo is to add that oil slowly, and by slowly, I honestly mean to add it drop by drop. I know it seems extreme, but it’s the best way to ensure creamy mayo. Mayonnaise can be finicky so if it breaks on you or it just doesn’t thicken, there are some things you can do to fix it.
Summary Notes:
Traditional mayo isn’t exactly healthy, but opting for a variety made with olive or avocado oil is a healthier option. You can also look for a whole-food brand that is made from real, not processed, ingredients. Light mayonnaise can be OK, as it often has half the calories. But, be mindful that it generally contains modified food starch, sugar, and other additives.
More so, in order to make up for the lack of flavor resulting from the reduced fat. Mayonnaise is often put on bread as part of a sandwich. However, it can also be used as the base for other sauces, dressings, and aioli. Another classic use is in hollandaise sauce, which is used on eggs benedict. Since eggs aren’t vegan, mayonnaise cannot be vegan.
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Eventually, many brands sell “vegan mayonnaise” that uses vegetable proteins, like pea and soy protein, instead. These can be found at most regular grocery and health food stores A homemade mayonnaise recipe is mostly uncooked. Therefore, you should use the freshest eggs available, store them in the refrigerator, and use it up within four days.
For a Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe, the mayo will last as long as your eggs would have lasted. A good rule of thumb is that mayo will keep covered in the fridge for up to a week. But, you might find that it lasts a little longer depending on the freshness of your eggs. Keep in mind, you can always Consult Us if you’ll need more support in this or more.
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