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Homemade Mayonnaise

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Mayonnaise is one of those things that I absolutely don’t like unless it tastes a certain way.

mayonnaisemake sure to scroll all the way to the end of this post for my updated, best version of mayonnaise yet!

The only mayonnaise I have ever purchased (more than once, anyway) is Hellmann’s / Best Foods.  I think every other brand tastes utterly disgusting.  Since the first ingredient of my favorite tasting brand is soybean oil, it’s no longer in my fridge.  Lucky for me, this homemade version tastes even better!

mayonnaise

the original mayonnaise ingredients; my new version uses only one (whole!) egg. 

Anyone who saw the movie Julie & Julia might remember Julia Child’s revelation that a warm bowl is the key to producing successful mayonnaise.*  When using a blender, I place it in a bowl of warm water while gathering my ingredients and separating eggs.  If your eggs are cold, you can place them in a bowl of warm water as well for about 5 minutes, and they will warm right up.

(*update 5/2/18: I love Julia. I love her so much. And this is absolutely true and helpful when making mayonnaise the old fashioned way with a whisk. It’s possible that it’s even true when using a blender. But I have made eleventy million billion batches of mayonnaise using a stick blender with an egg fresh out of the fridge. So I give you permission to throw the rules out the window, in this case.)

mayonnaise

Original Mayonnaise Recipe: (makes about 1 cup)

3 pastured egg yolks, room temperature
1 T lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/2 t sea salt
3/4 C light olive oil (extra virgin will be too strong of a flavor)

  • Place egg yolks in your blender and blend for one minute.
  • Add the lemon juice of apple cider vinegar and blend for 30 seconds.
  • Add salt.
  • With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil.  It will slowly get thicker, until it transforms into perfect mayonaise!
  • Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate.

UPDATE 7/22/2012: I have recently made a few batches with a stick blender, and find it to be a far superior method to the one below. Same ingredients list, but use a 2 C pyrex measuring cup (or something of a similar size & shape), and a stick blender for mixing and emulsifying. Works like a charm, and no blender to clean! 

UPDATE 5/2/2018: I have been making mayonnaise a bit differently for quite some time now, and am shocked and appalled that I haven’t updated the recipe here. If you’re attached to the original recipe, I’ve left it above, but here is what I’ve been doing that I love even more, and *BONUS* it’s a cheaper and easier option. You’ll need a stick blender, which I like to call the Mayonnaise Whisperer. Seriously I can almost guarantee that you will never have a mayo fail when using this magical gadget. (plus it’s great for pureeing soups and making salad dressings!)

mayonnaise

Here’s the updated version:

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1 Minute Mayonnaise

mayonnaise
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Use a stick blender and you’ll have foolproof mayonnaise in under a minute. 

  • Author: Simone Miller
  • Prep Time: 1 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 minute
  • Yield: 1 cup
  • Category: condiment
  • Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
  • 3/4 cup neutral tasting oil (such as avocado, light olive, or a combination)
  • 2 tablespoons water, (if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Place the egg, apple cider vinegar, and salt in a wide mouthed quart-sized glass jar or similarly sized vessel. Blend with a stick blender for 30 seconds.
  2. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil. If it starts to get too thick to emulsify, add some water to loosen it up. 
  3. Add the lemon juice and blend to combine. 
  4. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

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Comments

    • I try to use it in 3-4 days. Not very long, unfortunately! I find myself making things that it’s good with to use it up quickly when I make a batch…

      Reply

  2. I grew up on Hellman’s mayonnaise, so it is the only one that I will eat. The reason is that they use more egg yolks than the others. The other companies keep costs down by freezing the egg yolks before making the mayonnaise. This increases their emulsification factor and much less egg yolk per batch can be used. Since no one has made homemade mayonnaise with 1/50th of an egg yolk EVER, Hellman taste the most like homemade and vice versa.

    Reply

  3. I made this tonight and it was amazing! This was my second attempt at homemade mayo – the first, using another recipe, was a total fail. This is super simple and super yummy! And I got to use my beloved immersion as a bonus!

    Reply

  4. I also use an immersion blender make the mayo in a wide mouth mason jar so no need to transfer to another container.

    Reply

    • the best, right?! I had so many mayo fails in a regular blender, and cleaning it was a hassle. The immersion blender is the way to go.

      Reply

  5. Hi there! Awesome site – just started my paleo journey and I’m really looking forward to trying your recipes. I made your mayo recipe quite successfully, but the only oil I had on hand was EVOO and as you stated – the flavor is way too strong. What do you use/recommend for a light olive oil?

    Reply

    • I usually buy the cheap stuff for mayo. They don’t sell it at Whole Foods, or health food stores or even Trader Joe’s; for some reason, all those stores only sell EVOO. I get it from the plain old grocery store. Starr makes one, and Filippo Berio does also. It’s called Light and often says perfect for sauteeing and frying. You can also get fancy and try avocado oil or walnut oil. I think the Food Lovers’ (primalpalate.com?) have an oil blend too, that might be a good healthy option.

      Reply

  6. Simone,
    I must agree with you on the stick blender. I watched my husband struggle with making hollandaise in a bowl in a pot of water over the stove and it inspired me to find a better method. We now have hollandaise at least once a week and I always try to keep fresh mayo in the fridge. If I hadn’t figured out the ease of using a stick blender I doubt I would mess with it.

    In my mayo I do 2 Tbsp of cider vinegar also I add 1 Tbsp of apple juice, and 1 tsp of mustard. I think it comes out tasting a bit more zippy with the extra vinegar and mustard. Perhaps it’s not “proper” but it’s yummy!

    For stick blenders: I recommend the Bamix Gastro Professional G200 Pro-2. It’s well worth the price difference over the Cuisinart CSB-76 SmartStick. (Both are easily found on amazon.com) The only bummer about the Bamix is that does not come apart for dishwasher washing. However, the power of the Bamix is vastly superior!

    Love your blog! Keep up the great work!
    -awingren

    Reply

    • It’s the best, right?! Your mayo recipe sounds really good! And thanks for the much needed stick blender recommendation. Mine is starting to show it’s age.

      Reply

  7. This sounds fabulous, and I’ve been missing mayo lately on things like coleslaw, and in egg/tuna salad. Might whip some of this up as I need things to do with my new immersion blender! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  8. Thanks for the recipe. I just tried it and my mayo did not firm up at all. It is still very liquidy. Is there something I did wrong? I’m wondering if I was not adding the olive oil slowly enough. Would that do it?

    Reply

    • 🙁 failed mayo is such a bummer, I’m sorry. Did you use a regular blender, or immersion? I’ve had better luck with the latter. If it’s liquidy, it just didn’t emulsify, which is often a result of not adding the oil slowly enough. I’ve found that my regular blender isn’t all that powerful, which led to failed batches of mayo way more often than when I’ve used the immersion blender, which I have a 100% success rate with. I hope it goes better next time!

      Reply

      • I tried it with the immersion blender…. how slowly do you recommend adding the oil? I have a feeling that is where I messed up. My immersion blender is pretty old…. I’m wondering if maybe my food processor might be a better option…?

      • It needs to be added pretty slowly, that what helps the emulsification process happen. I’ve found that the immersion blender is more forgiving, at least in my experience. I do a lot of up / down motion when I’m mixing it with the stick blender, and use a mason jar that’s just wide enough to fit it… A more powerful immersion blender could help, if you think your old one is losing juice…

      • Alright! I tried it with a much lighter, slower stream of olive oil and this time it worked perfectly. I tried it just before I put it in the refrigerator and it is delicious! My husband is going to be so happy! We’ve been avoiding mayo because of the soy and other unhealthy ingredients in store bought mayo and the absence has been noticed. 🙂 Thanks for all the help!

      • huzzah! Doesn’t mayo success feel like such an accomplishment?! It never gets old 🙂 Glad it worked out for you!

      • It definitely does! I’ve successfully made mayo using your recipe multiple times over and we love it! I’ve also shared a link to this post with a bunch of my friends who are also excited about it. Thanks again!

  9. When I use the immersion blender I pour in all the oil at once with all the other ingredients and have never had a problem. I think having all ingredients at room temp is also important.

    Reply

  10. I like macadamia nut oil mayo, the light olive oil usually has other no-no oils in it, EVOO is too bitter. The mac nut is very satisfying, very palatable. I like making mine in a food processor, it’s a little surprise when I open and see the magic!

    Reply

  13. We just did it with avocado oil in an immersion blender. It was a little tricky because the immersion blender needs a certain depth before it actually blends and on top of that it got extremely HOT by the end of it. And on top of that when i transferred it to a jar, it completely separated and had to start over this time doing it in the storage jar. Lame! But the avocado oil and pastured egg yolks give it a rich flavor almost cheese-wiz like.

    Reply

    • I’ve had pretty good luck in a 3 quart mason jar, the immersion blender just fits in it, and the depth of the yolks is enough to blend in there. Plus, I manually move it around a bit to try and get it all. I’m sure each blender is different, though. I hope it works better next time!

      Reply

    • I have a cuisineart, I think it’s just the basic model. If I have to get a new one, I might upgrade, though! The motor doesn’t seem all that powerful. But it totally works for making mayonnaise and other dressings. This is the one I have

      Reply

  15. I tried my first attempt yesterday ~ Epic Fail. I used my Blendtec and I think I had it a too high of a speed and blended it for too long. I saw it thicken up and then it went to all liquid i was supper bumped. That was a large waste of almost half a bottle of $15 Macadamia Nut Oil. I might try the immersion blender if I get the courage again. Thanks for your tips.

    Reply

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