Homemade mayonnaise is a quick condiment that can be made with typical pantry items. This recipe makes mayo that is fresher than anything you can buy from a store!
Is homemade mayo safe to eat?
As long as caution is taken in the making and storage of homemade mayonnaise, it is safe. That being said, the USDA does not recommend eating raw eggs that are uncooked or undercooked due to salmonella risk. The best way to avoid the risk is to use pasteurized eggs.
The freshness of the egg also dictates how long it can be stored safely in the refrigerator. The acid of the lemon juice will help to kill any bacteria that may be in the egg, but one to two weeks is the maximum homemade mayonnaise should be used.
The first sign that it is starting to turn is when it starts to separate. If there is any “off” aroma, change of color or mold spores, discard immediately.
Which oil is best for making mayonnaise?
Olive oil, while popular for a variety of cooking, may taste bitter in mayonnaise. Avocado oil is flavorless and provides a much better canvas for the basic mayo and is my personal favorite. If using olive oil is important, use just 1/4 cup along with 3/4 cup of a flavorless oil. Other great options would be grapeseed oil or safflower oil.
The key to making great homemade mayonnaise is to add the oil in a steady stream. If too much is added at one time, the mayonnaise may curdle and be unusable.
How do you make homemade mayonnaise?
An immersion blender is the best way to fully combine all the ingredients for homemade mayonnaise. Use a tall narrow jar that is just wide enough for your immersion blender to still be able to touch the bottom.
Start with blending the mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and egg then add the oil in a slow stream. Do not turn the immersion blender off or remove it from the jar until completely blended.
Without constant blending, the mayo could curdle. The more oil added, the thicker the end product will be. Also, do not over-blend. This could result in curdling as well. There is a balance to strike that may take some practice.
Nutritional Information
Mayonnaise has a bad reputation for being unhealthy and exceptionally high in fat. While it does have about 90 calories per tablespoon, it can be made with healthy fats.
Additionally, some store-bought mayo includes unnecessary sugar. Making your own takes about five minutes and as a result, you won’t need to worry about what may be hiding inside!
Generally, a tablespoon or so is all you’ll need for most dishes. Using too much will not only jump the fat and calorie count but can also be too filling and heavy on your stomach.
Delicious ways to use homemade mayonnaise
In my salmon burger recipe, garlic herb mayonnaise is used to boost the flavor of the burger.
I use the plain homemade mayonnaise when I make chicken salad with grapes. In my grilled chicken burger recipe, I use the plain mayo as a light, refreshing topping.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg
- sea salt
- pepper
- 1 cup avocado oil - or any other flavorless high quality oil
- 1 bulb garlic - optional for garlic mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup herbs (dill, parsley, chives, cilantro, basil....) - optional for herb mayonnaise
Instructions
- Add mustard, lemon juice, egg, sea salt and pepper to a tall jar in which your immersion blender fits all the way to the bottom. *it cannot be a wide jar, it has to be a narrow and tall jar but wide enough so the immersion blender can touch the bottom.
- Turn on the immersion blender on high and blend for 10-15 seconds.
- Then add approximately 1 cup of oil (maybe more depending on the size of the egg, so have more on hand) in a steady thin stream while the immersion blender is constantly going. The stream should be about as thick as a thick spaghetti and the blender has to be on all the time (see video).
- Once the immersion blender has a hard time blending in the oil anymore because the mayo is becoming too thick, you start moving the immersion blender up an down a little adding very little more oil from that point on until you reach your desired consistency. (Creamy liquid or thick and spreadable). The thicker you want it, the more oil you'll want. Be careful at this point to not over mix or you mayonnaise will start curdling.
- Once the mayo is done you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up 1-2 weeks depending on how fresh the egg was. At this point you can also flavor the mayo further.
- Herb Mayonnaise: for the herb mayonnaise all you do is finely chop up about 1/2 cup of soft herbs (I don't recommend hard herbs like rosemary/thyme etc. they are pretty strong and hard uncooked) and mix them into the mayo. Use either parsley, dill, chives, cilantro, basil or a combination of them. Herb mayo does not last as long as regular or garlic mayo.
- Garlic Mayonnaise: you can either use 1/4 cup of the finished mayo and blend it with 1-2 cloves of raw garlic until super smooth and then mix back into the big batch of mayo OR what I prefer: roast 1 bulb of garlic (papery peel off, but cloves intact and top ends cut off > see video) in a cocotte or in aluminum foil in a 400F preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, then add the peeled roasted garlic cloves to about 1/4 cup mayo and blend, then mix back into the big batch of mayo.
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tahiti says
Thank you for the recipe! May I ask how long would it will last in the fridge?
Lorena Grater says
Up to two weeks.
Marites Miguel says
Could i cooked the mayonnaise after i made it? Cause someone cancer patient wants to eat and to sure it’s safe? Please reply thanks
Lorena Grater says
No, mayonnaise cannot be cooked. Maybe it’s better to use store-bought in this case because they heat the egg to a certain temperature with special machines to kill salmonella but keep the egg “raw-ish”.
Shruti says
Another Great recipe!.
PS: Just wanted to point out that the word oil is missing from step 3. Although to all cooking lovers it will be obvious but maybe not to newbies :)
Lorena Grater says
Thank you so much for pointing it out. I really appreciate it. I just made the correction :)
KarenB says
You also typed large “car” instead of Jar! LOL.
Also I didn’t know that mayo has Dijon mustard in it? My husband hates Dijon. Can it be omitted or regular mustard used instead?
Lorena Grater says
Thank you! I just corrected the mistake. Yes, you can use a different type of mustard but I’m pretty sure your husband wouldn’t even taste it in the mayonnaise. It’s so little.
Labros says
So you make all that mayonnaise and its 90 calories?
Store bought might be 700 or more for less how is that possible.
If so im going to start makign this, ive stopped buying mayo for over a year now.
Labros says
Well im guessing it depends ont he oil since all the calories are there.
Lorena Grater says
90 calories PER TABLESPOON. Store-bought mayo and homemade will have fairly similar amounts of calories because all oils are just fat and therefore have fairly similar amounts of calories. The advantage you have with homemade is that there are no fillers, no sugars, and high-quality oils that will give you more than “just fat” as most store-bought versions. It’s like comparing butter and avocado. They both are super high in fat. The reason why avocado is healthier is not because of reduced calories but because for every calorie of avocado you eat you also get a ton more nutrients at the same time.
lk ford says
Mine emulsified but i find it very oily. Added more lemon juice and a dab of horseradish. It’s edible but believe I’ll go back to “hand-did.” Seems everyone else loved it, so thanks for posting!
Filomena says
I make mayo since l start cooking with my mom 1965 on she told me how to make it .l buy at store for my adult kids for sanduiches.( They prefer that one ) but for my cooking l make home made .
Trish Stewart says
I too was worried about using raw eggs so now I “hopefully” pasteurize my eggs by putting them in a pot of cold water to 1″ above the eggs. I bring the temperature of the water to 140 degrees, remove from heat and leave in the water for 3 minutes. I then make my mayonnaise. Turns out wonderful and we have had no issues.
Lorena says
Brilliant idea :)
Robert Riopel says
That was my first try (bringing temp. to 140⁰F, then cooling). Now, I use egg yolk powder, reconstituted (two egg yolks per cup, rather than one whole egg).
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy says
I am always intrigued at homemade mayo. For some reason, I have always been intimated to make it, I think because of the RAW eggs used in it. I know it would taste so much better, and have eaten it in restaurants. I will bite the bullet and give this a shot. Maybe not serve it to the grandkids…just in case.
Lorena says
There really, really, really isn’t any reason to be scared as long as you follow basic kitchen and cooking hygiene. I’ve been eating homemade mayonnaise and mousse au chocolate for my whole entire life and so has my entire family always. Be scared to feed your kids the store-bought version. It’s full of sugar and preservatives. It’s way riskier and unhealthier than homemade mayo :)
KarenB says
I agree. Besides, the lemon juice “cooks” the egg just like the acid cooks fish for sushi, sashimi, cru de tay etc
Jen says
Are you talking about crudité? And, if so, what would need to be cooked?
Lucy Russell says
I have been making mayonnaise for decades, having found the recipe in the June, 1966 issue of Gourmet Magazine. Your suggestions don’t change the recipe, but they certainly fine-tune it. I particularly like the advise about the avocado oil. I doubt if that was even an option in 1966! I would, however, make one further tweak. I would use white pepper, rather than black – not only for appearance, but also for the slight flavour change.
Lorena says
I’m so happy to read you’ve always made your own :D It’s so much more delicious! I used to make it with sunflower seed oil before getting my hands on avocado oil. Yes, white pepper is more common for reasons of appearance but I don’t like the taste of white pepper too much and I don’t mind the little black dots in my mayo :)