Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

Finally Some Homemade Mayonnaise!

by 66 Comments

Homemade Mayonnaise

And all you need is one of these:

Egg Yolk

Plus some lemon juice and/or vinegar, a little dijon mustard and 3/4 cup of oil. Oh, and a whisk and some elbow grease. I still can’t believe how easy it was to make!

I’ve been in denial about homemade mayonnaise for a long time now. I’ve read a million different recipes and even seen videos. But for some reason I thought that there had to be some trick that no one was telling me. I didn’t believe that it could really be that easy.

I mean, if it were that easy, someone in my family would have made it before. Right? At some point in my 32 years of life on this planet, someone I know would have made homemade mayonnaise if it were such a simple and delicious thing to do.

Well, I guess everyone in my family has been in homemade mayonnaise denial too, because it really is simple to make.

And, it’s absolutely delicious!

Mayonnaise is one of those things I’ve been meaning to experiment with for some time. But it wasn’t until I went out to breakfast with Amanda and discussed things like bacon (and how there’s no such thing as too much bacon) and the importance of homemade mayonnaise, that I decided it was finally time. Amanda assured me that it isn’t difficult to make mayo from scratch and that once I try it, I’ll never want it any other way. I believed her because, well, you’ve seen her food, right?

Coincidentally, the new Bon Appetit arrived in my mailbox a few days later and Molly’s column just happened to be about the joys of homemade mayonnaise. I decided that it must be a sign and I headed to the kitchen determined to coax some mayonnaise-like substance out of one of those eggs sitting in the fridge.

Since the ingredients consist only of egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt, I figured I was pretty much good to go. But it turned out that for once in my life, I did not have any lemons on hand. So, I just substituted vinegar. I wasn’t too concerned about the flavor being perfect because I was still somewhat convinced that my first attempt would be a disaster.

I separated my egg, whisked in a little vinegar, mustard and salt then started adding the oil drop by drop. This was the part that had always mystified me. I was never sure how you could ‘pour’ the oil in a drop at a time. But Molly solved that problem by advising me to use a 1/4 teaspoon measure to add the first 1/4 cup of oil a few drops at a time. It worked perfectly!

Now I’m not going to lie. My arm got pretty tired after a few minutes of steady whisking. So I just took a break every now and again. But the whole process still only took about 10 or 15 minutes. And the end result was way better than I had anticipated.

It looked like mayonnaise!

It was silky and thick and a nice shade of pale yellow. If mayo can be described as beautiful, that’s what it was!

But the best part was the taste. Even without the lemon juice, the flavor was much better than my beloved Best Foods mayonnaise (or Hellman’s depending on which part of the country you live). I can’t wait to try it again with lemon juice. And again with fresh herbs. And again with garlic and olive oil. And again and again and again!

I’m sure that I’m one of the last few foodbloggers to make my own mayonnaise. But I’m also sure that there are many of you out there who are just like me, waiting for that little nudge to get out that whisk and give it a try for the first time. So I’m here to tell you that now is the time!

Now go make some mayonnaise!

Molly’s column, titled “Mayo Clinic” can be seen in the April 2008 issue of Bon Appetit and the recipe can now be found on Epicurious. But there are tons of mayonnaise recipes out there for you to peruse. Here are a few that look temping!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deviled says

    My husband is weird about mayonnaise, he only likes Best Foods but I'm going to try this out on him. I would think fresh with zero preservatives would be best! Thank you for sharing!
    Reply

  3. Anastasia says

    Homemade mayo recipes seem to be popping up everywhere this summer! There's really nothing like the taste of homemade cooking, be it anything from condiments to chocolate chip cookies. We tried our hand at a French-inspired version over here at Kitchen Caravan. Yum!
    Reply

  4. Tammy says

    until last night I had never made mayonnaise...I picked a tomato and fresh basil from the garden, Niman ranch bacon I was all set to make a great BBT...(bacon, basil and tomato) sandwich when I realized that I had no mayo… can't have a BBT without mayo... I did not want to drive to the store...I thought... I'll just whip some up. I got on the internet found a recipe...I did not whisk it I used my vita mix on the lowest setting it took about 5 minutes. It was so much better then store bought !!. I was so excited about how delicious it was and how easy it is to make... why would I ever buy it again...then it occurred to me that it had no preservatives and may not keep...does anyone know how long it will last in a jar in the refrigerator???
    Reply

  5. Nicole says

    Tammy: From what I've heard, you really shouldn't keep the homemade mayo longer than two or three days. That's the only reason I still rely on store-bought mayo most of the time!
    Reply

  8. Melissa says

    I love homemade mayonnaise. I use a recipe that incorporates coconut oil and olive oil together. I wanted to note for those concerned about how long this mayonnaise will keep, alot of people consider the heat produced from blending enough to effectively pasteurize the egg, and have kept homemade around for up to 2 weeks with no concern. The last recipe I tried had a note that by adding 1 Tablespoon of whey you could keep it for up to a month. Not that homemade mayo would ever last that long in this house, but I used it anyway! The digestive benefit certainly couldn't hurt!
    Reply

  9. Emily says

    wow. is there anything you can't make that doesn't look totally scrumptous? you need your own show LOL! Maybe I can save some dough on mayonaise buying doing this at home. Ingredients are so simple! Why buy when you can have fresh? thanks! I'm So for better health and cutting down store bought packaged foods as much as possible. looks like a tasty recipe.
    Reply

  10. SoyFree says

    Researched some bad stuff on Soy so I decided to make my own mayo too. I've collected quite a few homemade mayo recipes online. I was a bit concerned about using raw eggs then I found a recipe from Egg Beaters. I'm going to try making a lighter version using just the Egg Beaters All Whites. It will be higher in protien and less fat. I also use Extra Light olive oil. I may try Sunflower oil too. I don't know who "Molly" is, but someone needs to tell her to do some research on CANOLA OIL. It is GM Rapeseed Oil. The word "Canola" was a name design for this oil. The "CAN" for Canadian, (that country's cash crop), "O" for Oil and "LA " for low acid. This acid is poisonous to humans. I have been checking the Hellmans and Kraft mayo labels for the past few years. They advertise it's made with Olive oil but they also contain other oils that they keep changing (Soybean and Canola). I found Rapeseed oil in Jiff Peanut Butter to Go. This oil dosen't sound tasty to me. Can you think of other plants that are poisonous to humans? I can think of three, like Ivy, Oak and Sumac. What will these manufacturers think of next...? Good Luck with your Mayo making...
    Reply

  11. Wenchypoo says

    Try horsey mustard (specifically Beer & Brat by Silver Springs) or wasabi powder for the dry mustard, and/or nori flakes for the salt (quite low in sodium)--MAGNIFICENT!! I've been using Hellmann's Canola Mayo, lemon juice, black pepper, sugar, mustard (any type), and water to make a salad dressing, but now I'm going to start making it from scratch mayo. Maybe some Vitamin E in the mix would help preserve it longer than a week? I'll try squirting a Vit E cap into the next batch to see.
    Reply

  12. Toma says

    I used that hand held blender with that small disk with some slots to mix air easily - Thunder Stick Pro, just put the whole egg at the bottom of container, add all the oil immediately and whip it up! it quickly builds the fluffy stuff and then add the other ingredients (what every you prefer, lots of different recipes ive seen) as you go along. Very quick and easy - done in about 2 minutes. I add some black pepper to taste - i saw it done in one Italian restaurant when they whipped it out in front of us. I was fascinated ever since.
    Reply

  13. Tari says

    I love making my own mayonnaise. It's so rich and yummy and satisfying. My favorite oil to use is Avocado Oil - so decadent.
    Reply

  14. Annie says

    I've been making my own mayo for a while and I have found that using an immersion blender with the regular blending attachment works beautifully and you can whip up a cup or so of perfect mayonnaise in seconds. I use olive oil, coconut oil, hemp oil and flax oil for great nutrition and none of those pesky toxic problems you get with typical, common oils. I wish everyone knew how quick and easy it is to make your own truly healthy mayo. Also, raw eggs aren't as dangerous as we've been taught. If you get fresh eggs and/or organic eggs as fresh as possible there is no danger. All that scare tactic meant to get us afraid of raw eggs has been promoted by the FDA to cover the rear ends of those who practice very unhealthy factory farming--that is, most all the typical eggs that you find in the grocery stores. Even those inferior eggs will most likely not cause any problems but to be on the safe side choose organic and/or local and you don't have to worry. I eat raw eggs every day and I don't even keep them refrigerated; never have. But then, I get my eggs from my neighbor! Real eggs aren't scary.
    Reply

  15. Ashley says

    I just found this recipe when I Googled Homemade Mayo. Can't wait to try it this afternoon. Thanks for posting an easy recipe.
    Reply

  16. Tammy says

    it is really easy...I use my vitamix on a low speed..the first thing I learned was...ONE DROP OF OIL AT A TIME...UNTIL THE EGG AND OIL EMULSIFY... also I prefer the flavor of lemon to vinegar and I read that the enzymes in lemons eliminate the risks associated with raw eggs
    Reply

  17. Annie says

    I'm chiming in again with a little repeat in case you missed it. If you use an immersion blender then you don't have to do the tiny stream or "one drop at a time" thing which, I think, is very tedious and even difficult. You have to remember to put the oil/fat in first. and the liquid acid ingredient (vinegar and/or lemon juice) in last. I always dissolve the salt and a tiny bit of sugar in the liquid before putting it in. I put an egg yolk in the bottom of the jar, then dump in the oil all at once then, quickly, pour in the a acid liquid. Quickly submerge the business end of the blender ALL THE WAY to the bottom and THEN pull the trigger. Begin to slowly, evenly lift the blender. You should see a thickening happening. When you get near the top you can push the blender back down just a little bit or tilt it just a little bit to get the last of the oil incorporated. Or don't bother, just stir it in afterwards. If it doesn't work, (stays a liquid) don't throw it away. Keep it to make salad dressing--the addition of some vinegar and a little more salt will make a salad yummy. Once in a very great while my mayo doesn't work. Everything should be at room temp or colder when you start. If you have to liquefy olive oil or coconut oil just be sure they are not actually warm when you start. Gosh, I hope this helps someone. I get many compliments for my homemade mayo.
    Reply

  18. Cally says

    For those of you worried about the raw egg, (which by the way, you have every reason to be the way the food industry treats are food these days), I've learned in my Culinary class how to cook the eggs just enough to kill any traces of salmonella. You can either put the yolks over a double boiler and cook for about 3minutes or put them directly into a pan on low heat and cook them for about a minute, making sure to whisk so you don't scramble the egg.
    Reply

  19. Annie says

    It's true, factory farmed eggs are worth worrying about. I'm talking about the ones that are commonly found in supermarkets. However. I only use fresh, pasture raised chicken eggs or my own backyard, pasture raised duck eggs and I don't ever keep them refrigerated. They last...well, I don't actually know but I've had them sitting in the basement for a month and they were just fine. Salmonella is only a risk with store-bought eggs and even then it's a small risk but yuck, once you've had a real fresh egg from a happy, healthy bird you'll never want to go back to those crummy ones again. And the mayo? My homemade mayo is still good after a month even if I take it somewhere and it gets warm and separates. I just bring the leftover stuff home, put it in the fridge to let it get cold then take it out and give it a stir. It's as good as new! I think we've been made afraid of real food by the food manufacturers who love to see us throw away food and buy more. Grrrrrrr.
    Reply

  20. Annie says

    Oh, I forgot to mention. I eat raw eggs all the time. One of my go-to "instant breakfasts" is eggnog made with raw egg and raw milk. I add a bit of nutmeg, some maple syrup and vanilla extract. Oh, oh so good! If I like I can throw in some protein powder but really, who needs it? And btw; I'm 66 years old and have been doing this crazy stuff all my life. I am totally prescription drug free and plan on staying that way; yessir! Real food will keep you healthy.
    Reply

Leave a Reply