Mayonnaise is one of the most basic, versatile condiments used in American kitchens, and it’s also one of the easiest to make from scratch. If you have an egg, some oil, salt, and lemon juice, you’re good to go. The best part is that you can hand-select your ingredients to make your homemade mayonnaise healthier and tastier than anything you’d find at the store.
For my homemade mayonnaise, I like to use farm fresh eggs. Not only are they super rich, but they’re also higher in omega-3’s, and lower in cholesterol than factory eggs. And because you can make mayonnaise using virtually any kitchen oil, I like to experiment with oils that aren’t hydrogenated. Typically, I’ll use regular olive oil, but because the flavor can be quite strong, I like to mix it with another type of oil to help balance the flavor. So far, my favorite mixture is ½ cup olive oil with ½ cup walnut oil, but you could also use 100% walnut oil, or play around with different oils such as macadamia nut or avocado oils as well.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Makes slightly less than 1 pint.
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature:
• 1 egg yolk
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 cup neutral oil
• Salt, generous pinchMethod:
The quickest and easiest way to make mayonnaise at home is with an immersion blender. With this method, you can pour all of the ingredients, including the oil, into a pint sized wide mouth jar. Then, making sure the stick blender is directly above the egg yolk, turn on the blender. The mixture will begin to emulsify almost immediately, and you can have the entire jar blended in less than thirty seconds. To watch a video on this method, click here.You can also whisk your mayonnaise together by hand, or with a food processor/blender.
Optional add-ins and replacements:
– Vinegar instead of lemon juice
– A dollop of Dijon mustard
– 1 teaspoon minced garlic
– Herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage
– Hot sauce or sriracha for spicy mayo
– Other oils, including macadamia nut, walnut, avocado, or coconut oil.
To package my homemade mayonnaise for gifts, I used wide-mouth half-pint ball jars. I personalized my jars with mocha colored tags and labels in the style Katniss.
Used In This Project:
- Circle Tags • I chose the “Katniss” style in Mocha.
- Circle Labels • I chose the “Katniss” style in Mocha.
More homemade gift ideas from Lindsay:
Sriracha Hot Sauce Creamy Avocado Dressing Garden Fresh Pestos Slow Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Ketchup
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Lindsay is a writer/blogger from Oregon who loves crafting, cooking, gardening, and simple living. You can find her writing about all of this and more on her blog A Wooden Nest.
I always make my own mayo with an immersion blender. I love it! I use this recipe pretty much, but use a whole egg instead of just a yolk. Do you think this is stable to leave out of the fridge?
Hey Hope,
I go back and forth between using a whole egg and an egg yolk, and find the recipe works well both ways. 🙂
As for mayo stability, I think homemade mayo should absolutely be kept in the refrigerator, and eaten as soon as possible because it only stays fresh for as long as the egg itself stays fresh. For me, that’s usually only about a week – sometimes less. 🙂
Lindsay
I can’t seem to get past the oil taste & a sour taste that’s maybe the lemon?
Hi Angie,
I have a couple ideas you could try:
-Try using different oils. My personal preference is a 1:1 ratio of regular olive oil (not extra virgin – too strong) combined with walnut oil.
-Maybe instead of using the entire amount of juice from half a lemon, just use a squeeze or two.
-Try adding a little more salt.
I hope this helps – thanks for your feedback,
Lindsay