Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
Published June 2, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Homemade mayonnaise is so much easier to make than you may have thought and way better than anything you’re going to get from the grocery store.
My family is the type that likes a little chicken or vegetables with their sauce. Whether it’s a salad dressing or a basic sauce, they like to pour it on just about everything. If you want to try out some new sauces, then definitely try my tahini sauce or my beurre blanc.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is an emulsified sauce consisting of egg yolk, vinegar, and oil to make a thick white spreadable condiment. While mayonnaise has been around a lot longer, it first appeared in French cookbooks in the 18th century. It can be used as a condiment, a sauce, or as a base for salad dressings or bound salads. With more access to readily available ingredients to help emulsify the mayonnaise, here are some basic items needed:
Pasteurized Egg – A pasteurized egg has been cooked to 140° Fahrenheit internally to rid of any foodborne illness.
Distilled Vinegar – Use a basic white distilled vinegar.
Mustard – You can use dry mustard or Dijon.
Oil – I prefer to use vegetable or canola oil, but you can use any oil that you desire.
Lemon Juice – This is used to enhance the flavor as well as help to keep it emulsified.
Salt and Pepper – Use salt and pepper to cayenne can be used in place of the pepper.
What is the Best Oil to Use?
The most classic oil to use in mayonnaise would be vegetable or canola oil. You can use any oil you’d like but I recommend using a clear, with a slight yellowish tint to it, to help keep the color of mayonnaise consistent. Here are some good oils to use:
- Vegetable
- Canola
- Safflower
- Avocado
- Algae
- Peanut
- Grapeseed
How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise from Scratch
Follow these easy to prepare instructions for making mayonnaise from scratch:
Vigorously whisk together by hand in a bowl or using a food processor on slow speed, a pasteurized egg yolk, vinegar, and mustard until combined and slightly frothy.
Next, while continuing to whisk or process at low speed add in a very small amount of oil just to start getting it going.
After that little bit of oil is mixed in, start to very slowly add in the oil while continuing to whisk or process until the dressing becomes emulsified and thick.
Finish by mixing in lemon juice or vinegar, and salt. Keep cool until ready to use.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time.
How to Store: Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 7-10 days.
chef notes + tips
- If the mayonnaise is thin while mixing it or it breaks, add in 1-2 tablespoons of hot boiling water to help stabilize the egg and then continue to whisk.
- It is my personal opinion that this is the easiest to make in a food processor. Mayonnaise can also be made in a stand mixer or with hand beaters as well.
- Pasteurized eggs are most commonly found in the egg section of your grocery store and they will be labeled as, “pasteurized.”
More Sauce Recipes
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Video
Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pasteurized egg, yolk separated
- ¾ teaspoon distilled vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon dry or Dijon mustard
- 6 ounces oil
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice or distilled vinegar
- Salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste, optional
- water, optional
Instructions
- Mix together the egg yolk, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl or in a food processor on low speed until combined and slightly frothy.
- Next, add in about ½ to 1 teaspoon of oil slowly while continuing to mix until it has been mixed in.
- Then, slowly pour in the oil while continuing to vigorously whisk by hand or at low speed in a food processor until all of the oil has been added and the mayonnaise has been emulsified and is thick.
- Finish by adding in lemon juice, or vinegar, and salt, and optional cayenne pepper.
Can you pasteurize your own egg(s)? If so, how? I tend to buy from pasture-raised, certified humane sources. I’d like to make my own Mayo seeing that the majority of mayos out there are made with inferior oils, etc, but I don’t want to attempt it if I run the risk of any bacterial contamination.
You can. However, I’ve actually never done it before.
Chef, have you tried using a sous vide bath for pasteurizing your eggs at home ? Seems like a perfect way to heat and maintain the temp of your eggs. I’ve have not tried it yet but thought of it when you mentioned the eggs being brought to 140F.
I’ve not.