I am an avid mayonnaise hater. Are any of you out there with me on this? Surely I am not the only one. There is something off-putting about eating a gelatinous white goo that is known for clogging arteries. I would never, ever buy potato salad from a grocery store given that they all look like they are swimming in mayo. (Want an amazing potato salad with minimal mayonnaise? My mom’s is my favorite. Instead of containing gobs of mayonnaise, this recipe uses sour cream with only a hint of mayonnaise!) When I order sandwiches, I ask the waitress to tell the cook to hold the mayo because no matter how much I emphasize that I want “just a little bit of mayonnaise, please” they always end up putting on more than I like. So it is no surprise that when I was getting ready to bake a dessert that called for mayonnaise as a moistening agent, there was nary a tablespoon in my refrigerator. When I find myself without an ingredient on hand, I often Google a recipe on-line before going to the store. This recipe for mayonnaise is from Food Network. It was rated super well and looked easy to make. I took other reviewers’ advice and altered the recipe to my own taste. I never buy mayonnaise now as I can make my own in one or two minutes. There is something comforting about knowing that it’s nothing more than an emulsion of a few simple ingredients that I use every day when cooking. Try this recipe and I think you will agree: homemade mayonnaise is easy and far tastier than its store-bought counterpart!
Source: Foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the egg yolk in the bowl of the food processor and add the lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt, to taste. Turn the machine on and very slowly start to drizzle in the oil. Drip, drip, drip until the mixture starts to look like mayonnaise, then a slow steady stream of oil can be added.
- Cook's Note: If the mayonnaise is too thick add a few drops of water or if it is not thick enough, with the machine running, add a little more oil.
Notes
*This recipe calls for using a raw egg yolk. For health reasons, I prefer to use organic pasture raised eggs for this recipe.
18 responses so far ↓
1 Kirsten Rodriguez // May 18, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Do you think it would work with an immersion blender? I don’t have a mixer. Or would hand whipping it work? Looks so delicious (and I am a mayo-lover)!
2 LeAnn // May 18, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Oh good, I’ve been wanting to try making mayo!
3 Paula // May 19, 2012 at 11:39 pm
Kirsten – I think an immersion blender should work! Just have someone else pour in the oil while you’re blending!
Mayo lover? Blech.
But if a recipe calls for mayo, this is the one I reach for. 
4 Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 // May 21, 2012 at 7:36 am
I was so shocked to see a mayo hater like you post a homemade mayo recipe. I’ve always wondered if the homemade stuff was better, and it sounds like it is. It’s so easy, too! If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that you can find them, they also sell pasteurized eggs if you want to avoid the possibility of salmonella.
5 passhon // May 23, 2012 at 10:59 am
Here in Spain we make it with 1 whole egg, vinegar, salt and olive or sunflower oil. It is usually made using an inmersion mixer.
Put the egg, salt, vinegar and oil in the mixer recipient and insert the mixer to the bottom. Turn it on without raising it untill you see the mayo forming at the bottom, keep on mixing with slow moves of the mixer until completely done. Thas is the trick!
6 Bev G. // Sep 11, 2012 at 11:07 pm
could it be made without the mustard? I’m severely allergic to mustard.
7 Paula // Sep 11, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Bev – I’ve never tried it without the mustard, but I think it would definitely be worth trying!
8 Christine // Sep 22, 2012 at 4:33 am
Do you know the shelf life on this if we refrigerate any leftovers?
9 Shirley B // Oct 11, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Shelf life??
I don’t always need that much….
10 Paula // Oct 12, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Shirley & Christine,
Refrigerate up to 1 week.
-Paula
11 Susan // Jan 8, 2013 at 11:12 am
Huh. Who knew mayonnaise had mustard in it? LOL!
12 Kristy Smith // Jan 21, 2013 at 6:27 am
How long are you suppose to blend it? Mines not thickening at all.
13 Paula // Jan 21, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Kristy,
Mine usually comes together in about 30-45 seconds. You have to drip the oil in very, very slowly. Are you using a food processor or a blender? Not sure how a blender works with this as I haven’t tried it…
Let me know if it ever came together! I make this regularly so it should work!
Paula
14 Anne-on-the-lake // Mar 7, 2013 at 6:51 pm
Mustard is one of the ingredients which helps emulsify (bind together) the ingredients. Salt is another one which is why you add it at the beginning.
I too HATE store-bought mayo and I too am allergic to mustard. I make my mayo all the time with no mustard and you can play around with the seasoning, adding dill or tarragon, garlic!, chives, curry whatever is to your taste.
The French European recipe calls for one egg yolk per 1/3 cup of oil. If the mayo separates or won’t bind together, and in heavy muggy weather it might, put another egg yolk in a separate container and add the first mixture VERY slowly while pulsing or beating. It also helps if the ingredients are room temperature.
Enjoy, Anne
15 Stephanie Carsner // Mar 12, 2013 at 11:10 am
Can you make this recipe without using the lemon juice?
16 Alyssa B // May 4, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Blech. I hate mayo too. Just letting you know you’re not the only one
17 Ginger // May 12, 2013 at 5:20 pm
I grew up on homemade mayo. My mom made it for her contribution to the ladies money maker for the church. A blender works well but I had an old fashion mayo maker, glass cylinder with this thing you worked up and down. It has the recipe on the side of the glass. The blender was by far the preferred method.
18 Sergio // Sep 29, 2013 at 2:31 pm
I use a whole egg in mine but it will call for more oil. I use light olive oil and Coleman’s mustard with a combination of lemon and rice vinegar and a hint of sugar.