Delicious recipe for homemade mayo plus tips for making it fail proof every time! Just 4 ingredients, perfect for novice cooks & better than store-bought! Perfect on a sandwich with my homemade lunch meat and homemade sandwich bread!
Over the years I have learned how to make several condiments from scratch, but something about homemade mayo has always daunted me.
I tackled homemade ketchup when we had tomatoes coming out of our ears, and that was relatively easy. I’ve made carrot top pesto too, which was also easy, but there’s nothing like conquering the most difficult condiment in the collection, right?
As it turns out, all those myths about homemade mayo were wrong! With one amazingly simple recipe (and a couple of tricks), you’ll have delicious homemade mayo ready in less than 2 minutes!
DIY Homemade Mayo
Not only does homemade mayonnaise taste way better than store-bought, it’s also:
- Quick. Make it in 5 minutes!!!
- Easy. It’s so easy that after you make it, you will wonder why you haven’t been all along!
- Frugal. With only a handful of pantry ingredients, homemade mayo is much cheaper than store bought!
What are the ingredients?
- lemon
- kosher salt
- egg
- light olive oil
- flavors/seasonings (optional)
- whey (optional)
What supplies do I need?
Step by step method for making mayonnaise:
In a wide-mouth jar, layer your ingredients as follows. First, the lemon juice. I prefer the taste of freshly squeezed, but you can use bottled lemon juice if you prefer.
Second, add the raw egg. Yep, the whole thing. The egg yolk and all. Crack it in there straight from the fridge (or wherever you keep eggs.) There’s no need to warm, thaw or allow to come to room temperature.
Third, add the salt. I used kosher salt, but table salt is fine too. If you use table salt, reduce the quantity to 1/2 for now. You can adjust this to taste later.
Finally, add the light olive oil in a thin stream. Do NOT use extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is absolutely delicious in dressings or with freshly baked artisan bread, but it does NOT taste good in homemade mayo (been there, done that).
You need a healthy oil that’s light in flavor, so light olive oil is great, as is avocado oil, sunflower (not safflower), sesame oil and even expeller pressed coconut oil (not extra virgin).
If you’re REALLY feeling fancy, you can also use walnut oil, macadamia oil, bacon grease and ghee (but not all individually, nor all together).
Ps..I don’t use canola oil because canola is chemically extracted using hexane. Cold pressed exists, but it is usually very expensive and hard to find. It’s better to avoid, and just use healthy oils.
Note: I have not tried numerous combinations of all the oils listed above. I tried 50/50 extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil, which didn’t taste very good at all. I’ve also tried light olive oil as the recipe is written, and since it produced an amazing mayo that tasted better than any store-bought I’ve ever had, I stopped there. Feel free to branch out and experiment, and if you do, please leave a comment sharing with us what worked and what didn’t!
Basically, just follow the recipe folks.
Before you do anything else, wait until the egg is at the bottom of the jar and the oils are sitting at the top of the jar. If you’ve followed the tutorial so far and added everything in the right order, this won’t take very long… maybe long enough for you to throw the eggshell in the garden, put the oil and salt away and add the lemon peels to your jar of citrus vinegar.
So, maybe a minute?
When time is up (or when you’re done cleaning), get out your immersion blender and stick it in all the way to the bottom.
With the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar, press the button to “go” and let it blend for 20 seconds while sitting at the bottom of the jar.
After 5 seconds, you’ll have mayo at the bottom as it starts to thicken.
At the 10-15 second mark, you’ll notice the mayo creeping to the top.
At about 20 seconds, you’ll have mayo near the top of the ingredients with a very thin layer of oil right on top.
Very slowly (and carefully), bring the immersion blender up the side of the jar while still blending. As you do this, the thin layer of oil on the top will slowly drizzle down the side of the jar and blend with the mayo underneath.
Keep bringing your immersion blender almost to the top, stopping just short so you don’t splatter mayo everywhere. Your mayo is done when all the ingredients are incorporated together!
Taste your mayo and adjust your salt and/or lemon juice if desired.
Additional Seasonings and Flavors for Homemade Mayo
This recipe is for a basic homemade mayo. It’s absolutely stunning and delicious and has the perfect balance of tangy and creamy. But, some people prefer their mayo to be a bit fancier. If that’s you, consider the following additions to your homemade mayo (add these just after the egg):
- pinch white or black pepper
- dry mustard OR prepared Dijon mustard (in any flavor you’d like)
- using vinegar (apple cider vinegar, white wine, white balsamic, etc.) instead of lemon juice pepper, or using lime juice too
- sweetener (honey, sugar, maple syrup, etc.)
- garlic
- horseradish
- fresh herbs
- paprika
- garlic powder
- crushed red pepper
Why Homemade Mayo Can Fail
Homemade mayo has a bad rep for being difficult, but it’s not really when you understand the two basic foundations that must happen in order for homemade mayo to work:
(1) The oil must be separated from the egg.
Most homemade mayo recipes have you slowly drizzle in the olive oil. That’s to give the emulsifying agent a chance to get in between the water (lemon juice) and oil. If you just dump it all in together with no rhyme or reason, you’re setting yourself up for a fail.
Always add the water (lemon juice) first, then the emulsifying agent (in our case, the egg), then all the seasonings/flavors and finally the oil last. Letting it all sit for a minute gives the ingredients a chance to settle from all the ingredients additions.
(2) There must be enough of an emulsifying agent.
Egg is an emulsifying agent, as is lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard. You must have enough of an emulsifying agent in ratio to the oil for the mayo to turn out correctly. One egg is approximately 3 tablespoons.
My recipe uses lemon juice and when combined with the egg, it’s the perfect ratio for 1 cup of oil. Other recipes call for up to 1 tsp of mustard and reduce the level of acid. Some recipes use 2 eggs. It really depends on your preference, but know that the more oil you use, the greater portion of emulsifier you’ll need.
How to Make Homemade Mayo Last
As is, homemade mayo is good in the fridge for about one week. However, by lacto-fermenting the mayo you can make it last for several months.
To do this, add 1 tablespoon of whey to the finished mayo and stir well. Allow mayo to sit on the counter overnight, or up to 24 hours. Put the mayo in the fridge and you’ve got mayo that will be good for 2 months or more!
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DIY Homemade Mayo
Delicious recipe for homemade mayo, plus tips for making it fail proof every time! Just 4 ingredients, perfect for novice cooks & better than store-bought! Perfect on a sandwich with my homemade lunch meat and homemade sandwich bread!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 2 mins
- Yield: 1 Jar 1x
- Category: Sauces/Condiments
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon, juiced (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup light olive oil
- flavors/seasonings (optional, see below)
- 1 Tbsp whey (optional, see below)
- immersion blender
Instructions
- In a wide-mouth jar, layer your ingredients as follows. First, lemon juice. Second, salt. Third, egg. Finally, light olive oil.
- Wait about one minute, or until the egg is at the bottom of the jar and the oils is sitting at the top of the jar.
- Place the immersion blender in the jar, all the way to the bottom.
- With the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar, press the button to “go” and let it blend for 20 seconds while sitting at the bottom of the jar.
- After 5 seconds, you’ll have mayo at the bottom.
- At the 10-15 second mark, you’ll notice the mayo creeping to the top.
- At about 20 seconds, you’ll have mayo near the top of the ingredients with a very thin layer of oil right on top.
- Very slowly (and carefully), bring the immersion blend up the side of the jar while still blending. As you do this, the thin layer of oil on the top will slowly drizzle down the side of the jar and blend with the mayo underneath.
- Keep bringing your immersion blender almost to the top, stopping just short so you don’t splatter mayo everywhere. Your mayo is done when all the ingredients are incorporated together!
- Taste your mayo and adjust your salt and/or lemon juice if desired.
Notes
If you are using whey, finish the recipe as directed, then add whey and stir in well. Let sit on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours. Then refrigerate.
This is the mayo I grew up with…didn’t know you could buy at the grocery until I was in high school Mama woud make it in the mixer with an egg, lemon juice, 2 cups of oil, salt and white pepper. Then she dressed it with paprika. Now I use the above recipe with the immersion blender because it aways works.
This sounds great. I do have organic mayo, but, a little too salty and too expensive sorry to say. I need to cut down on sodium so I have to try this! Thank you so much.
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Rusti!
hi, tiffany
i made this recipe yesterday but mine came out runny. do you need to measure about 2 tbsp lemon juice from a fresh lemon or no? i followed exactly of the rest but my lemon was pretty large and I used all the juice that i was able to squeeze out which probably was more like 4 tbsp. i made this bc i wanted to make your ranch dressing which at the end worked out beautifully without having to add milk to thin it bc my mayo was already very thin. suggestions??
Hi Lisa! Yes, you need 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. Using more will likely make your mayo runny. I’m glad it worked out with the ranch dressing! It also might thicken being in the fridge too. Next time though, just measure out 2 Tbsp. 🙂
Will be using grape seed oil or sunflower oil for this (light olive oil is harder to find now!). Made ricotta last night -have lots and lots of whey (most is now frozen). Crossing my fingers!
I have an idea that may solve some unsuccessful problems. I live in AZ and the water is terribly hard. We have to add jet dry and a booster to our dishwasher so the dishes don’t spot severely. I’ve noticed if I use a clean bowl right out of the dishwasher, dairy product recipes I make are soupy. For instance, whipping cream or cream cheese dips. So I always rewash my mixing bowls by hand, with plain water to ensure the additives I put in the dishwasher are completely rinsed off the mixing bowls. It works! No more soupy hand made recipes!
★★★★★
I’d say for those whose mayo is coming out too runny, start with a little less oil maybe? Not sure but 1st time worked perfect for me; last time was a bit runny, but I was using a slightly smaller-than-standard egg from a friend’s flock, so I probably should have reduced the oil or lemon a tad to compensate. I also used 1/2 light olive, 1/2 avocado oil, and the flavor is nice and neutral, a bit lemony.
★★★★★
I have made this recipe several times exactly as written (minus the whey). The mayo tastes good right after making it, but tastes like metal the next day—so bad that I’ve had to throw it out! The first time I blamed my immersion blender. It burned out so I wondered if that’s why it tasted bad. But got the same result with a new blender in both a glass jar and the plastic mixing cup that came with the new blender. Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong? The recipe notes that the mayo should last about a week; mine lasts less than 24 hrs before tasting bad. ☹️
That’s so strange Susan! I’ve never had that issue with the mayo. Could it be an ingredient that’s making the weird taste the next day?
Is going to work in a regular blender? I don’t have one like yours. I tried other recipes and it didn’t work.
It may or may not work Esther. I’ve only used an immersion blender so I personally can’t say for sure, but feel free to read the comments to see if someone else has tried it!
Woohooooooooo !!!! This worked so perfectly, thank you very much for the detailed recipe 🙂
I have stalked several “jar-blender” mayonnaise recipes for awhile but never tried one as I read too many comments (on other websites) where the recipe failed. Not wanting to waste costly, organic oil for failed mayo I just trudged on with the long, oil drizzle method in the food processor. And sometimes that translated into buying a jar of organic $$$ mayo instead of buckling down and making it at home.
I read your recipe about 8 times (lol, seriously!) then took the plunge. Easy, easy, fast, and easy! And so delicious.
★★★★★
I’ve made this recipe with raw egg and just threw in the ingredients and blended. Came out beautifully. Now I have a member of my household who has an autoimmune issue and can’t have raw eggs. I bought organic, pasteurized powdered eggs. Has anyone ever tried this recipe with powdered eggs? Thanks!
I just made the yummiest and creamiest Mayo now. I used Sunflower Oil and Lime as I don’t have lemon juice at home. What I will reduce for next batch is probably the salt. Apart from that this is the best ever. Way better than any store bought Mayo I have ever had.
Thank you
You’re so very welcome Taiwo!
I have a question about they whey and shelf life… I make milk kefir regularly for my family and wondered if I added kefir whey how long the shelf life would be. Also, the whey has already been made/fermented sitting out on my counter for 24 hours and because so, would I be able to add it to the mix and put it straight in the fridge or would it still need to sit out on the counter in the mayo mix?
I use whey from homemade strained yogurt but using whey from strained kefir should work just the same. I haven’t had a batch of mayo go bad yet and I’ve been making this recipe for years now. I let my mayo set out 4 hours to let the whey ferment the mixture but if you refrigerate it right away I would think the mixture would still last awhile from the whey being in it.
Great recipe, thanks! I will just say ‘don’t’ use cold pressed flax seed oil, the mayo will taste dreadful!
I have been making this mayo for years now and only had one time where it didn’t get thick. This was a couple weeks ago when I forgot to add the salt and the mixture turned out thin. I tried stirring in the salt but it didn’t help much. I ended up using this mayo for salad dressing. I think the salt interacts with the acid somehow so don’t leave the salt out or it might fail for you. This is the easiest, quickest mayo recipe. I highly recommend it.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Janette for your rave review!
Wow, its so amazing and simple, im using palm oil, and im adding stevia for the sweet taste… but little bit salty, im using regular salt, next time maybe i will add only a pinch of salt…
Thanks for this amazing recipe, from Aceh, Indonesia
★★★★★
If apple cider vinegar with the mother is used would that help to preserve it?
I would think so since it has the beneficial bacteria in it.
ACV is considered an acid like lemon juice, and will help keep it for a week or so, but you need whey to ferment it, if you want to keep it for a few months.
I think the acv with the mother has the beneficial bacteria like whey has for fermenting. Here is a link with info on it. https://nourishingourchildren.org/2015/11/17/fermented-garlic/
i’m lactose intolerant so will have to forego the whey. How long would the mayo last in the fridge without the lacto-fermentation?
It should last about a week or so Susan. Use the smell test to gauge!
Several people have commented that they are lactose intolerant, and as such are concerned about using the whey. I’m also lactose intolerant. If I drink 3 or 4 ounces, I get the usual symptoms.
But let’s think about the scale here. The entire recipe is approximately 23 tablespoons, including the 1 tablespoon of whey.
So in a 1 tablespoon serving of mayo, you’d be getting about 1/23 of one tablespoon of whey. Let’s assume a 1-ounce serving of milk is enough to produce symptoms in some very sensitive lactose intolerant individuals. In this 1-ounce serving of milk (or whey) there are about 1.5 grams of lactose.
In the 1 Tbs serving of mayo, there will be approximately 0.033 grams of lactose, even assuming 100% of the lactose from the source milk remains in the whey.
This is the equivalent of ingesting a couple of drops of milk.
Whey on!
This recipe is a 5-star, with or without the whey.
I love this break-down, Dadd-O – thank you so much for sharing!
The absolute best recipe! I love that it comes out nice and thick! My daughter can’t tell the difference between this and store bought! I made it exactly to the recipe the first time. I was so happy. This morning I had to make a quick batch for lunch sandwiches and I only had fresh limes and the only light oil was avocado oil. I added a tsp of some yummy Chardonnay Mustard and a pinch of sugar.
I WILL NOT BUY STORE BOUGHT AGAIN! Next time I will add the whey! Thanks for helping with posting this!
★★★★★
You’re so very welcome Rhonda! Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience! (and your chardonnay mustard sounds YUMMY!)
THANK YOU! For sharing this super easy way of making mayo. Just made some and it turned out great. I’ve always had trouble before and dreaded using the stand up blender. Using the stick blender in the mason jar is BRILLIANT!
Love It =)
★★★★★
You’re so very welcome Andrea!!
Nutrition stats on mayo?
Feel free to use an online nutrition calculator Brian!