DIY Homemade Mayonnaise | Only 4 ingredients!

Homemade mayonnaise. It’s honestly not something I thought I would have ever made for my family. That’s something professional chefs do, make homemade mayo and ketchup. Why would I need to go through all of that trouble when I can just pick up a jar of “healthy” olive oil mayonnaise at the grocery store.

That’s until I actually read the ingredients to “olive oil” mayonnaise: Water, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Soybean Oil…the list continues with ingredients that sound like they belong in a lab instead of food: Maltodextrin*, Lactic Acid*, Potassium Sorbet*, Phosphoric Acid*, Calcium Disodium EDTA…Then they give this little disclaimer for the ingredients marked with an asterisk: *Ingredients not normally found in mayonnaise. 

So, if these ingredients are not normally found in mayonnaise, why are they putting them in there?? What added to my frustration, was the fact that “olive oil” mayonnaise contained canola and soybean oil. Essentially it should be called olive-canola-soybean oil mayonnaise. Knowing that there must be a healthier option, I went searching for a way to make my own.

The good news is that it’s not as hard to make as you’d think! The even better news is that it only takes 4 ingredients! Yes, mayonnaise is made with eggs, typically raw eggs. I chose to find a way to heat the egg because I wasn’t comfortable feeding my family raw eggs. Another way to protect against the risk of salmonella is to use pasteurized eggs. These eggs have already undergone a process to kill any bacteria they may contain. The only con is that they’re typically hard to find and are generally more expensive, but worth it for peace of mind.

Most of the recipes I found online used raw eggs and many people are comfortable with consuming them, especially if they are local and organic eggs. If that’s you, then you can totally skip the step where you heat the egg. Everyone else, follow me to the next step!

We’re going to begin by mixing together the egg yolk, lemon juice, water, and salt in a heat-safe bowl. You’ll want to whisk them together really well, until the mixture is frothy. We will then heat the egg in a double boiler. I don’t actually have a double boiler, but it’s easy to form a makeshift one by placing a heat-safe bowl over a small pot of boiling water. I use my stainless steel KitchenAid bowl, but most ceramic or glass mixing bowls will work as well. The bowl should sit over the boiling water, only being heated by the steam. Make sure you use a smaller pot so that the bowl sits comfortably on the rim without falling in. Bring the pot filled with a couple inches of water to a simmer on the stove. Turn of the heat and place the bowl over the steamy water. Using a large whisk, stir the egg mixture constantly, until a thermometer inserted reads 150 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes.

At this point, the egg mixture should be thick, creamy, and pale yellow, like the photo above. Remove from the heat and whisk for another minute or so, until the mixture is lukewarm. To incorporate the oil, you’ll need to beat it in with a whisk. You can use a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, a hand held immersion blender, or by hand with a wire whisk.

The most important key to making successful mayonnaise is to keep the emulsion going. The emulsion is the perfect blend of the yolk, lemon juice, and oil. It is essential to add the oil in very slowly, painstakingly slow, while whisking quickly so that the oil gets thoroughly incorporated. The mixture should stay relatively thick the entire time. If it becomes curdled and liquidy, chances are the emulsion is broken and you may have to start over again. But, don’t fret, just follow this helpful tutorial from sheknows, and you may just be able to fix it.

If you were able to stay awake during the slow and tedious process of oil pouring, then your mayonnaise should be beautiful, thick, and creamy, like in the photo above. If it is, then yay for you! Give yourself a pat on the back, you’ve just made homemade mayonnaise! Now, you’re up there with the professional chefs, Martha Stewart, and all the other people who make their own condiments from scratch! Yep, you’re super cool and should totally Instagram this moment.

After you’ve taken several photos and documented it on Instagram, you should go make a sandwich or something and enjoy the fruits of your labor! That’s exactly what I did:) So delish!

How To: Homemade Olive Oil Mayonnaise

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Homemade mayonnaise made with only four wholesome ingredients. Yolk is heated prior to mixing to make it safe. Takes less than 30 minutes and not only tastes better, but is so much better for you than store bought mayo!

Author: Joscelyn Abreu

Recipe type: Condiment

Serves: ¾ cup

Ingredients

• 1 egg yolk from a large, fresh egg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• pinch of salt
• ¾ cup light tasting olive oil, not extra virgin* or another neutral oil, like avocado oil

Instructions

Heating the egg to make it safe:

1. This method heats the yolk to kill any bacteria that may be in the raw egg. You can also use a pasteurized egg, which has already undergone the process to kill any bacteria. If you have a double boiler, use that. If not, you can make one by placing a bowl over a pot of boiling water. The bowl should sit above the water, only being heated by the steam.
2. In a heat safe bowl or the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, water, and salt until frothy. Set the bowl over a small pot of boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk egg mixture constantly, until a thermometer inserted reads 150F, about 4-5 minutes. The mixture should be creamy and pale yellow.

Making the Mayonnaise:

1. Allow the egg mixture to cool slightly after removing from the double boiler. You can use your KitchenAid mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, a small food processor, hand held immersion blender, or whisk by hand. The key to making mayonnaise successfully is to pour the oil in SLOWLY. Almost a few drops at a time, while whisking vigorously, especially in the beginning, to get a good emulsion going. Pouring in the oil too quickly will break the emulsion and you'll end up with a curdled oily mess (been there, done that!)
2. Begin pouring in the oil, about a teaspoon at a time, with the mixer on high, or whisking quickly by hand. The mixture should stay kind of pudding-like, not runny, as you beat the oil in a little at a time. If it is thin and liquidy, chances are the emulsion broke and you'll need to start again from scratch. {insert crying face emoji}
3. Continue to pour oil in a very thin stream, stopping every few seconds to allow the mixture to blend together. Keep going until all the oil is gone. This will take several minutes and a lot of patience, but I promise you it is worth it! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

*Light tasting olive oil has a more neutral taste than extra virgin olive oil. The mayonnaise will taste like the oil you use, so only use an oil that you like the taste of alone.

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