How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise
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This homemade mayonnaise is my family’s favorite condiment, and it turns out perfectly every time. I’ll teach you how to make it in under 10 minutes with just four ingredients, and I’ll share all the tips I’ve learned over the years!
Homemade mayonnaise has a reputation for being tricky to make. But over the years, I’ve learned some tricks so that it turns out perfectly creamy and delicious every time.
If you’ve never made it before, it might seem a bit daunting, but I promise you this: it’s super easy! You don’t need any fancy equipment. What you do need, though, is to read on because I’ll share my top tips for fool-proof homemade mayo.
If you’re a kitchen star and enjoy making things from scratch, try your hand at homemade butter next!
Homemade mayonnaise recipe ingredients
You only need 4 simple ingredients (and a bit of elbow grease) to make this easy homemade mayo recipe, and they’re all common ingredients – no preservatives here! Like all things with food, using better quality ingredients results in a better tasting mayo.
- Egg yolk: Since the egg yolks are used raw, I recommend sourcing an egg from a happy hen for this recipe. I like to save the egg whites for making egg white omelettes!
- Lemon juice: Only fresh lemon juice will do. Steer clear of the stuff that comes in the yellow squeeze bottles as it will make your mayo taste funny.
- Neutral-flavored oil: My go-to is avocado oil, but you can use grape seed oil or vegetable oil. Although I love olive oil, I think it’s too strongly flavored for making mayo.
You’ll also need a pinch of sea salt!
The secret to homemade mayo
Homemade mayo is incredibly satisfying to make and tastes so much better than store-bought. Everyone should try it at least once to understand what all the fuss is about. Over my years of making mayo, I picked up a list of tricks for the creamiest and richest mayo ever!
However, out of all of the tips I have to share, there are three worth highlighting. They make this homemade mayonnaise recipe literally foolproof. The thing is, when you’re making homemade mayonnaise: It’s really about getting the egg and oil to emulsify. If they don’t, you’ll be left with a sad, runny mess – which nobody wants!
Here are the three things you MUST do to make sure your mayo emulsifies:
- Use a room temperature egg. Whatever you do, don’t pull an egg out of your refrigerator and try to make mayo with it. You might get lucky and it will work, but chances are it won’t. Don’t take the risk! Warm the egg by putting it in a glass, and fill the glass with hot tap water. Leave it for 5 minutes and it will be ready to use.
- Whisk the egg yolk with an acid. I like to use lemon juice, but vinegar works, too. The acid starts to break down the proteins in the egg yolk so they emulsify better. Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice well before you begin adding the oil.
- Add the oil VERY slowly: When you begin, the oil should be poured in the tiniest stream. Once the mayonnaise begins to thicken, you can pour the oil a little faster. If you ever notice the oil building up, stop pouring it and whisk the mayo briskly until it is incorporated.
Are raw eggs safe to eat?
While the USDA advises against eating raw eggs, the risk of salmonella poisoning is so minimal that it is not something I’ve been concerned about. Actually, I’ve read that a person is more likely to come into contact with Salmonella by eating a celery stalk than a raw egg!
That said, I would feel less confident eating raw eggs if the eggs I bought were of poor quality. This is the time to source eggs from happy hens.
If you don’t feel comfortable eating raw eggs, don’t worry! It’s super easy to make pasteurized eggs at home.
How to pasteurize an egg yolk for homemade mayo
An egg is considered pasteurized and safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 138 degrees Fahrenheit. This is really easy to do at home!
- Place the eggs in a pot of water over medium-high heat. Attach an instant-read thermometer to the side of the pot.
- Bring the water to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and keep it there for 3 minutes. Be careful NOT to let the water rise above 143 degrees, or you will cook your egg yolks.
- Drain the water, and cool the eggs in cold water. That’s it!
Once you do this, your eggs will be 100% safe to eat. The pasteurized egg whites will look a little cloudy because they have begun to cook, but the yolks will be perfect for making mayonnaise!
Can I use a blender to make mayo?
Yep, you can, but you don’t need to. If you use a blender, you risk the mayo separating and becoming runny. A blender is also much more challenging to wash than a whisk and bowl. I’m all for keeping life simple!
If whisking for 5 minutes is difficult for you, then absolutely go ahead and use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Follow the directions in the recipe, only blend instead of whisking. Make sure to run your blender on low speed only and add the oil in a slow, steady stream to minimize the risk of your mayo separating.
How do I fix broken mayo?
If your mayonnaise is runny and not thick, the oil has not emulsified. In this case, it’s best to start again. Don’t worry, all is not lost! You can still use the oil that did not emulsify. Whisk a room-temperature egg yolk with lemon juice in a clean bowl and slowly whisk in the runny mayonnaise.
Also, use a room-temperature egg yolk—cold egg yolks are more likely to make the mayo runny. Continuously whisk the egg yolk with lemon juice (or vinegar) before slowly adding the oil.
Homemade Mayo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large egg yolk (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)
- 1 cup neutral-flavored oil (I like avocado oil)
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Place the egg yolk in a medium-sized bowl. Add the lemon juice and whisk until frothy.1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Very slowly, begin adding the oil in a thin stream while whisking continuously. If the oil starts to build up at all, stop pouring and whisk vigorously until it is incorporated. Continue adding the oil while whisking until all the oil has been used.1 cup neutral-flavored oil
- Whisk ¼ teaspoon of salt into the mayo. Taste and add more if needed.¼ – ½ teaspoon sea salt
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
The lemon flavor was more then I expected but after a few taste I really loved it in there! Great recipe!
Can I use this mayonnaise in a spinach and artichoke dip that I’m going to bake?
That should work!
Mine came out a little foamy like texture. Must be the fresh egg my hen laid this morning. I only added the yoke. I had picked fresh young tender sweet peas from the garden this morning and thought of raw fresh pea salad. I know peas probably isn’t on whole 30 diet but I’m eating them because I grew them myself. How could that not be good for you?
I’ve made this a few times successfully. It has come in handy to have a homemade recipe instead of store-bought. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m doing something wrong. I have whisked the egg lemon juice and oil together and it is extremely runny. I put the egg on the stove until it reached 140° cracked it in a bowl whisked it with the lemon juice and then slowly poured the avocado in whisking it and I have a bowl of very liquid substance. What did I do wrong how do I thicken this up
Did you use the whole egg or the egg yolk?
Just be aware only 2 avocado oils tested to be pure avocado oil, the rest were cut with other oils or had no avocado at all. One brand that was pure was Chosen brand but I can’t for the life if me remember the other one. That maybe why people are having different colors using avocado oil. The same goes for olive oils especially from italy believe it or not!
California Ranch Olive is supposedly real olive oil. There is also a Georgia company that makes olive oil. I have bought theirs and it’s expensive. Thanks for the info regarding avocado oil I hadn’t actually thought about that oil having the same “problems” as the olive oils.
I can’t eat store bought Mayo and this worked great. I don’t eat that much Mayo so used a whole, smallish yolk that I pasteurized( thanks for that) 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/2 cup grape seed oil and 1/4 t. Salt. Delicious!
Just a little research for the avocado oils out there: unrefined avocado oil is green and goes rancid very quickly. Refined avocado oil is clear to yellow. Therefore, it is possible that some people may have never seen green avocado oil and some may never have seen clear avocado oil. Neither oil nor someone’s failure to follow the directions properly are the fault of the author. Shocking how abusive people can get over something so trivial.
American, here, thankfully living in Britain where eggs are never refrigerated. This was my first time making mayonnaise and I was not precious about any step and it was perfect! I used an old-fashioned hand beater, added half avocado oil and half unfiltered olive oil. The greenish-yellow colour doesn’t bother me any more than pink chipotle mayo does. The shrieking in the comments about avocado oil is hilarious. If that’s the worst thing to happen to you in a day, lucky you. Thank you for this uncomplicated and versatile recipe. My tomato sandwich was delicious. 😁
Proper, classic, elegant, original recipe ……. so much rubbish on the internet, I mean, with sugar?
Respect.
I made mayo this morning …. Really loved the taste. Linen color, nice consistency.
Put in frig when finished …… Now ( approximately 3 1/2 hours ) Mayo has turned yellow/orange in color and thin. The consistency it much thinner now. Oil hasn’t separated …. just very very thin.
Thinking I do something wrong but no idea what it was.
Has this happened to you ?????
The color of mayonnaise can turn yellow if it’s exposed to air and oxidizes. Did you cover the mayo or put it in a closed jar? As far as it getting thin, I’ve never experienced this before. I would suggest whisking it hard for a few minutes to see if you can thicken it back up that way.
i use a whole egg in 3/4 cups of oil, salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp organic ACV.
I didn’t have lemons, so I used white vinegar. Def need half the amount or I need to switch to lemon. Was a bit tart/sharp.
I broke the rules and added a dot of liquid xylotol because it needed some sweetness.
Also, the full cup of oil didn’t seem necessary because it emulsified great using a stick blender. I used a smidge over 3/4 Cup.
I think the more I practice, the better this will become.
THanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Thank you! The consistency turned out great, thanks to your tips! I substituted lemon juice for lime juice, and the taste is a bit sour. Would you recommend lemon juice over vinegar?
I prefer the flavor of lemon juice as I find that vinegar is too strong for mayonnaise.
May try to make own mayo after trading your post. Am trying to eat the way I was raised on the farm. Fresh Everything. Nothing out of a metal can. And I mean NOTHING!!!
I LOVED this! Worked beautifully! I cannot do vinegar or lemon due to migraines, but I successfully used lactic acid from green olives; first mayonnaise I could eat since 1987!
Very easy to make. I used olive oil with lemon. Yummy!! I realize olive oil mayo is not for everyone, but I think its delicious.