Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise
- PREP 10min
- TOTAL 10min
Homemade mayonnaise is such a treat. It’s very simple to make, too. Room temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes. There are a few ways to make mayonnaise. We use our food processor with the small bowl attachment, but an immersion blender or making it completely by hand and large whisk will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand).
All ingredients need to be at the same temperature. If you have cold eggs and no time to leave them out on the counter to come to room temperature, place the egg into a bowl of warm water. Set it aside for a few minutes before using in the recipe.
You Will Need
1 large egg at room temperature
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1 cup (240ml) neutral flavored oil, grapeseed, safflower or canola are best
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, optional
Directions
Prepare Equipment
If you have a large food processor, use the smaller bowl attachment that came with your processor so that the bowl is not too large for the amount of mayonnaise this recipe makes. Not using the smaller bowl can prevent the mayonnaise from emulsifying since the mixture will not have enough contact with the blade.
If you do not the smaller bowl attachment, making the mayonnaise with an immersion blender or by hand are alternatives. Or simply make a larger batch and double the recipe and use the standard bowl attachment. You might find success with a high-speed blender, but based on reviews and comments from readers, using a blender seems to be less fail-proof.
Make Mayonnaise
Add egg to the small bowl of a food processor and process for 20 seconds. Add the mustard, vinegar, and salt. Process for another 20 seconds.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn the food processor on then begin to slowly add the oil in tiny drops until about a quarter of the oil has been added (this is critical for proper emulsification).
When you notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify, you can be a little less strict. With the processor on, continue to add it slowly, but increase to a very thin stream instead of drops of oil.
When all of the oil has been added, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and process for an extra 10 seconds. Taste mayonnaise for seasoning then add salt, lemon juice or extra vinegar to taste.
Note, if the mayo seems too thin, slowly stream in more oil with the processor running until thick.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing Homemade Mayonnaise: Store covered in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
- Raw eggs: When choosing eggs for homemade mayonnaise, go for fresh, properly refrigerated, clean pasteurized grade A or AA eggs with intact shells.
- Olive oil: Olive oil can be a little overpowering so use one that’s light and fruity and consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.
- Fixing Broken Mayonnaise: While we have never had this recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it. Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then slowly beat the broken mayonnaise into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again (a tip from Julia Child). Another trick is to repeat the same process, but replace the teaspoon of mustard with an egg yolk.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. 1 serving equals 1 tablespoon.