How to make mayonnaise in less than 10 minutes! Using whole eggs instead of just the yolk, makes this homemade mayonnaise recipe practically fail-proof and extra easy.
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Related: If you love garlic, try this homemade garlic aioli
Why You Should Make Mayonnaise at Home
I’ve used this mayonnaise recipe more times than I can count. If you’ve never tried homemade mayonnaise, then you are in for a treat. Homemade mayo is ultra creamy and so much more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store. Here’s why I love this recipe so much:
- Our recipe uses whole eggs instead of just the yolks so you can skip separating the eggs.
- The remaining ingredients are simple and very likely in your kitchen right now.
- The whole process takes less than 10 minutes.
- You can add extra ingredients for more flavor (like roasted garlic or herbs). I’ve shared suggestions below.
Mayonnaise Ingredients
The ingredients to make mayo are simple — we bet you even have them in your kitchen right now. You will need the following:
Egg — You need to use egg to make mayonnaise. We do use raw egg in the recipe. For mayonnaise made without egg, see our vegan mayonnaise recipe. Personally, I don’t have an issue adding raw egg to the recipe, but if you are concerned about eating raw eggs, buy pasteurized eggs. They are sold in the egg section of the grocery store. You can also pasteurize eggs yourself, just search for a tutorial online.
Mustard — I know that not everyone loves the flavor of mustard, but when it comes to making homemade mayonnaise mustard is sort of a magical ingredient. Mustard adds a bit of flavor, but it also helps to keep the mayonnaise stable. Along with the egg yolk, mustard helps emulsify the mixture, reducing the risk of our mayo breaking.
Vinegar or lemon juice — Not only does a little acid like wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, and lemon juice add incredible flavor to the mayonnaise, it also helps to stabilize the mixture.
Neutral Flavored Oil — By neutral flavored oil, I mean use an oil that is light in flavor. Quite a bit of oil is added to make mayonnaise, so it’s important to like the flavor of the oil you use.
For a clean tasting mayonnaise use something like grape seed, safflower, avocado or canola oil. Since posting the recipe, quite a few readers have asked about olive oil in mayonnaise.
You can use olive oil, but it can be a little overpowering so I prefer to use a brand that’s light and fruity. I think robust or spicy olive oils would be too much. You might also consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.

Let Me Show You How to Make Mayonnaise, You’ve Got This!
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 will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand.)
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.
The Five Steps For Making Mayonnaise
- Prepare your food processor. I prefer to use the small bowl attachment that came with our food processor to make mayonnaise.
- Add an egg to the bowl of your food processor and process for about 20 seconds.
- Add mustard, vinegar, and salt then process for another 20 seconds.
- Slowly add the oil, in tiny drops, until about a quarter of the oil has been added. Adding the oil slowly is really important. If you were to dump it all in at once, you’d have mayonnaise soup!
- Taste the mayonnaise and adjust with additional salt and vinegar or lemon juice.


Mayonnaise Variations
I love this classic mayonnaise as-is, but love it even more when I make it my own. I almost always add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up a little. I love how fresh it makes it taste. Fresh herbs, roasted garlic, chipotle, Sriracha or curry powder are all amazing options, as well.
How to Fix Broken Mayonnaise
When making mayonnaise, the worst, but not unfixable, thing that can happen to you is that the mixture breaks, leaving you with a curdled mess. The recipe we’ve shared tries to prevent this a few ways: we use a whole egg, which adds a little more liquid to the mix, mustard acts as an emulsifier from the get-go and we are careful to stream our oil in slowly.
While we have never had this particular recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it. Here are two suggestions for fixing broken or thin mayonnaise:
- Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then use a whisk to slowly beat the broken mayonnaise, bit by bit, into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again.
- Add an egg yolk to a large bowl and slowly use a whisk to beat the broken mayo, bit by bit, into the yolk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since posting this recipe for mayonnaise, a few frequently asked questions have come up, so I’m going to do my best to answer them here:
Do I have to use raw eggs to make mayonnaise? Eggs are essential for making mayonnaise. Risks of using raw eggs are low, but there is a chance that the egg contains a germ called Salmonella.
Personally, I am not too concerned about this, but here’s what the CDC suggests you do to reduce the risks of using eggs:
- Consider buying and using pasteurized eggs
- Keep eggs refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or colder at all times.
- Only buy eggs from stores and suppliers that keep them refrigerated.
- Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
Do I need to use mustard? You can make homemade mayonnaise without mustard, but remember that mustard is one of the fail-safes we have added to our recipe to encourage an emulsification.
Can I use olive oil to make mayo? Yes, but keep in mind that quite a bit of oil is called for in the recipe so a strong or robust flavored oil will make the mayonnaise strong in flavor. When I use olive oil, I like using a light, fruity brand and only replace half of the oil with olive oil and use a neutral flavored oil for the remaining oil.
My mayonnaise won’t thicken, what am I doing wrong? Ugh, I’m sorry! Broken mayonnaise happens to everyone and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you did something wrong or that the recipe you used was a bad one. The key thing to keep in mind when making mayo is to add that oil slowly, and by slowly, I honestly mean to add it drop by drop.
I know it seems extreme, but it’s the best way to ensure creamy mayo. Mayonnaise can be finicky so if it breaks on you or it just doesn’t thicken, there are some things you can do to fix it. Take a look above in the article where I outline a couple of fixes to broken mayo.
How long does homemade mayonnaise last? Here’s the thing, homemade mayo will last as long as your eggs would have lasted. A good rule of thumb is that mayo will keep covered in the fridge up to a week, but you might find that it lasts a little longer depending on the freshness of your eggs.
Delicious Ways To Use Homemade Mayonnaise
- Homemade mayonnaise isn’t just for sandwiches! Use it to make one of these delicious salads: We love using this mayonnaise to make our Potato Salad, our Creamy Coleslaw or our Broccoli Salad.
- It’s absolutely perfect for making Simple Egg Salad, Tuna Salad or Our Favorite Chicken Salad, all of which are perfect for make-ahead lunches.
- Adam loves using homemade mayo to make his Maryland-Style Crab Cakes and I love it when he does!
- You can also turn mayo into your own creamy salad dressings! Try this Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, this simple Tartar Sauce or my favorite Ranch Dressing.

Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise
- PREP
- TOTAL
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.
Watch Us Make 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 (240 ml) neutral flavored oil, grapeseed, safflower or canola are best
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, optional
Directions
- Prepare Equipment
1If 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.
2If 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
1Add 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.
2Scrape 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).
3When 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.
4When 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.
5Note, 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 a week.
- Raw eggs: When choosing eggs for homemade mayonnaise, go for fresh, properly refrigerated, clean 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 Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. 1 serving equals 1 tablespoon.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Recipe updated, originally posted May 2015. Since posting this in 2015, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and have added a recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
Thank you for this lovely recipe and variations. After having several salads ruined this year by Hellmans watered-down mayo I will make my own! So sad when an iconic brand is bought, cheapened, and rides on peoples’ sense of nostalgia.
Great recipe overall, first time making homemade mayo!. Slightly too vinegar-forward for everyday use IMO. When I make it again I think I’ll use about half of the vinegar and rely on the mustard and lemon juice for the “bite”. However, I happened to be making tartar sauce with this batch, so it was perfect!!
Easiest recipe! Made this on Saturday because we were out of Avocado oil mayo and those cost 10-15 bucks for a small jar so I decided to make our own! This recipe worked perfectly with Avocado oil and a tiny dash of lemon juice at the end. I went with red wine vinegar instead of white and of course the Dijon mustard! Yum! I’m hoping it will last longer than a week in a mason jar, but if not it’s fine. I’ll make it again when needed. Thanks for the great explanation of the recipe!
Yay! We are thrilled you loved it. Love the personal tweaks 🙂
I came here because the title says “fail proof mayo.” Not sure what is wrong with me but in the 5 years I have tried to make mayo, I think maybe once it worked. Everything online addresses “broken” mayo, which I believe means “split?” Splittiong is not my problem. I have never been able to get past the consistency of egg nog. In your recipe you say “scrape the sides of the blender after 20 seconds…” Scrape?! After 20 minutes there is still nothin to scrape let alone 20 seconds. I have tried adding vinegar, hot water, oil more and morel slowly, lemon juice, another egg… it only ends up with a reater amount of egg nog. I know how to cook, it cannot be that trying for 5 years, my mistake is covered in the tips above (or elsewhere on the internet). I am at a complete loss. Can you give a tip for: mayo NEVER thickens.
Hi Kelly, We are sorry you are having so much trouble! What are you using to make mayo (blender, food processor, immersion blender?). My first bit of advice is to change it up. I love using my food processor (but using the small bowl attachment). The next easiest is an immersion blender, with a blender being my least favorite. Second, are you making sure that you slowly incorporate the oil? I am ‘almost’ obsessive when adding my oil, I do it drip by drip at first. Then when I see the mayo start to look glossy and thicken, I move to more of a tiny drizzle (as I said I’m sort of obsessive).
I don’t have the small bowl attachment for my food processor so I started it off in a bowl with a whisk until I had enough to put it in the machine. It worked like a charm! Just be sure to add the oil in tiny portions to start so that the emulsion doesn’t break.
I did this with a whisk because that’s all I had haha. It takes a lot more arm muscle but it still came out great!!! I only had yellow mustard (this was a sudden mayo emergency so I had to work with what I had), it was a bit more tangy but everything came together fine and it worked perfect for what I needed. I will definitely be trying it again with the proper ingredients.
Hi Ashley, welcome to the “real” handmade mayo club. Nice thinking on your feet by using yellow mustard. We are so happy that you loved it 🙂
Hi – I feel kind of silly commenting on a recipe that I haven’t actually made, but I just wanted you to know: I’ve never bothered to try making my own mayo before because it seemed like such a finicky process that I didn’t think it was worth the trouble. But I’m going to do it soon with this recipe, because you’ve given such clear instructions (and advice on how to avoid AND fix most likely errors) that I feel confident about giving it a try. Thanks!
Hi Bob, That’s not silly at all! Good luck with the mayo, and let us know if you have any issues.
I’m so tickled!! I used my Ninja blender & it came out perfectly 1st try. I used avacado oil. I’ll never buy from the store again! This is one of those recipes that seems intimidating but your instructions made it so simple. Thank you!I can’t wait to play with flavors next.
Hi Bob. Today is 12/5/23, and I’ve tried 2 different recipes tonight. The first ended up runny and it got thrown away. But, this one worked like a charm. I used the food processor and made a double batch using 1 duck egg and 1 small (very small) chicken egg. I did what the directions said, process 20 seconds, blah blah blah, then at the very end I added about 1/2 a teaspoon of my leftover lemon juice (real lemon) to it, AND IT WORKED! you might like it. Try it.
So easy and love it! I use light olive oil to avoid the omega 6 in vegetable oils
This recipe is fantastic! I’ve used it lots of times, and it truly is fail-proof. As in, I just tried it with cold eggs and it worked just fine. My personal advice: cross out the word optional next to the lemon juice. It’s great without it, but it’s amazing with it. (Bottled lemon juice works just fine if you don’t have fresh on hand.)
I chose grapeseed oil and it is delicious! I may never buy store made again!! Great recipe, thank you!
Thanks for a great recipe. Makes great tasting mayo.
I use a hand blender & I’ve tried it with different oils. My best result was with sunflower oil.