Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise

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.

Watch the Video

Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe Video

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.
  • Simple list of ingredients that are very likely in your kitchen right now.
  • Quick – the whole process takes less than 10 minutes.

Homemade mayo lasts about two weeks in the fridge, but in all honesty, once I have a batch in my fridge, it usually goes quicker than that. I love using it to make sandwiches like egg salad or chicken salad, and I find it makes creamy salads like potato salad and shrimp salad extra special.

Homemade mayonnaise

Key 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.

⭐️ Room temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise. 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.

How to Make Mayonnaise, You’ve Got This!

There are a few ways to make mayonnaise. For the best results, 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.)

  1. Prepare your food processor. I prefer to use the small bowl attachment that came with our food processor to make mayonnaise.
  2. Add an egg to the bowl of your food processor and process for about 20 seconds.
  3. Add mustard, vinegar, and salt then process for another 20 seconds.
  4. 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!
  5. Taste the mayonnaise and adjust with additional salt and vinegar or lemon juice.
Streaming the oil in slowly for mayo
Homemade Mayo

For the best mayonnaise, add the oil slowly very slowly. When the mayonnaise is done, it will be thick and creamy (as shown in the photos).

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. You might also enjoy our garlic aioli recipe, which is very similar to this recipe, but uses egg yolks instead of whole eggs.

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 an egg yolk to a large bowl and slowly use a whisk to beat the broken mayo, bit by bit, into the yolk. My preferred method!
  • 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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. 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 two weeks, but you might find that it lasts a little longer depending on the freshness of your eggs.

Delicious Ways to Use Homemade Mayonnaise

Homemade Whole Egg Mayonnaise

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.

Makes approximately 1 cup

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 (240ml) 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 2 weeks.
  • 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 database to calculate approximate values. 1 serving equals 1 tablespoon.
Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 tablespoon / Calories 126 / Protein 0 g / Carbohydrate 0 g / Dietary Fiber 0 g / Total Sugars 0 g / Total Fat 14 g / Saturated Fat 1 g / Cholesterol 12 mg
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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929 comments… Leave a Review
  • Beth Weiss March 11, 2024, 6:16 pm

    Absolutely love this recipe! It’s a keeper!!!

    Reply
    • Adam March 11, 2024, 6:44 pm

      Yay! This recipe is fun to make 🙂

      Reply
  • Sally March 10, 2024, 6:30 pm

    I DID IT!!! I used apple cider vinegar and half spicey brown/half Dijon mustard. It’s absolutely perfect. Every bit as good as “Dukes”. Lol. My husband was impressed.

    Reply
    • Adam March 10, 2024, 7:56 pm

      Yay! We knew you could do it! 🙂

      Reply
  • Carmen March 2, 2024, 5:28 pm

    This is the most delicious mayo I have ever tested. What a great recipe! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.

    Reply
    • Adam March 2, 2024, 7:25 pm

      We are thrilled that you loved it! We love making this mayo 🙂

      Reply
  • Pamela February 16, 2024, 11:57 am

    At the start of the processing I thought I had done something wrong but I just kept going, and evan after having the food processor cover me in little spittles of mayo juice, the texture and taste were perfect. So, I moved on to the egg salad recipe with homemade mayonnaise. Another winner for a novice. I enjoy and apprecieate your website. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Joanne February 16, 2024, 2:42 pm

      Love the commitment! Homemade mayo can be a bit messy, but it’s SO worth it when the flavor is spot on. Sounds like you’re nailing these recipes! Thanks for sharing and making my day.

      Reply
  • eric February 7, 2024, 1:41 pm

    Yep no more store bought mayo, the only reason they exist is to keep the public lazy and dependent in the kitchen, I added salt, white pepper and a flakey herb and garlic seasoning I had as well as lemon. Also did 1/3 each avo/light evoo/ canola. It was a great pre-breading, seasoned mayo for my airfryer cutlets and strips and a sauce for the chicken, tomato and lettuce tortilla wrap

    Reply
    • Joanne February 16, 2024, 11:22 pm

      I’m totally with you – homemade mayo is the way to go! Love the seasoning additions and your creative uses for it.

      Reply
  • Melissa February 4, 2024, 5:17 pm

    This worked perfectly!! However, my mayo was super thick when I still had 1/4 cup of oil to go, so I ended up using just 3/4 cup! Delicious:)

    Reply
  • Lisa January 31, 2024, 1:13 pm

    I finally got up the nerve to make my own homemade mayonnaise after reading the ingredients label on my national brand mayo… And it was so easy and the product was so beautiful I could not believe I made it! I made tuna salad and was so proud as I served it to my husband… Thank you so much for this easy and delicious recipe

    Reply

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