How to make homemade mayonnaise with an egg, oil, lemon juice, salt, & dijon. This is really good mayo and if you have an immersion blender you can make it in about 2 minutes.
Yes you really can make homemade mayo in about 2 minutes. That is not a blogger 2 minutes, or an I'll be there in 2 minutes. It's a real, honest, set the timer for 2 minutes, 2 minutes.
Remember, we're making mayonnaise, NOT Miracle Whip, so there are only 4 ingredients (plus salt). This is the difference between Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip.
For instance on my homemade chicken burgers (above) Miracle Whip would be gross. I also think it would be gross to use Miracle Whip in or on hamburgers, chicken salad, coleslaw, or anything else that is edible. It might be O.K. as a face moisturizer, I'm not sure.
So I might be biased.
This homemade mayonnaise recipe is a 1-1-1-1 ratio. Kind of. Everything is a different measurement but they're all 1's.
Table of Contents
Why Not Just Buy Mayo?
Let's get this out of the way. Homemade mayonnaise manages to be tangy and rich with a creamy texture in a way store bought could never be. It's all about the mouth feel. Once you taste it you'll understand what mayo is supposed to taste like.
The How to Video
Here we go! The world's easiest and most fool proof mayonnaise but it DOES REQUIRE one special tool. And without it, you're sunk.
You're not sunk, this tool just makes making mayonnaise easy, plus clean up is easy.
Enter the immersion blender. It's easy to clean, you can add all your ingredients at once (instead of having to drizzle the oil in with a thin stream), plus it makes perfectly emulsified mayo in record time.
You can also use a food processor or hand whisking to make mayo. Just don't hand whisk if you have carpel tunnel syndrome. Or rotator cuff issues. And if you can't do the flexed arm hang for upwards of 4 hours you probably want to pass on hand whisking as well.
It's the immersion aka stick blender that will turn making mayonnaise from a chore into something as fun as ... I don't know, as fun as a good sneeze?
Ingredients
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup of light tasting oil vegetable oil
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
Crack one room temperature egg into the blender's cup. Any tall and slender container will do. Make sure you don't break the yolk.
Add 1 healthy teaspoon of dijon mustard.
Add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Bottled is fine. Seriously. Don't worry about it. Who are these lunatics who demand fresh lemon juice for everything?? Screw it.
Add 1 cup of neutral tasting oil like canola or vegetable oil. Let the canola oil hating begin ...
Yes you can use olive oil if you want to but it will taste weird. Trust me on this.
Place your immersion blender's blade DIRECTLY over the yolk, so it gets encased in the bell of the blender.
See? The yolk is right inside.
Turn the blender on while holding it firmly down on the bottom of the container. DO. NOT. MOVE. IT. Don't whirl it around, don't lift it up and down, don't MOVE it. Just keep the blender over the yolk on the bottom of the container.
Once no more oil is being mixed in, slowly raise the blender straight up. This will suck the oil on top down below. You want to try to maintain suction. You'll get to a certain point where the suction breaks and then, and ONLY then can you move the blender up and down a few times to make sure all the oil on top is mixed in.
Add a pinch of salt. Whirr with blender quickly. Taste. Add more salt if you want.
That's it. It'll be thick and rich right from the get go, but once you refrigerate it it gets even thicker. THIS is the only mayonnaise I use now because it's so easy to make.
(total lie - I sometimes buy mayonnaise)
Mayonnaise from the store is insanely shelf stable and keeps in the fridge for about as long as a mummy will keep in a crypt. Which seems strange for something made out of raw egg. Suspicious even.
But that's the reason I also use store bought mayonnaise.
Every time I make the mayonnaise I just add a piece of masking tape to the top of the jar with the date I made it and the date it'll be expired by. You think you'll remember when you made it and how long it'll last but you won't.
I guarantee you won't. You can't even remember what you had for dinner 2 nights ago.
Ingredients
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup of light tasting oil vegetable oil
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to container of immersion blender (or wide mouth mason jar).
- Place blender directly over the egg and hold in place touching the bottom of the container.
- Keeping the blender touching the bottom of the container, turn it on and mix until the oil stops incorporating.
- Slowly raise the blender from the bottom of the container, maintaining the vacuum, to incorporate the rest of the oil.
- Once the vacuum seal is broken, mix up and down a couple of more times and you're done.
Nutrition
You can thank Betty for this post. My mother asked me 14 times how to make homemade mayonnaise from scratch. She was here one day as I was doing it and she was stunned, amused and amazed at how easy it is to do when you know a couple of tricks.
The only troublesome trick is you have to remember those couple of tricks.
Betty - What was it again? A Tablespoon of dijon?
Karen - No. No, a teaspoon.
Betty - O.K., but a cup of sugar, right.
Karen - OMG NO. There's no sugar in it.
Betty - O.K. so dijon, vinegar, and oil. I feel like I'm missing something.
Karen - The egg. The main ingredient is the egg. And there's no vinegar, it's lemon juice.
Betty - Oh that's right. I can't ever seem to remember this. Now why is there no sugar in the cake?
Karen - Because it isn't cake. It's mayonnaise.
Betty tends to think about 17 things at once and therefore has trouble focusing on simple tasks like remembering recipes or listening to entire sentences.
Like the glass Weck Jar? Me too. Get 'em here.
Like the round cutting board? Make one yourself for about $5!
I know people hate vegetable and canola oil but they really are the best tasting oils to use. If you're going to be persnickety and insist on the inclusion of olive oil, make sure it is a very light olive oil.
O.K. I'm going to be honest here. I won't eat it after 1 week. But most recommendations agree that homemade mayonnaise will last 2 weeks in a refrigerator.
Try substituting the egg with ¼ cup of milk or ¼ cup of aquafaba aka the liquid on top of a can of chickpeas!
If you already own an immersion blender and you haven't been making mayonnaise this way I'm kindda stunned you're still here reading these final sentences. Grab that blender. It's time to make cake. ;)
I just made this last night with the homemade Dijon mustard I had on hand it is so delicious! Thank you for bringing this into my life!
omg, lol. That's really taking it up a step. Homemade dijon! ~ karen
good god woman! this time you really done it, you outdone yer glorious self. here i am pumping my magic wand up and down like a plunger in a clogged up shitter and wonder why nothing comes together. i tried it your way and looood have mercy did it come out fantastic!
holy wow!!!! i threw in a few herbs and a bit of garlic and made my neighbor try it. he liked it too. ha! another food item i prepared for him that turned him around to liking it after all.
this is genius. thanks a million
karin
LOL, I'm glad it changed your mayonnaise making world! You know what's funny? I first learned about this tip when I was a teenager! There was an infomercial that ran late at night. It was the very first immersion blender I'd ever seen and they made mayonnaise and made it clear THIS was the trick to getting it right. She also made skim milk into "whipped topping". She was great, sounded like she smoked 5 packs a day and chased them with moonshine. I wish I could remember the name of the product. ~ karen!
So...what did she blend into her moonshine?
Has anyone tried this with pasteurized eggs?
Sorry, Karen, you were answering just as I was posting!
Two Questions:
1. Momma told me to never eat raw eggs.....how is this different....or safe.
2. How much of the straw bedding from the egg needs to go into the recipe to come out correctly?
No more than 17 strands of straw, no less than 1. Raw eggs are fine to eat unless you have a delicate immune system (very old, very young, pregnant). If you're still worried, pasteurized eggs from the store are especially safe. ~ karen!
It's pretty easy to pasteurize eggs at home. Salmonella doesn't survive temperatures in excess of 136ºF. Room temp eggs in a pan of warm water heated to (and kept at) 140ºF or so for about 5 minutes. Use a thermometer. You don't want to cook them. If your eggs are not candled break each one into a small bowl before adding to whatever you are preparing so you don't contaminate the whole batch with one rotten egg.
I have also lacto-fermented mayo by stirring a tsp of whey and leaving the jar out on the counter overnight and putting it in the fridge in the morning.
For the uninitiated, whey is the liquid left over after you drain yoghurt to make tzatziki or other thickened yoghurt dips. The lacto bacillus eat up any lurking microbes and extend the shelf life of the product.
Seriously, though, homemade mayo never lasts long enough for spoilage to be an issue.
I'm only 1 of those 3, so should be safe. Several others said to have all ingredients at room temp. That means the egg straight from the nest would be better than an egg straight from the fridge. I think I will use the 20% discount Bed Bath & Beyond keep offering and grab an immersion blender. I love your blogs....info w humor....great read.
I have used cold eggs with broken yolks plenty of times, it works. I also plunge my scalloped Cuisinart up and down, it works. Always works. My favorite recipe is complicated with paprika and 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp white vinegar. Every time I cuss and think it's ridiculous but I keep doing it that way. It's so fabulous. It's supposed to be a Duke's Mayo copy cat recipe. Also, use a straight sided mason jar and it's ready for a lid when you're done.
And please *unplug* the blender *before* you lick it.
I cannot imagine the pain and suffering from shredding my tongue. Not gonna happen. Just bought a Cuisinart Smart Stick with a safety switch. They say you have to be 2% smarter than the equipment you use. And that knowledge is reading the instructions, experience is what-ever-the-hell happens if you don't!!!!! Thanks for the advice.
Ummmm, is it wrong if I licked the blender clean like I it was cake batter? Cuz that just happened....
Um, no, it'd be weird if you didn't do that. Of course. I just made this mayo about half an hour ago and licked off as much as possible. ~ karen!
Read it. Made it. Will never buy mayo again. Awesome, and I don't use that word lightly, or ever.
You can't see it, but I'm bowing to you right now.
BTW, my immersion blender had scalloped edges and it worked fine.
Good to know about the scalloped edges. Isn't it hilariously easy and delicious? It's crazy!! Crazy I say! O.k. you can stop bowing now, although I do like and appreciate it. ~ karen!
So . . . do you think it would work with bacon fat? Not hot but still liquid.
I mean . . . mayo with bacon overtones? I could do that!
Sure, why not! I add bacon fat to potato salad and a little goes a long way. So I'd just start with a couple of tablespoons probably. Just remove 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and sub in the bacon fat. ~ karen!
Okay, I'm going to do it! I bought an immersion blender yesterday so I'm all set. Thanks!
I make it with bacon fat just warm enough to be clear, half and half with coconut oil also same consistency. I think I used balsamic vinegar last time. It hardens up in the fridge but spreads nicely. Just leave it on the counter awhile to soften up if needed. This is awesome in potato salad with chopped bacon, of course. Also awesome straight out of the jar on a spoon if you are my 3-year old granddaughter who I caught doing just that last week. Nothing bad happened to her if you don't count me confiscating the mayo.
What happens to it after 7 days? Or, 9?
The sky opens up and the big bad salmonella monster reaches down and shakes your guts out. Or something like that. ~ karen!
I don't have an immersion blender but I've made mayo in a normal blender and it's very good - the secret is to add the oil veeeerrrrry slowly at the end. Painfully slowly.
I killed my immersion blender. KILLED IT.
You're motivating me to buy another. Which is the only Amazon link missing here, GF... what on earth? Are you trying to end up in the poorhouse? I even have a couple of weck jars AND... a giant Costco vat of indestructo-mayo unopened in the cupboard. I wonder if I could return that... I bet I could! I needa make my own since my full-size tomatoes are now starting to ripen. :)
There is a link you dirty liar! It's a really gross, old looking immersion blender but there's definitely a link. I tried to find one that was most similar to mine because I know it works so well. Ate my first full sized tomato today! ~ karen!
What? Where? WHUH???
I am not particularly upset about the link, but the very idea that someone in your geographic zone could be eating homegrown tomatoes before me is utterly mortifying. You buy your seedlings, right? Next year, let's confer on when they materialize in Home Depot, because I kept pounding on that door and getting nowhere.
Is this one of those weirdo heirloom plants? I actually looked and apparently the record heat here has kicked the ripening process forward but yeah, it won't be until at least Saturday, probably Sunday. (And I'm NOT sharing with the dinner guests. NOT.)
No, no, no. I grow everything (mostly everything) from seed. Definitely all my tomatoes! Although I got everything in reallyyyyy late this year because it took so long to get my garden built. The tomato variety that had a ripe tomato yesterday was Juliet. Which I'll admit isn't a full, full sized tomato. More like the size of a paste tomato. ~ karen!
Ugh. Well.. now you know what I'm going to have to do next year. And guess what? The last time I remember starting plants from seeds was when we brought home 1/2 pint milk cartons from school lunch for a month. This is where the cardboard egg cartons come in, yes? Then into smaller pots. Then into the ground? I swear, I will be eating tomatoes earlier next year or my name isn't Karen Berte... er, Marti J.
And since the last time I bought from Burpee, I got $20 worth of no rhubarb, I'll be needing that seed company's name.... when its time to order. Knowing me, I'll order in... February.
Until then, I'll be happy with the softball sized monster that will be ready to eat on Sunday. :)
Am I being paranoid to worry about the raw egg thing..otherwise it looks and sound yummy.
Thanks for this recipe! I just bought an immersion blender and am loving it. I bought mine second hand. I always wanted one and kept seeing them at the thrift stores so decided to give it a whirl. LOVE it! So far I've made hummus, black bean dip and and a few fresh fruit slushies. And I used it yesterday to blend up some roasted cherry tomato sauce that was too chunky for my wimpy family. Since mine didn't come with any extras or a recipe book, I would love to know if you have any other recipes I could try? Thanks a bunch!
PS - I have a chopper, a blender and a food processor but I love how much easier the clean up is with an immersion blender.
I've always wanted an immersion blender and now have the perfect reason to get one. Thanks for the easy way to make good, real mayo which I love. (Hellmans not Miracle Whip.) I do worry about the raw egg - what about if I buy local, fresh eggs? I sure wish I still had my own chickens!
I only use rapeseed oil (=low/no taste), and - I don't think you've mentioned it: All ingredients should have room temperature. If the mayo becomes a little runny, I just add a little more oil, which thickens the mix. I never use the metal blender as it gets warm, which increases the runniness of the mayonnaise.
I was a little surprised, though, to see that you use the whole egg, not just the egg yolk. When using only the yolk, you end up also having one of the two neccessary ingredients for making meringue!!
Anne, rapeseed is canola.
Yes.... I know that......?
In the 1970s, the Rapeseed Association of Canada chose the name "canola" to represent "Can" for Canada, and "ola" for oil.
Thanks for the recipe, Karen, and the straight goods on "raw" eggs. Your blender looks exactly like mine! I bought mine from The Shopping Channel (Toronto) and it was called, if I remember, the Daily Immersion Blender. It was about $99 and came with a wall-mounted stand and included about three more blades - cutting blade and a whipping cream type blade plus it included a coffee grinder-type attachment for well ... grinding coffee beans. It's now, at least, 25 or more years old and still works like a charm.
This is also very good when made with red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. Mustard is not essential if you want to omit it. I use 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup neutral oil, like avocado oil. 1/2 tsp. salt is perfect, and can be added at the beginning with everything else.
A really easy, fool-proof recipe.
How long do I bake 'this cake?
I have all of this! Sounds like BLTs for dinner tonight.....I'm throwin' basil into the mayo at the end. Mmmmmmm
Magic bullet did not work for me. glucky mess.
Helpful. Thanks! Wondered about those little bitty blenders.
Yay! Guess what I bought during Amazon Prime Day? I love my new immersion blender! I used it for the first time yesterday to make cherry chipotle BBQ sauce. Just blended the crap out of the tomatos and cherries right in the pot, easiest cleanup EVER! And now I will make mayonnaise! Thanks Karen!