Make this homemade mayonnaise recipe in just minutes using either a food processor OR an immersion blender.
Using a handful of pantry and fridge ingredients - including your choice of oil - you can literally have mayonnaise whenever you want, saying goodbye to store bought!
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NOTE: This recipe for homemade mayonnaise was one of the recipes I published within the first months of starting An Oregon Cottage. It was (and still is) magic to me and something I wish I had known about earlier, which of course made me want to tell everyone I knew about how incredibly easy is is to make mayonnaise at home. It's one of the core "pantry basic" recipes, along with things like ketchup, chocolate syrup, and bread crumbs.
And so, after all these years, I felt this deserved to be updated with all new photos and another even easier method to make it (I know - as if, right?). You guys - please make this! I swear after making it just once you'll feel silly buying it - even 'specialty' mayos because YOU can decide the type of oil and flavorings you add to it! (This doesn't mean I don't still occasionally buy it, lured by "Harrissa" on the label or something - but I do feel silly, lol.)
I don't know why it took so long for me to make homemade mayonnaise. It takes less than 10 minutes total including clean up, and costs just pennies. The main ingredients are eggs and oil, which we always have on hand. I guess it was because like the other pantry basics, we grew up seeing them purchased at the store and never thought about making them at home.
In fact, I probably wondered if mayonnaise even could be made at home. Which is kind of sad, because it is an old, time-honored recipe dating from the 18th century that was obviously always homemade.
Now after making it myself I want to let everyone know you CAN make it, too!
Does it always work?
Since publishing this recipe, I've heard that some people have had trouble with the egg and oil emulsifying. Here are a couple keys to making your homemade mayonnaise foolproof:
- Have all your ingredients at room temperature. TIP: To bring your egg to room temperature quickly, immerse it in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes.
- Use the right tool: I show how to use either a food processor or a hand-held immersion blender, but you can also use a regular blender using the food processor steps (you'll probably have to scrape the sides a bit more).
If you have one of these tools, all the other ingredients are things we usually have on hand in our pantries and refrigerators, making it actually quicker to make than to run to the store to buy it!
The Tools I Recommend for This Recipe:
- Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender
- Cuisniart Pro Classic Food Processor
- 1 Cup Glass Measure
- Wide Mouth Mason Jars
- Flat Nylon Scraper Spatula
Homemade Mayonnaise Two Easy Ways
Ingredients
At it's core mayo is just:
- oil
- egg
- a little salt
This is whirred up until thick (think about that the next time you pick up a jar at the store and look at the label...).
You can make it this basic if you want, though you'd need to add a bit of water instead of the vinegar or lemon to help bind and keep the egg and oil from separating.
But if you look at any of the labels on storebought mayo, you'll see that there are almost always other ingredients including vinegar and spices.
I used to think it was just "salad dressings" like Miracle Whip that had these ingredients until I started reading labels and realized that traditional mayo has some, too. (Just not the sugar - definitely not the sugar.)
So to the main ingredients we'll add:
- a little vinegar (or lemon juice)
- garlic powder
- Dijon mustard
The last two are optional and can be omitted or adjusted to your tastes, or you can try other seasonings. Add lots of fresh garlic and you have an ailoi for dipping, add a tablespoon of Sriracha and you have a slightly spicy spread, and so on.
What oil can I use in homemade mayonnaise?
Almost any, really. Though strong extra virgin olive oils will make your mayo bitter. I've even used melted coconut oil! It created a weirdly stiff product after refrigerating, lol, but it did work. Most lighter oils work well - I look for non-industrial oils that have been expeller-pressed or cold-pressed. Here are a few I've used and recommend:
- Expeller-Pressed Safflower Oil
- Avocado Oil (as long as you're okay with green tinted mayo...)
- Sunflower Oil cold pressed here or expeller-pressed from Trader Joe's (pictured)
- Olive Oil (I purchase Costco's Organic oil and it has made a mayo that's not quite as bitter as when I used extra-virgin - I encourage testing to see what you like best.)
Now it's time to make mayonnaise (Ha - reading this will take longer than making it either way!). Following are two ways to make mayo - with a food processor or with a hand-held blender. Read through and choose which way will work best for you!
Homemade Mayo with a Food Processor
Using a food processor is the classic way to make mayonnaise and is the first way I learned how to make it.
It barely takes five minutes, including gathering the few ingredients. Even with clean up you're still under 10 minutes.
Here's how to make it:
Step 1: Add the egg and remaining ingredients - except the oil - to the bowl of a food processor.
Note: I guess I should take this moment to point out that the egg is raw and will remain raw. If that is a concern for you (usually that means elderly, toddlers, or problems with health) then you may want to steer clear of this recipe or try a pasteurized egg product. Personally, I have had no problems eating raw eggs and I know no one who has, though I've read the warnings. So I leave it up to you.
Step 2: Process all the ingredients together well, 20-30 seconds.
Step 3: With the motor running, add the oil of your choice in a slow stream.
The mayo should start to emulsify.
Step 4: Process another 10-20 seconds. Remove the cover and prepare to be amazed - there will be actual real mayonnaise (I swear, I still can't believe it's going to happen!).
Step 5: Adjust the seasonings to your taste. The first time I made it, I had to take several tastings (I used a lettuce leaf) and I wrote down what I liked so I when I made it again it would be the same.
Homemade Mayo with an Immersion Blender
Even though making mayo in a food processor is fast and easy - using an immersion blender is even faster!
You can make it right in a wide-mouth mason jar, so clean up is quicker, too. I pretty much make mayo this way now, unless I need a larger batch for something.
Just one more reason to love my immersion blender!
As if Addictive Tomato Chutney, our favorite Homemade Tomato Soup, and this delicious Cauliflower Cheese Soup, weren't enough.
Here's how to use an immersion blender to make mayonnaise:
Step 1: Add ALL of the ingredients, including the oil, to a wide-mouth pint size mason jar. This is the major difference from the food processor - you'll add the oil with the other ingredients.
Step 2: Insert the hand held blender fully into the jar. Hold the blender button down and start mixing all together. You will see it start to form mayo pretty quickly. Move the blender up and down a bit to make sure the egg is fully incorporated.
Ta-da!
Perfect mayo in minutes, all ready to go in the jar you'll be storing it in. As if making mayonnaise wasn't magic enough, right?
Not bad for 2-5 minutes of your time and being in control of all the ingredients.
How long does homemade mayonnaise last?
Either way you make it, you can store your homemade mayonnaise in a glass jar the refrigerator.
It should last more than a month. In our house only after about six weeks do the edges start to go "clear" as old mayo can do (I don't know how else to describe it...).
Oh well, now you know that with just an egg and some oil you can always make more, right?
Easy Homemade Mayonnaise - Two Methods
Ingredients
- 1 egg at room temperature*
- 1 ½ tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt**
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard optional
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder optional
- 1 cup oil*** expeller-pressed sunflower oil, avocado oil, light olive oil, etc.
Instructions
Food Processor Method:
- Add the egg to the bowl of a food processor. Add the vinegar (or lemon juice) and salt. Add any of the remaining ingredients you desire except the oil.
- Process the ingredients a couple seconds, then with the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream.
- Process another 10-20 seconds. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Hand-Held Immersion Blender Method:
- Add ALL ingredients (including oil) to a pint-sized wide mouth mason jar.
- Put the blender all the way into the jar and start blending, moving the stick up and down slightly as you see it become mayonnaise to make sure all the egg is blended in.
- Store directly in the jar!
- For both methods: store, covered, in the refrigerator for about a month.
Notes
Nutrition
Click the link below for lots more basic pantry items you can make at home!
Pantry Basics at An Oregon Cottage
Which includes things like:
- Homemade Bone Broth 4 Ways (+Bone Broth 101)
- Chewy Granola Bars Recipe
- Easy 'Refried' Beans
- Perfectly Salted Roasted Almonds
- The 20 minute Granola I have almost everyday
- and lot's more!
This recipe has been updated - it was originally published April 2009.
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