Make your own mayonnaise!

Make Your Own Mayonnaise
 

Not only can you use mayonnaise on salads and in pasta salads or potato salad, it also is a necessary ingredient for ranch dressing, which you can make with homemade buttermilk. Mayonnaise falls into the “you can make that at home?” category because most people have never eaten homemade mayonnaise. Yes, in less than five minutes, with only four ingredients, you can make mayonnaise with either a blender or food processor.

  • 2 fresh eggs (or one egg and two egg yolks)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice or wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups oil
  • optional spices: 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 teaspoon dill weed, 1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika

I made mayonnaise for twenty years using two eggs and then learned that the yolk really does most of the work, so if you are using egg whites for something else (like quiche), you can use one whole egg and two yolks. Put the eggs in a food processor or blender and blend for 30 seconds. Add the salt and lemon juice or vinegar and blend until mixed, maybe another 15 seconds, and then slowly add the oil in a little dribble with the blender still on high.

Most traditional mayonnaise recipes include the dry mustard as a standard ingredient, but I often don’t use it, and I don’t see much difference in flavor. If you are planning to use the mayonnaise in a pasta salad or potato salad, you can add the spices from your recipe while the mix is still in the blender. About once a year for variety, I’ll make a Cajun mayonnaise by adding 1 tablespoon of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of paprika.

The is an excerpt from Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living by Deborah Niemann.

mayonnaise

9 thoughts on “Make your own mayonnaise!”

    • Most people will tell you a week or so, but we’ve used it for a few weeks. The vinegar is a preservative, so just make sure you use the full amount in the recipe.

      Reply
    • It’s really up to you, depending upon your tastes. Avocado and sunflower oil both have a fairly neutral flavor. I’ve tried olive oil and wasn’t a fan of the taste, even though I love olive oil and vinegar on a salad.

      Reply
  1. Thank you for this…I am truly excited to try making my very own mayo 🙂 I htink i’ll be adding th emustard and dill for a spud salad! YUM!

    Reply
  2. I love mayonnaise! I use the 1 egg and 2 yolks. This is exactly like my recipe. I put eggs, salt into a mason jar, then the oil. I stick blend it with pulses until it forms, then slowly (slowly!) bring is up until all the oil emulsified. At the end, I add the vinegar. Much easier, in my opinion, than the food processor.

    I use avocado oil — olive oil is way too bitter.

    The dry mustard isn’t for flavor — it is to help thicken the egg yolk. If you are having problems getting the mayonnaise to hold then mustard will help.

    Also, typically I add the vinegar or lemon juice at end, since it is a water component and will dilute yolk. So, if you are having problems, then this is something else that you could try.

    Lastly, the quality of eggs really matters! Sometimes I had epic fail with store bought eggs and sometimes with my eggs! I found that if my chickens weren’t getting enough protein then the yolks were weak and couldn’t hold the oil.

    Mayonnaise fails are so defeating! I hope this helps someone.

    Reply
    • It will physically work with any oil, but do keep in mind that the oil is the major part of the flavor, so if you don’t love the flavor of the oil, you probably won’t love the flavor of the mayonnaise.

      Reply

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