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Home / Kitchen Tips / How to Cook / How to Make Mayonnaise

How to Make Mayonnaise

10 mins
| Leave a Comment |
5 from 1 vote
Jump to Recipe 04/10/21 | Updated: 04/10/21 | by Nora
How to Make Mayonnaise Image Pin

Want to learn how to make homemade mayonnaise? This recipe is made with a few simple ingredients and the traditional technique for a delicious homemade condiment. With step by step photos and lots of tips!

overhead view of homemade mayonnaise in glass measuring jug with metal whisk stuck in

I have to confess, I’m not the biggest fan of store-bought mayonnaise dishes. But a batch of homemade one? I absolutely love it.

Making mayonnaise may be simple, but it’s not hands-off work. You do need to do a lot of whisking, and you need to follow the technique closely. But it’s very rewarding to eat homemade mayo, so it’s worth it to me 😉

Jump to:
  • Ingredients you’ll need
  • How to make Mayonnaise
  • Recipe tips
  • Mayonnaise FAQs
  • Storage tips
  • Recipe ideas
  • Printable recipe
  • More homemade condiments and sauces

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for homemade mayonnaise with text labels
Ingredients for homemade Mayonnaise: Neutral vegetable oil, egg yolks, white vinegar OR pickle juice, lemon juice, mustard and salt.

Ingredient notes

  • Egg yolks: The USDA recommends using in-shell pasteurized egg yolks to safely make homemade mayonnaise. I personally choose to use correctly refrigerated, organic grad AA raw egg yolks. Use what you are comfortable with, but I would only recommend using the freshest, highest-quality eggs for this recipe.
  • Oil: You must use a neutral vegetable oil to make mayonnaise! Otherwise, it will taste off. Safflower, canola or grapeseed all work great. I’ve also heard people like peanut oil or avocado oil, but I never tried it myself. I know many recipes call for olive oil, but I never use it for mayo. If you absolutely want to use olive oil, please use a light one that doesn’t have a strong taste.
  • Mustard: The mustard helps a great deal with the emulsification, so please do not skip it. If you can’t have mustard, leave it out but know that your mayo may be a little more difficult to whisk.
  • Lemon juice/salt/vinegar: These ingredients are key to a delicious mayonnaise. You need the acid to offset the richness, and you need the salt to make the mayo tasty. Season to taste once all of the oil has been added, just be mindful of the amount of vinegar you add – if you add too much, your mayonnaise can split (I have added up to 6 tablespoons without any issues).

Chef’s tip: Secret ingredient!

My husband is a classically trained chef with years of experience in high-end professional hotel and restaurant kitchens. He told me he was taught to add pickle juice instead of vinegar to mayonnaise – and truly, it is my favorite ingredient to add!

Make sure to use tart/brine-y pickle juice, and not one from more sweet pickles. I always buy French-style Cornichon pickles from Maille and they have the best liquid for mayonnaise!

overhead view of opened glass of Cornichon pickles

How to make Mayonnaise

1. Place a damp cloth on your work surface, then place your egg yolks in a large measuring jug or wide bowl (mine holds 4 cups) and sit it on the damp cloth.

The cloth will help to keep your bowl in place when you’re whisking the mayonnaise while pouring in the oil, and it will make it more comfortable to rest the bowl while while whisking the yolks initially.

  • female hand placing down blue cloth on marble countertop
    add damp cloth on work surface
  • female hands placing glass measuring jug containing two egg yolks on blue cloth on marble surface
    place bowl on top

2. Whisk your egg yolks for 2-3 minutes, until pale in color and frothy with increased volume. Add the mustard and whisk for 1-2 more minutes.

Make sure to scrape the sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula before starting to add the oil – you want all of the egg yolk to emulsify with the oil.

  • female hand whisking egg yolks in glass measuring jug sitting on top of a blue cloth
    egg yolks before whisking
  • egg yolks in glass measuring jug after having been whisked
    egg yolks after whisking
  • egg yolks in glass measuring jug after having been whisked together with mustard
    with mustard whisked in
  • female hand scraping sides of glass measuring jug with pink spatula
    scrape sides before adding the oil

3. Start slowly pouring in the oil while constantly whisking vigorously. I do about 1 tablespoon at a time, quickly pause to fully whisk in the oil, then slowly pour in another tablespoon, all while constantly whisking.

Stop once you have added about half of the oil.

  • female hand pouring oil into glass measuring jug with whisked egg yolks
    slowly whisk in oil
  • oil in mayonnaise mixture before being whisked in fully
    mixture will appear split when more oil is added
  • oil in mayonnaise mixture after being whisked in fully
    keep whisking to bring it together
  • one glass measuring jug half-filled with oil and wine glass measuring jug filled with half-made mayonnaise on marble surface
    stop once half the oil is added

4. Whisk in 1 tablespoon vinegar to loosen the mixture (this makes it a little easier to whisk once you add the remaining oil). The vinegar will also lighten the color of your mayonnaise.

  • half-made mayonnaise in glass measuring jug with metal whisk stuck inside
    before adding vinegar
  • half-made mayonnaise with vinegar stirred in
    after adding vinegar

5. Slowly pour in the remaining oil while constantly whisking to keep the mixture smooth.

The mayonnaise will be pretty thick at this point, and it will taste pretty rich and bland – don’t freak out, this is normal and will change once we season it.

  • female hand pouring oil into glass measuring jug with mayonnaise
    slowly whisk in remaining oil
  • homemade mayonnaise in glass measuring jug with whisk sitting on blue cloth
    mayonnaise will be thick

6. Finally, season your mayonnaise with lemon juice, salt and vinegar (or pickle juice!) – you will need to check the taste continuously and keep adding vinegar/pickle juice and salt until your mayo is to your taste.

  • homemade mayonnaise in glass measuring jug before adding seasoning
    before adding salt/vinegar
  • homemade mayonnaise in glass measuring jug after adding seasoning
    after adding salt/vinegar

Keep in mind, the vinegar loosens the mayonnaise and adding too much can cause it to split. I have added up to 6 tablespoons to this recipe without any issue, but just be mindful and whisk it in gradually.

And with that, your mayonnaise is done!

close up photo of homemade mayonnaise in glass measuring jug with metal whisk

Recipe tips

  • Homemade Mayonnaise is simple, but it does take a lot of active work for about 10 minutes. You must keep whisking to incorporate all of the oil, otherwise your mayo will not come together.
  • If your mayo tastes bland/oily and seems too thick before you’re seasoning it, don’t worry! That’s normal. The vinegar (or pickle juice) will offset the richness and also give the mayo the right consistency.
  • Make sure to salt your mayonnaise enough, else it will be bland. I recommend salting little by little and stirring in your salt with a spoon once you have added your vinegar, in order to avoid overmixing the mayo.
  • You can technically make mayonnaise in a food processor or using an immersion blender, but not everyone owns these gadgets, so I decided to share the traditional method using a whisk. The immersion blender method in particular does need some skill and needs to be done very carefully; and I do personally prefer the whisk method. Also, every kind of motorized blender produces more heat than hand whisking, which can affect the quality of the oil and therefore the mayo. And it’s easier to break the emulsion with a blender, too. This recipe really doesn’t take too much time, so I believe for the best result, we don’t need to resort to shortcuts.
  • If you use pasteurized egg yolks and are wondering what to do with the pasteurized egg whites you have left over, make some extra-airy Tiramisu!

Mayonnaise FAQs

What causes mayonnaise to thicken?

The egg yolk contains molecules (called lecithin) that stick to both water and oil, which creates an emulsion. This is what causes mayonnaise to thicken.

Can you over whisk mayonnaise?

Yes, you can. The two tricks to making mayonnaise are to add the oil slowly and to whisk quickly; but once all of the oil (and at the end the seasoning) has been incorporated, do not keep whisking. Otherwise, you could break your emulsion.

This is also one of the reasons why I prefer to hand-whisk mayo vs using a blender or food processor – it is much harder to over-beat and therefore break your emulsion when hand whisking.

How do you fix broken mayonnaise?

Don’t worry, you can fix your broken mayo. Either beat another egg yolk, or beat a teaspoon of mustard in a new bowl.

Slowly add your broken mayo, beating it well. Once all of your mayo has been added, it should be re-emulsified.

How do you get the oil smell out of mayonnaise?

First of all, use the right oil. Many people swear by light olive oil, but I generally prefer safflower, grapeseed or canola oil for the least oil smell/taste.

Secondly, mayonnaise is mostly oil, so you need to add other ingredients to offset this richness/oiliness. Vinegar (pickle jucie!), mustard and lemon juice not only support the emulsion, but they also make the mayonnaise taste less overwhelmingly oily.

Storage tips

Once you have e made your mayo, store it in a clean jar with a lid in the fridge. It should last for 5-7 days.

Always remove mayo with a clean spoon and immediately refrigerate leftovers again. Do not let your homemade mayonnaise sit out at room temperature for any length of time (I mean, 5 minutes while you’re whipping up a sauce or dressing is fine).

When we use this as a condiment with dinner everyone serves themselves from, I spoon some into a small bowl and keep the rest refrigerated.

overhead view of mayonnaise un a glass jar with spoon stuck inside

Recipe ideas

There are many ways to use your homemade mayo, apart from using it for vegetable sticks and to slather on basically everything 😉

Keep in mind to refrigerate dishes you make with homemade mayonnaise, and to not leave salads made with homemade mayo out on a BBQ buffet or on the counter. They need to go back into the fridge immediately.

  • Make a creamy dill potato salad
  • Use it in a macaroni salad or coleslaw
  • Make extra-delicious deviled eggs
  • Use it for chicken salad
  • Make homemade sauces, like Chick-Fil-A Sauce or Chipotle Mayo

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Printable recipe

Printable Recipe Card
overhead view of homemade mayonnaise in glass measuring jug with metal whisk stuck in
Save Recipe Saved!

Homemade Mayonnaise

Want to learn how to make homemade mayonnaise? This recipe is made with a few simple ingredients and the traditional technique for a delicious homemade condiment.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of mayonnaise, feel free to cut it in half if you want to make less.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 1 vote
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 10 mins
Total 10 mins
Servings 32 tablespoons
Difficulty Medium

Ingredients
 

  • 2 high-quality egg yolks pasteurized egg yolks are recommended
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 cups neutral vegetable oil safflower, canola or grapeseed are my favorite
  • 6 tablespoons white wine vinegar OR Cornichon pickle juice for more flavor; or use less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice or more to taste
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prep egg yolks: Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl or measuring jug until pale in color, fluffy and increased in volume (about 2-3 minutes of vigorous whisking). Add the mustard and beat for 1-2 more minutes. (Depending on the size of your bowl/measuring jug, you may need to tilt it to whisk this smaller amount properly.)
  • Add half of the oil: Start to slowly pour the oil into the eggs while continuously whisking fast. I pause the oil after each tablespoon or so to fully incorporate the oil in the bowl before slowly pouring in more.
  • Loosen mixture: Once about half of the oil has been added, stop pouring in more. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the vinegar to loosen the mixture (it will also turn paler in color).
  • Add remaining oil: Once the vinegar has been whisked in, slowly pour in the remaining oil, constantly whisking well.
  • Season: Once you have incorporated and emulsified all of the oil, you should have a very thick mayonnaise. Season with lemon juice, more vinegar (or pickle juice) and salt to taste. Keep the mayonnaise refrigerated at all times and use within 5 days.
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Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Egg yolks: The USDA recommends using in-shell pasteurized egg yolks to safely make homemade mayonnaise. I personally choose to use correctly refrigerated, organic grad AA raw egg yolks. Use what you are comfortable with, but I would only recommend using the freshest, highest-quality eggs for this recipe.
  • Oil: You must use a neutral vegetable oil to make mayonnaise! Otherwise, it will taste off. Safflower, canola or grapeseed all work great. I’ve also heard people like peanut oil or avocado oil, but I never tried it myself. I know many recipes call for olive oil, but I never use it for mayo. If you absolutely want to use olive oil, please use a light one that doesn’t have a strong taste.
  • Mustard: The mustard helps a great deal with the emulsification, so please do not skip it. If you can’t have mustard, leave it out but know that your mayo may be a little more difficult to whisk.
  • Lemon juice/salt/vinegar: These ingredients are key to a delicious mayonnaise. You need the acid to offset the richness, and you need the salt to make the mayo tasty. Season to taste once all of the oil has been added, just be mindful of the amount of vinegar you add – if you add too much, your mayonnaise can split (I have added up to 6 tablespoons without any issues).

Recipe tips

  • Homemade Mayonnaise is simple, but it does take a lot of active work for about 10 minutes. You must keep whisking to incorporate all of the oil, otherwise your mayo will not come together.
  • If your mayo tastes bland/oily and seems too thick before you’re seasoning it, don’t worry! That’s normal. The vinegar (or pickle juice) will offset the richness and also give the mayo the right consistency.
  • Make sure to salt your mayonnaise enough, else it will be bland. I recommend salting little by little and stirring in your salt with a spoon once you have added your vinegar, in order to avoid overmixing the mayo.
  • You can technically make mayonnaise in a food processor or using an immersion blender, but not everyone owns these gadgets, so I decided to share the traditional method using a whisk. The immersion blender method in particular does need some skill and needs to be done very carefully; and I do personally prefer the whisk method. Also, every kind of motorized blender produces more heat than hand whisking, which can affect the quality of the oil and therefore the mayo. And it’s easier to break the emulsion with a blender, too. This recipe really doesn’t take too much time, so I believe for the best result, we don’t need to resort to shortcuts.
  • If you use pasteurized egg yolks and are wondering what to do with the pasteurized egg whites you have left over, make some extra-airy Tiramisu!

How do you fix broken mayonnaise?

Don’t worry, you can fix your broken mayo. Either beat another egg yolk, or beat a teaspoon of mustard in a new bowl.
Slowly add your broken mayo, beating it well. Once all of your mayo has been added, it should be re-emulsified.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 3mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 16IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Condiment
Cuisine: French

More homemade condiments and sauces

  • Classic Béchamel Sauce
  • Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
  • Homemade Meatloaf Sauce

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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