Mayonnaise

5 from 3 votes

Recipe video above. Here is how I make mayonnaise. I find using an electric beater to be the easiest and most foolproof for a single-egg size batch. It's essentially like hand whisking, except the electric beater does all the work!

I insist on just using just yolks - using a whole egg just doesn't have the same mouthfeel, it tastes watered down in comparison because egg whites are mostly just water.

Variations - Add garlic to turn it into aioli, or lemon zest for lemon mayonnaise, parsley for green mayo or sriracha for spicy. So many possibilities!

Makes 3/4 cup. Scaling up - See Note 2, I use a food processor.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: homemade mayonnaise, how to make mayonnaise, mayonnaise recipe

Servings: cups

Calories: 1346cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

1 egg yolk from a large egg (~50 - 55g / 2 oz), fridge cold is fine
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, plus more as desired
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (substitute yellow mustard, not hot English mustard)
1/4 tsp heaped cooking salt / kosher salt
Pinch white pepper (substitute black pepper - but they will be visible)
2/3 cup grapeseed oil or other plain flavoured oil , or up to 50% extra virgin olive oil (Note 1)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

My electric beater method (safest, easiest):

Mix yolk - Place everything except the oil in a bowl. Give it a quick beat with an electric beater to combine the ingredients.
Slow pour and constant beating - With the electric beater running on medium-low (speed 5 of 10), start pouring in the oil in a thin, steady stream. Aim for the beaters so it's mixed in straight away. Continue with the remaining oil in the same thin stream, increasing the beater speed up to medium high, pausing the pour whenever needed to give the mayonnaise a chance to catch up and absorb the oil before adding more.
Finish by hand - Stop beating once all the oil is added and beaten in, do not keep beating unnecessarily (it can make it split). Use a rubber spatula to scoop around the bowl to catch any residual oil splatters and it in.
Voila! Homemade mayonnaise! It should be the consistency of softened butter. Use as you do shop-bought mayonnaise, though it's so beautiful you could even just spread it on warm bread like butter (Try it. It's amazing!)

Hand whisked (requires arm stamina!):

Follow the same steps as the electric beater but use a hand whisk instead. While constantly whisking, pour the oil in a thin steady stream onto the spot where the whisk is moving. Set your bowl on a damp teal towel to stop it from moving.

Notes

Raw egg note - Mayonnaise is made with raw egg, so not recommended for pregnant or immune compromised people. If you want to be cautious and can get pasteurised eggs, use those instead - they have been heat-treated to kill harmful bacteria without cooking the egg. It's sold in some stores in the US, but not Australia (generally only available commercially).

-----------------------

1. Best oil for mayonnaise - I like grapeseed oil which has a clean neutral flavour. Else use any other neutral flavoured oil - sunflower, canola, vegetable oil, or even a light olive oil. For non-seed, use a refined avocado oil.

Extra virgin olive oil - Don't use just this as the flavour can overwhelm, also beating can make it more bitter. But you can use a mix, up to 50% of the oil.

2. Scaling up - For scaling up to 3x, the electric beater method is practical and safe.

For a quadruple batch or more, you can use a food processor because there is enough volume for the mixture to catch on the blades. Just put everything except the oil in a food processor and give it a quick blitz to combine. Then with the blades turning, slowly pour the oil through the feeder until all the oil is in. And your mayo is done! Make sure the food processor you're using is large enough for the volume of mayonnaise you're making, plus headroom for mixing.

Stick blender "all-in" method - High risk for a single batch of this recipe, safer with a double or triple batch and recommended for experienced cooks only. Put everything including the oil in a tall jug just wide enough to fit the head of the stick blender (important). Place the blend in the jug on top of the yolks Keep it pressed on the base of the jug and start blitzing, then slowly start to pull up as you see the emulsion forming. Once the mayo comes together, stop blitzing unnecessarily else it can split. To mix in stray bits of oil, better to use a small whisk or fork.

Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Nutrition for whole batch.

Nutrition