Easy Homemade Mayonnaise

Written by
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Danilo Alfaro
Updated 06/23/21
Easy Homemade Mayonnaise

The Spruce / Ali Redmond
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Yield: 1 cup
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
46 Calories
4g Fat
0g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 46
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 321mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 3g
Calcium 12mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Although jarred mayo is affordable and easy to find, homemade mayonnaise is superior in taste—and surprisingly easy to make. Taking only 20 minutes, this mayonnaise recipe calls for ingredients you probably have in your pantry and fridge. What results is a creamy flavorful delight, with the benefit of no added sugar. Homemade mayo is a wonderful starting point for making all kinds of salad dressings, including ranch and Russian dressing, as well as tuna or chicken salad.

Homemade mayo is a combination of egg yolks, vinegar, oil, and lemon juice. Making mayonnaise is a matter of creating an emulsion of egg yolks and oil. The acid in the vinegar does more than add flavor—it increases the amount of oil the egg yolks are able to absorb, which makes the emulsion more stable and less easy to mess up. But those acidic ingredients are also essential flavor-wise. Egg yolks and oil are both ingredients with relatively mild flavors, so the vinegar and lemon juice and the vinegar in the Tabasco and mustard help wake things up.

A light, neutral-flavored oil like safflower or canola oil will give the best results, but once you've mastered the technique, you can start experimenting with oils that have more distinctive flavors, like walnut oil, avocado oil, or hazelnut oil. Olive oil is not recommended as its flavor will overpower the rest of the ingredients, but you can use a light olive oil if need be.

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Ingredients

  • 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
  • 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (room temperature)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • Dash of Tabasco sauce, or to taste
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (room temperature)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Homemade Mayonnaise ingredients

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  2. Using an electric hand mixer, stand mixer, or a wire whisk, whip the egg yolks for 1 to 2 minutes until they're thoroughly beaten.​

    Using a wire whisk, whip the egg yolks

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  3. Add a teaspoon of the vinegar and whisk for about 30 seconds.

    Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the egg mixture

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  4. Add the mustard, salt, and Tabasco and beat for another 30 seconds or so.​

    Add mustard, salt, and Tabasco to the egg mixture

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  5. With the mixer going full speed (or with your arm whisking as hard as it can), add the oil very slowly, as little as a drop at a time.​

    Add oil to the egg mixture

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  6. When the emulsion starts to form, add the oil a little more quickly, but keep it at a fairly moderate stream. Adding the oil too fast will break your mayonnaise.​

    Whisk the mixture while adding oil

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  7. When the emulsion thickens, add another teaspoon or so of the vinegar to thin it out. Continue adding oil, stopping occasionally to add more vinegar if the mixture gets too thick.​

    Homemade mayonnaise in a bowl

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  8. Slowly pour in the lemon juice, both to add a bit of tang as well as to achieve the right consistency.​

    Easy Homemade Mayonnaise

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  9. Use on your favorite sandwiches or in salad dressings and enjoy.

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of foodborne illness.

Tips

  • Store any unused mayonnaise in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a day or two (or longer if you use pasteurized eggs).
  • When choosing eggs to make mayonnaise, be sure they are fresh, stored properly, and void of any cracks.
  • It's important that the egg yolks be at room temperature. If you need to speed up the process, place the cold eggs in their shells in a bowl of hot tap water for about 5 minutes.
  • A stand mixer is definitely best for making mayonnaise, although an electric beater is also effective.
  • Use a glass or stainless steel bowl to make your mayonnaise. (The typical electric stand mixer features a stainless steel bowl.) Aluminum bowls react with the acids, which will cause a metallic flavor to be imparted to the mayo as well as a slightly grayish hue.

What Happens if the Emulsion Breaks?

If your emulsion should break, you can fix it by forming a new emulsion. Grab a clean bowl, add a teaspoon of lemon juice and whisk in a tablespoon or more of the broken sauce. Once that has emulsified, you can go ahead and slowly drizzle in the rest of the broken mayonnaise, while whisking continuously.


Flavored Mayonnaise

You can turn this basic recipe into something special by adding flavorful ingredients. If you like your mayo with a little kick, try spicy chipotle, horseradish, or spicy chile mayonnaise. Add some finely minced garlic to make aioli or add chopped herbs, like dill or tarragon, for fresh flavor and a bit of color. Roasted red pepper adds a little sweetness and tints the mayo a pretty pink.