Hey guys! Holy smokes it is such a beautiful day today in the San Francisco Bay area. It’s sunny, the flowers are starting to bloom, the birds are singing and there is so much to be grateful for. Today has been a rough week for me, but knowing I have so many supportive people in my life and live on such a magical planet really puts any woes into perspective. I’m so blessed to be alive and I’m so blessed to have supportive readers such as yourself! Thank you for reading what I have to put out there and thank you for the continuous love. You humble and encourage me more than I know how to express.
Today we are making something really simple, but something I consider a bit of a lost art: homemade mayonnaise! To be honest I really didn’t like mayonnaise growing up, I used to ask for it to be left off of things and I never thought I’d see the day I’d enjoy it. But here is the thing, it’s like saying you don’t like sushi when all you’ve eaten is the grocery store variety. I feel like I’d never really had the true stuff. When I made homemade mayonnaise it opened me up to a world I never really knew. One of real food, made from scratch and made from love. Making homemade mayonnaise was one of the first things that pushed me into really pursuing how to make things from scratch, because it was so much healthier and so much better. Plus it’s fun and easy to do!
If any of you reading this have tried to make homemade mayonnaise you may be shaking your head in disbelief at me saying it’s easy. Haha I used to watch videos of people just putting an egg yolk and some oil in a mason jar, adding an immersion blender and coming out with perfect homemade mayonnaise in seconds. I would try and try and all I got was an oily soup, waste of resources and disappointment. But then I read a simple tip from Nourished Kitchen (one of my favorite real food blogs) to add 1 tbsp of water to your batch. I’ve never had homemade mayonnaise fail to come together ever again and I never looked back!
Homemade mayonnaise is rich, it’s refreshing and it’s incredibly versatile. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut when it comes to using ingredients and condiments in the same way, so what can you use homemade mayonnaise for? So glad you asked! Obviously you can spread it on bread for any sandwich but there is so much more than that; try it with deviled eggs, lobster rolls, egg salad, chicken, potato or tuna salad, with artichokes, spicy tuna rolls, homemade ranch dressing, or to moisten certain baked goods. Please feel free to add any other ideas in the comments, the limit is your imagination!
Homemade mayonnaise is also actually quite healthy! I like to use avocado oil, because it is pretty much flavorless and quite good for you too. With an omega fatty acid nutritional breakdown similar to olive oil; high potassium, folate and magnesium; and the ability to help us absorb carotenoids (plant versions of vitamin A) there is nothing to sneeze at. The other main ingredient egg yolks are high in vitamins D, E, A, Choline and many other essential nutrients. Remember an egg is supposed to have enough nutrients to support the growth of a life and so therefore it is one of the most nutrient dense things we can eat. A squirt of lemon, salt, water, a pinch of mustard powder and a dash of cayenne (if you want) and you’ve got mayonnaise. Oh! And a whole lot of whisking if you want to forgo the hand mixer and get an arm workout.
To make homemade mayonnaise you combine all the ingredients except for the avocado oil in a glass bowl and then SLOWLY add the avocado oil while whisking. I mean SLOWLY. Like add one drop, whisk for 10 seconds, add another drop and whisk that in… once it starts emulsifying (getting thick and creamy) you can add the avocado oil in a semi continuous THIN stream, but really don’t rush the process! It takes about 5 minutes to come together with a hand mixer and a little longer with a whisk. You may feel impatient whisking vigorously until your arm falls off, but it is well worth the wait.
*Make sure to use truly pasture raised eggs (best to find at the farmers’ market or from a friend), or look for Animal Welfare Approved or pasture raised Certified Humane eggs. Please note that even these certifications do not guarantee that male chicks will not be killed at birth.
Fail proof homemade mayonnaise is healthy, flavorful and much better than the store bought stuff! Plus it's easy to whip up with just four ingredients!
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 1/4 cups avocado oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seed powder (optional)
- pinch cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk everything, but the avocado oil together in a large bowl.
- VERY slowly add avocado oil while whisking. One drop at a time, until the homemade mayonnaise starts to thicken and emulsify, then you can add it in a thin, steady stream.
- Homemade mayonnaise will keep for a couple of weeks and will thicken in the refrigerator.
