Homemade Mayonnaise, No Machines Required
Homemade Mayonnaise is better than the stuff in a jar in every single way. It needs 5 ingredients, which you probably already have and NO tech!
Making this mayo without a blender takes 10-15 minutes, and it is incredibly easy; all you need is a bit of elbow grease.
The Best Mayonnaise
The internet is full of folk arguing about the best "brand" of mayonnaise... They are all wrong, sure, a jar of mayo will do in a push but NOTHING beats homemade mayo!
But you need 74 obscure ingredients, right? Erm nope! You need 5 ingredients, all of which are probably in your cupboard.
And the tools you need are expensive tools, right? Erm... You need a heavy bowl, a cloth and a whisk.
And time, it takes forever, right? 10 minutes, that is it, and that includes resting time when your arms are tired!
This recipe is pretty much the late, great Michel Roux's classic mayo recipe.
Any dude that held Michelin stars for longer than I have been walking is alright by me!
Although he prefers vinegar in his mayo, I lean much more towards lemon juice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if my mayonnaise splits?
If you do this often enough, your mayo will split. It happens, it's usually as a result of adding the oil too quickly!
Do not panic. Stop... Hammertime! Sorry, not sorry. Weigh out the ingredients for a second batch and start again in a clean bowl.
When you have half of the oil in your new batch, start adding the split mayo a teaspoon at a time.
It will come back together. You will end up with a double batch of mayo, but on the plus side, extra mayonnaise!
Can I make this in a blender?
Yes, I have added instructions further down in the recipe. The reason that I usually make mayonnaise without a blender is that it produces a smaller batch.
If you are using a blender, then you will almost certainly need to make a double or maybe even a triple batch.
How long will homemade mayo last in the fridge?
Homemade mayonnaise will last for up to 5 days in a jar in the fridge.
Why is your mayo yellow/golden?
I always make mayonnaise with the yolk only, as far as I am concerned, it produces a richer-tasting and altogether better mayo.
Couple that with the use of rapeseed or canola oil, which are the same thing, and you end up with a beautifully coloured mayo.
A QUICK NOTE!
Mayonnaise works much better if your egg is at room temperature, which is not a problem for us Europeans, but if you are in the States, you need to plan ahead.
Serving Suggestions
What on earth can you do with some gloriously thick and delicious homemade mayo... I could make this section go on forever, but I will try to keep it short and sweet.
Flavouring mayo is where it is at; the most famous is aioli, which is essentially mayo with a boatload of garlic.
You can turn it up to 11 by making roasted garlic aioli, it's perfect for dipping your air fryer chips into!
A couple of honourable mentions go to this saffron garlic mayonnaise and this ketchup mayo sauce.
I've also got a peri peri chicken burger (pictured further up the page) with peri peri mayo, a Korean fried chicken burger with a gochujang mayonnaise (pictured below) and also a wonderful fish burger with sriracha mayonnaise.
My crab sandwich adds lime, chilli and coriander to make mayo a little lighter and zingier.
Or you could make yourself the bestest egg, mayo and cress sandwich that you've ever eaten or a killer tuna pasta salad (pictured above)!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Mixing bowl, the heavier the better to prevent it from moving around on your work surface.
- Whisk.
- A combination of measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- ½ tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 125 ml Rapeseed or Canola oil ½ Cup (get the best quality you can)
- Lemon Juice or Vinegar (to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
How to make by hand:
- Place the egg yolk and mustard into a heavy glass bowl and whisk until completely combined.
- Add half a teaspoon of oil and whisk until completely emulsified.
- Add a teaspoon of oil and whisk again until your mix is completely emulsified. Repeat this process until all of the oil is added and you have a thick mayo.
- When you have a rich creamy mayo, add in the lemon juice or vinegar and salt, then whisk again to bring everything together.
In a Food Processor *YOU WILL NEED TO DOUBLE THE RECIPE*
- Add the mustard and egg yolk into the bowl of your food processor and blend until it comes together.
- Now slowly begin pouring in your oil with the food processor running, you can speed up the flow of oil as your mayonnaise begins to get some structure.
- When you have a rich creamy mayo, add in the lemon juice or vinegar and salt, then blend once more to bring together, and job done.
HI everyone! the recipe was great. amazing mayo! my family loved it and we ate almost all of it. only one small typo that I saw... you accidently (hopefully it was an accident) wrote "rapeseed" instead of what I presume was supposed to be "grapeseed" when talking about oil types in the ingredients list...
Glad you enjoyed the mayo, there is no typo in the recipe though. Rapeseed oil is ancient and the name comes from the Latin word Rapum which is linked to the plants "roots" (see what I did there) in the turnip family, but it predates the the name "canola" which it is known as in the US and Canada, interestingly the name canola was originally a trademark name of the Canadian rapeseed oil company.
Yeah the joys of one handed work trying to put a face on to camera... It was fun to make, I don't own a blender or processor so it is all hard work for me 😉
Why have I never made my own mayo before? I dislike the store bought stuff but this might be right up my alley!
I always forego shop bought mayo but love the homemade stuff, the fact that you can tailor the flavours to your own likes makes it so much better.
I like to add a clove or two of garlic to mine too. I've only used yellow mustard though, so definitely planning to use the whole grain dijon I have in the refrigerator instead with the next batch. 🙂
I do on occasion add garlic, the beauty of homemade mayo is that you can add any flavours you like and it will be awesome!
Oh, this is dangerous for me, Brian! I'm a mayonnaise maniac. Could eat it out of the jar with a spoon & have! This looks soooo yummy.
Hehe, you sound like my wife who I caught eating this with a spoon 😮
Love the video! You make it look super easy!
Cheers Whitney, I really want to do more videos 🙂
I can't believe I haven't tried to make homemade mayonnaise! Next time I'm in need, I've gotta try making it myself. It looks great!!
Be careful in making your own mayo is one of those things you don't go back from... Super easy in a food processor though, just drizzle the oil into the spout and watch things magically change before your eyes.
This recipe is totally inspiring Brian 🙂 I haven't had homemade mayo in WAY too long....now thinking about how awesome it would taste on a burger right about now...:)
It is superb, I think it is too easy to forget that most if what we by in the Supermarket is actually at heart really simple to make. I can't wait to share my ketchup recipe when our tomato harvest kicks in 😀
Great video, love the whisking! Ha I always have achy arms after making mayo. Yours look beautiful and silky too.
Thank you, it was fun to make the video and I was just puttin gon a macho front, my arms were exhausted after finishing 😉
Homemade mayo is the best. It is amazing how much better it tastes than the store bought.
It certainly is Christie.
The mayo looks so rich, creamy and spoon licking good 🙂
It certainly was a corker!
Oh wow, I have been meaning to make my own mayo for years now. I really need to stop procrastinating...
Do it, it is very simple and more so if you use a processor or blender 🙂