I’m going to to be honest and tell you that this post almost didn’t happen. You see, I was a total flunkie my first few attempts at making homemade mayo.
I tried making it with a food processor, with my Blendtec and with a whisk. None of the methods worked; I just couldn’t get it to emulsify. I ended up with an eggy, oily mess.
I read about using the stick blender technique, which is supposedly fool-proof, but I failed the first time at that, too. (Not sure what that says about me!)
Good thing I’m stubborn. I decided to stick to it and my second attempt at using the hand immersion blender turned out perfectly. (There may have been some hooting and hollering on my part!)
I’ve since made homemade mayonnaise with my stick blender hundreds and each time it has turned out beautifully. It’s so incredibly easy (now that I’ve got it down!) and takes all of 30 seconds.
It’s also frugal. All you need is one egg, one cup of light olive oil (not extra virgin) – or other oil – and one-quarter of a lemon. Depending on the cost of your eggs and oil, you can easily whip up a batch for under $1.
And it’s incredibly versatile. I’ve added cilantro and cumin for a Mexican chicken salad. I’ve added basil and garlic for a Mediterranean salad dressing. And I’ve used it on lettuce wraps with shredded chicken or ground beef.
Not to mention, homemade mayo actually tastes good. Scratch that, it tastes delicious! (And I don’t normally like the tangy taste of mayonnaise from a jar.)
Being on a Whole30 originally motivated me to give this a go, but now that I realized how un-intimidating making homemade mayo is, I’ll never buy mayonnaise at the store again!
Even if you’re super loyal to your Hellman’s, homemade mayo is PERFECT for Pesach. Kosher for Passover mayonnaise is super expensive and honestly, the ingredients are pretty awful for you. Homemade mayo is the perfect money-saving and health-promoting solution.
How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise
Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to brave homemade mayo, here’s a step by step tutorial so you can easily (and quickly) make this in your own kitchen.
Start by gathering your ingredients and tools. As I said, you need one room temperature egg, one cup of olive oil (not extra virgin) and one-quarter of a lemon (or lime). If your citrus is small, go ahead and use a bit more.
Yes, that is a raw egg that is used in this recipe. I did my research about salmonella and felt okay about using raw eggs with my older, healthy kids. If you’re feeding young children, the elderly, or anyone who is immunocompromised, you may want to look into buying pasteurized eggs or pasteurizing them yourself.
As you can see in the picture, I use my hand immersion blender and the cup that comes with it. If your stick blender didn’t come with a cup, try using a glass jar (a Balls canning jar would be perfect). You just don’t want to do this in a bowl — the container should be about the same circumference on the top as it is on the bottom.
I also use a small strainer, so when I squeeze my lemon or lime, I can do it right over the cup, without having to worry about seeds or pulp.
Okay… are you ready to make some mayo??
First, crack your egg into the cup. (If you’re concerned about blood spots, let two eggs come to room temperature – so you have a back-up.)
Next, squeeze one-quarter of a large lemon/lime into the cup. I like the lime flavor a lot, but if you’re not a fan, stick to lemon. (That’s my daughter squeezing in the lime for me.)
Then, pour one cup of olive oil into the cup. The egg will bounce around as you’re pouring in the oil, so give it a second to settle back down to the bottom. (That’s my younger son pouring for me! Aren’t they great helpers?!)
Once everything is settled — egg on bottom, oil on top — put your hand immersion blender into the cup, all the way down to the bottom. Turn it on LOW. (If you have two settings, you must use low. I used high the first time I tried this and it didn’t work. Too.much.power. Definitely use the low setting.)
Within a second, you will see the emulsification starting to happen. This will be very exciting — but don’t get so excited that you move up your blender. Keep it planted on the bottom of your cup for another couple of seconds, letting the emulsifying liquid move up to the top of the cup on its own.
Once it’s all blended (really – just a matter of seconds, maybe 15 seconds, tops), you can slowly pull up our stick blender. I’ve found that a bit of oil tends to “stick” on the top, so you can lift and lower your blender a few times over the top of the surface to help that blend in.
(If you’re trying to jzhuz and photograph at the same time, you may need some assistance holding the cup steady.)
And that’s it – you just made homemade mayo!
Perfect for Passover – or anytime of year!
Store your mayo in an airtight container in your fridge. Your homemade mayonnaise should last four or five days, but mine is always eaten in two days, tops. Add in herbs, garlic, more lemon, salt or spices to jazz it up, or use it as is. Either way, I know you’ll love it.
Do you make homemade mayo? What are your tips and technique?
Will this work with a stick blender that only has one speed? I have the older, one speed model.
Yes – I think that’s fine… I just had high and low and mistakenly used high the first time! It should work – as all the tutorials I’ve seen just say “blend” without any reference to high or low.
I can confirm. It tastes awesome!
Aw, thanks!
I am curious, what happens if you use extra virgin olive oil?
It’s too strong of a flavor. You could also use safflower or vegetable, but I’m avoiding those oils during my Whole30 (and they’re problematic during Pesach).
My husband and I have been making mayonnaise for Passover since we got married 20+ years ago. It was one easy way we were able to eliminate a costly item. Each Passover we say to ourselves this is so easy, tastes so good and is inexpensive why don’t we do this year round? Perhaps we save it for Passover as a another tradition we have to look forward to for the week.
First, I adore the helping hands photo. My heart melted!
I attempted homemade mayo twice. The first was awesome and tasted divine. The second did not work as well. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Question: How long will the homemade mayo keep in the fridge?
Thank you!
I forgot – do you think avocado oil will work?
I’ve read that it would – any milder oil should work. Let us know if you try it and how it turns out!
Thank you!
Yikes, I just saw the answer to how long the mayo will last in the fridge. Oops!
Do you think this would work with Egg Beaters to get around the issue of raw egg?
I’m not sure, Sidra! I also don’t know if they’d work for Pesach (are there KLP egg beaters?). If you try it, let us know!
I wasn’t thinking about Passover so much as the raw egg issue. It’s not a huge issue for me (I’ve been known to eat raw cookie dough) but I know it’s a concern for some.
I use pre-pasteurized eggs. Solves the problem. I also used way too much lemon juice the first time. It was a large lemon! I wonder what the measurement in volume should be rather than 1/2 a lemon or lime… Thanks for this great recipe!
You need the egg yolk for the emulsion so Eggbeaters will not work. I have a friend, my mayo mentor, who uses the same container from after Pesach to the next Pesach without washing it. She makes four eggs at a time in a blender. The trick is to put the egg, vinegar/lemon juice, and salt in first and then drizzle the oil in verrrry slowly. The only time she has failed (and I have too) is when the weather is too warm. I do wonder why! So on hot days in the summer I need an air conditioned kitchen or a cool day. We love our homemade mayo. It is such a bedget helper, and I use 1 T raw apple cider vinegar with one T of lemon juice in my mixture.
Thanks for the information, Roberta.
Yikes, budget!
This looks fabulous! I’m so glad you came up with a recipe that works. I’m going to try this one. The whole whisking by hand was NO fun. And I love that your ingredients all go in at once. The recipe I had tried had you mixing in little bits at a time. Thanks for sharing!
I totally tried your whisk method, Jen, but you know me – if it’s not quick and easy, it’s not gonna last for me! I was SO pleased when this worked (and worked again, and again).
Mara, I can’t believe how easy this is! I made it first with extra virgin because that was all I had in house, and it tasted odd. A little bitter. Bought some light olive oil and tried again, it is is amazing. Thanks!
I’m so happy it worked out for you, Dara. And wow, I can’t believe I “taught” you something in the kitchen!!!! 🙂 Totally agree on the EVOO vs. regular light. I better fix the post, as I see a lot of people have the same question about why not EVOO.
Hi, if I wanted to add herbs to it, would I use fresh or dry and when would I add them? Also, how would I add fresh garlic?
So sorry – just now saw your comment, Ailuy!!
You can add either fresh or dry, but add them after you mix up the mayo base. Likewise with salt, pepper, etc.
To add fresh garlic, I’d probably crush it and make a bit of a paste with olive oil and salt. Then I’d whisk it into the mayo.
I have been adding a cilantro paste lately and it’s AMAZING!
oooooooooooo, CILANTRO! Is cilantro paste just processed cilantro? Also, if I do not have a fresh lemon/lime at the moment, can I substitute bottled lemon juice?
Thanks a bunch (of cilantro).
How impolite of me. I meant to start by saying how much I loved the mayo I’ve made following your instructions. Seeing those helping hands just shamed me into trying.
Thank you again for all your wonderful posts.
So glad it’s working out for you!! 🙂
Ever since you posted this way back, I have only been making my homemade mayo with my stick blender – genius invention!!
I do find that it’s a little runny for my family’s liking so I add another egg yolk.
Genius!!
Good to know that an extra yolk thickened it up for you! Isn’t it so shockingly easy?
My Mom made homemade mayonnaise on special occasions and always on Pesach. She, as I do, made it in the blender. One egg with a cup of oil. Two eggs with 1 1\2 cups of oil. She used a bit if salt, some lemon juice and a big handful of fresh dill. We all couldn’t get enough. I would lick the blender bowl clean. The only thing we do differently is we blend everything, minus the oil first, and then add regular oil while the blender is going. Never tried olive oil. Brings back beautiful memories!
Can this work with cold pressed coconut oil?
I have had this recipe bookmarked for YEARS. I finally tried it tonight. I got all the ingredients prepped in a mason jar…then realized it wasn’t wide-mouthed and my stick blender didn’t fit. Found another jar that it *did* fit in, though I expected it not to work since you were so careful about the layering of ingredients. Poured from the mason jar to the new jar, started “zhuzhing”…and lo and behold, I got mayonnaise! So the recipe is apparently more forgiving than you might think. 🙂
I look up this recipe on your blog every year! I make it with EVOO bc I generally only buy one bottle of oil for Pesah, and we are fine with the taste 🙂 wishing you and yours a hag kasher v’sameah!