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Homemade Mayonnaise comes together in about two minutes with one egg, a stick blender, and a jar, and it tastes worlds better than anything from a store shelf. I started making it the day I ran out mid-recipe, and now I keep a jar in the fridge for everything. Once you taste it in our creamy egg salad sandwiches, you will never go back.
Five simple ingredients and a stick blender give you silky, fresh mayo with no preservatives and exactly the flavor you want.
Homemade Mayonnaise Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 1.5 cups
- ⚡ Calories: 94kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, creamy, and tangy with bright lemon and Dijon
- ✋ Difficulty: Genuinely easy, almost as quick as stirring up our homemade BBQ sauce
Quick Answer
Add one egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt to a tall, narrow container that just fits an immersion blender. Pour the oil on top, lower the blender all the way to the bottom, and turn it on. Hold it at the bottom until the mayo emulsifies, then slowly lift it to pull in the rest of the oil. Blend until thick and creamy.
Jump to:
- Homemade Mayonnaise Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Homemade Mayonnaise FAQs
- Other Recommended Sauce and Condiment Recipes
- Homemade Mayonnaise
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The immersion blender does the work. Blending in a tall, narrow jar emulsifies the egg and oil in seconds with almost no chance of breaking.
- A whole egg keeps it foolproof. Using the whole egg, not just the yolk, makes a more stable emulsion that comes together fast and stays thick.
- Dijon is a built-in emulsifier. Mustard helps the oil and egg bind together, so your mayo turns out smooth and creamy every time.
- You control every ingredient. No preservatives, no additives, just five simple things you already have, with the exact tang you want.
- Room-temperature egg helps. An egg that is not ice-cold emulsifies more easily, giving you a faster, thicker result.
- It is endlessly useful. One jar upgrades sandwiches, salads, dips, and dressings all week long.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is fresher, tastier, and free of preservatives compared to anything from a jar at the store.
- It comes together in about two minutes with a stick blender, no slow drizzling required.
- It makes everything better, from sandwiches to our creamy avocado tuna salad.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything that goes into a perfect jar of homemade mayo. Just five pantry and fridge staples.
- Egg: use a whole large egg at room temperature for the most stable, fool-proof emulsion.
- Canola Oil: a neutral oil keeps the flavor clean; avocado oil works too if you prefer.
- Dijon Mustard: adds tang and acts as an emulsifier to help everything bind together.
- Lemon Juice: fresh lemon brightens the mayo; white vinegar is an easy swap.
- Salt: just a touch to season; taste and adjust before you call it done, like we do with our homemade BBQ sauce.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Once you master the base, homemade mayo is a blank canvas for all kinds of flavors.
- Make garlic aioli: blend in a clove of fresh garlic for a punchy spread.
- Spice it up: add a spoonful of sriracha or chipotle for a smoky, spicy mayo.
- Go herby: stir in fresh dill, chives, or parsley for a quick herb mayo.
- Use a different acid: swap the lemon juice for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Make it a dipping sauce: mix in a little honey and hot sauce for fries or our hot honey chicken.
How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise
- Add the egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt to a tall, narrow container that just fits the head of your immersion blender.
- Pour the canola oil on top and let everything settle for a moment, then lower the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the jar.
- Turn the blender on and hold it steady at the bottom until you see the mayo start to emulsify and turn thick and white.
- Slowly lift the blender up through the oil, then blend until the mayo is thick and creamy. If it is still thin, add a little more oil and blend again.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a container that just fits the blender; a tall, narrow jar helps the emulsion form quickly and stay stable.
- Start with a room-temperature egg; it emulsifies far more easily than one straight from the fridge.
- Hold the blender still at first; let the mayo form at the bottom before you lift it to pull in the rest of the oil.
- Use a neutral oil like canola or avocado; olive oil can turn the mayo bitter.
- Taste and adjust the salt and lemon at the end, just like you would when tweaking our homemade BBQ sauce.
- Keep it refrigerated and use it within a week since there are no preservatives.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Homemade mayonnaise is the secret weapon in so many dishes. Slather it on sandwiches and burgers, or use it as the creamy base for salads and dips.
It is the heart of classics like our creamy egg salad sandwiches, our chicken salad with grapes, and a fresh batch of avocado tuna salad.
Whisk it into a quick dipping sauce for fries and chicken, spread it on a copycat Chick-fil-A grilled chicken club, or use it to slather and bind before grilling up a rack of BBQ ribs.
Beyond sandwiches and salads, a jar of fresh mayo is the base for so many homemade favorites. Stir in garlic for a quick aioli, fold it into coleslaw and potato salad, or whisk it with herbs and buttermilk for a creamy ranch. It is also the secret to moist, tender baked chicken and the binder that holds together crab cakes, deviled eggs, and burgers, so one two-minute batch quietly upgrades meals all week long.
Homemade Mayonnaise FAQs
It does contain raw egg, so use the freshest egg you can and keep the mayo refrigerated at all times. If you are serving young children, older adults, or anyone with a weak immune system, or you simply want extra peace of mind, use a pasteurized egg, which is safe to eat raw and emulsifies just the same.
It usually means the emulsion did not form, which happens if the container is too wide or the blender moved too soon. Make sure your container just fits the blender head, hold the blender flat against the bottom until the mayo turns white and thick, and only then lift it slowly. If it stays thin, add a little more oil while blending, or blend in an extra egg yolk to rescue a broken batch.
Since there are no preservatives, store it in an airtight jar in the fridge and use it within about one week.
Yes, any neutral oil like avocado or light vegetable oil works. Avoid extra-virgin olive oil on its own, as it can make the mayo taste bitter.
You can, but it takes more effort. Whisk the egg and seasonings by hand and drizzle the oil in very slowly, a few drops at a time, until it emulsifies. A food processor also works.
Use it in egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, coleslaw, and potato salad, as a sandwich spread, or as the base for aioli and creamy dressings.
Now that you have a jar of fresh mayo, put it to work in our creamy chicken salad with grapes, a make-ahead lunch the whole family loves.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup canola oil
Instructions
- To make this mayonnaise, you’ll need a stick blender and a tight container for the mix to achieve an emulsion.
- Place the egg, dijon, lemon juice, and salt in the container. You’ll start pulsing the blender and simultaneously streaming in the oil. Do it slowly to give time for the emulsion to appear. Lift the blender softly to let some air inside the mix.
- The egg, the oil, and the mustard will help each other for this smooth mayonnaise to work. Blend for a few minutes, and you’ll notice how the mix starts to emulsify and thicken.
- If the mayo is still liquid after a couple of minutes, add more oil and blend a bit more.
Notes
- If you’re an olive oil lover, you could replace ⅓ cup of canola oil with ⅓ cup of olive oil.
- Make an aioli mayonnaise by adding one clove minced garlic and blend it from the beginning.
- You can also mix in any other flavors such as hot sauce, ranch, etc to make a flavored mayonnaise as well.
- Double this recipe to make more if you use a lot of mayonnaise or are planning to make a salad.
Nutrition
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