Homemade Mayonnaise from Scratch

Mayonnaise Jar

by Cat, Nov 2007 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Mayonnaise made from scratch is so easy, you’ll wonder why you never did it before.  And the taste is so wonderful, you’ll throw away that jar of commercial mayo.

• See also: 1. Creamy Salad Dressings & Marinades Menu; 2. Sauces Menu
• Includes: 1. Traditional Homemade Mayonnaise; 2. Mayonnaise with Whey

The only drawback to homemade mayo is that it has a short shelf life, so that you only want to make up what you can use in a few days.  However, you can add whey (or powdered culture) to the mixture, which will preserve it for several months (refrigerated).  And really, the shorter shelf life is a sign that it is a living, raw food (which is good for you).  Foods that never spoil are highly suspicious as to their healthfulness.

Homemade mayo can also be a bit more liquid than commercial mayo, but that should not be a problem.  The longer you blend it, the thicker it gets.

When I was a kid in my rural Montana village, many of the customers in my parents’ bar brought in home-made foods for our family or to sell to other customers.  We often had fresh eggs, moose or elk sausages, sauerkraut and mayonnaise for sale, and we enjoyed these same foods at home.  The first time I had commercial mayo, I made an awful face and refused to eat it, and to this day, I don’t like it.

Homemade mayo is rich in valuable enzymes, particularly lipase which helps our bodies to digest fats.  The addition of whey not only helps the mayo to have a longer shelf life, but also increases the enzymes and nutrient content, as well as adding probiotics.

The best and original oil for making mayonnaise is olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil (Organic or from a grower you trust); avocado oil is another good oil. I do NOT recommend seed oils (corn, soy, cottonseed, canola, etc.), as they are readily oxidized and will give your mayo a rancid flavor; most of them are GMO. I especially discourage use of canola oil in mayo, even though most commercial mayos are made with canola. Unless it is Organic, canola is a GMO crop and for this reason alone, it should be shunned. It also contains a well-documented toxin (erucic acid), albeit in much smaller concentration than the original rape seed plant from which canola was bred.

Using locally-raised fresh farm eggs

These recipes use raw eggs, which could potentially be contaminated with dangerous bacteria and/or parasites from dirt or feces on the shell. To minimize this risk, use eggs from a local farmer whose methods you trust. Do NOT use commercial eggs from your grocer; they have been washed in a way that removes the protective bloom from the shell, and are vulnerable to contamination inside the egg.

There are two ways to protect yourself from potential contamination:

1. Coddle the eggs lightly before using; or
2. Clean the egg shells properly right before breaking them open. When you buy eggs from a local farmer, they usually are not washed to avoid removing the protective bloom on the shell (that keeps bad things from getting inside the egg), and to allow them to be stored at room temperature. The instructions below are from the Prairie Homestead Blog (3). DO NOT clean them with water before storing them, as that will reduce their shelf life.

Cleaning whole raw eggs (in the shell)

These instructions are from the Prairie Homestead Blog (3) and My Pet Chicken (4)

• If there is visible dirt/feces on the shell, use a fine grit sandpaper to gently sand off any soiled areas of the egg.  Then clean with warm water as described next.
• If there is no visible dirt/feces on the shell, use your fingers to moisten shells with water that is slightly warmer than the egg you are washing, to soften dirty spots you cannot see. (Using warm water reduces the amount of bacteria that will be drawn inside the egg through the porous shell as it cools, if the bloom has been removed). Don’t soak the eggs in the water.
• Then wipe and dry the eggs.

Do not wash with soap or dish soap, as these will definitely remove the protective bloom. Also, it is best not to store the eggs after washing; rather, wash them right before using.

Traditional Mayonnaise (without Whey)

This recipe is from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas, and makes about 1 ½ cups.  It will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

It is very important that you use a fresh egg from locally-raised hen, since you use the egg raw. This is to avoid dangerous bacteria or parasites, but you need to clean the egg shell right before using (do not do this before storing the eggs). See Cleaning Eggs, above for details.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• Full recipe (makes 1½  cups)
• 1 fresh, whole raw egg (or just the yolk from a large egg)
• ½ tsp Unrefined sea salt
• ½ tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
• ⅛ tsp Tabasco sauce or dash cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 ½ Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (or 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup expeller-pressed safflower oil*)
• 1 Tbsp hot water
• Half recipe (makes ¾ cup)
• ½ fresh, whole raw egg (or just the yolk from a small egg)
•  ¼ tsp Unrefined sea salt
•  ¼ tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
• pinch Tabasco sauce or dash cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 – 2¼ tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (or ¼ cup each olive oil and expeller-pressed safflower oil*)
• 1½ tsp hot water
• Equipment
• blender
• Pint jar with lid

‘* I prefer not to use safflower or any other seed oil because of the harm they can cause.  (5) Instead, I just use extra virgin olive oil from a specific orchard. See my article: Olive Oil: The Real Deal, or Adulterated/Fake.

Method:

1. Put all ingredients except the oil and hot water into the blender container, and blend thoroughly.
2. Then, with the blender still running, begin pouring in the oil, gradually, in a very thin, steady stream.  If the mayo becomes too thick, push down from the sides of the blender with a spatula and continue blending until all the oil is emulsified.
3. Blend in 1 Tbsp of very hot water to stabilize the sauce.
4. Pour into jar and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Mayonnaise with Whey (or Powdered Culture)

This recipe, from Nourishing Traditions (by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD). Recipe makes 1 ½ cups, and will last for several months if refrigerated, thanks to the added whey/culture that protects it from invasion by bad bugs).

It is very important that you use a fresh egg from locally-raised hen, since you use the egg raw. This is to avoid dangerous bacteria or parasites, but you need to clean the egg shell right before using (do not do this before storing the eggs). See Cleaning Eggs, above for details.

The added whey or starter culture (4) provides additional protection against bad bugs, if you need to store the mayonnaise for a longer time.

I also highly recommend using only olive oil from a specific orchard, to avoid version that have been adulterated with cheap seed oils that are harmful. See my article: Olive Oil: The Real Deal, or Adulterated/Fake.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• Full recipe (makes 1 ½ cups)
• 1 fresh, whole raw egg (or just the yolk from a large egg)
• 1 raw egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tsp Dijon-type mustard
• 1 ½ Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp whey or a pinch of powdered culture
• ¾ – 1 cup extra virgin olive oil *
• generous pinch Unrefined sea salt
• Half recipe (makes ¾ cup)
• 1 raw egg yolk plus half the white from medium egg (OR ½ fresh whole raw medium egg plus 1 raw egg yolk from small egg), room temperature
• ½ tsp Dijon-type mustard
• 2 – 2 ¼ tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ tsp whey
• ⅓ – ½ cup extra virgin olive oil *
• pinch Unrefined sea salt
• Equipment
• food processor or blender
• Pint jar with lid

*I only use extra virgin olive oil from a specific orchard. See my article: Olive Oil: The Real Deal, or Adulterated/Fake.

Method:

1. In blender or food processor, place egg, yolk, mustard, salt, lemon juice and whey.  Process until well blended, about 30 seconds.
2. If using a food processor, use the attachment that allows adding liquids drop by drop.  If using a blender, you will have to carefully control the addition of the olive oil in a slow, thin, stream.  In either case, the oil is added while the motor is running.
3. When desired texture and thickness is reached, taste to check the seasoning, and add more salt or lemon juice if desired.
4. Let the mayo sit at room temperature in a covered jar, for 7 hours before refrigerating.  The mayo will become thicker with time.

References:

1. The Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas
2. Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.
3. theprairiehomestead.com/2011/10/eggs-to-wash-or-not-to-wash.html 
4. culturesforhealth.com/body-ecology-starter-culture.html
5. catsfork.com/CatsKitchen/insulin-resistance-a-look-at-causes/, in the “Seed Oils Play a Role in Insulin Resistance” section