Classic Homemade Mayonnaise

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Making this from scratch may seem too daunting to attempt at home. Think again.

There really is nothing better than when something homemade turns out as good as you hope. We’ll show you the tips to make the best mayonnaise you’ve ever tried. Perfect when making chicken salad, tuna salad, or just on a yummy tomato sandwich. Truly amazing!

A hand holding a jar of homemade mayonnaise

How To Make Homemade Mayonnaise

If you follow these few steps and utilize the right tools and ingredients, you’ll get a perfect mayonnaise every single time.

Remember that our version has raw eggs in it. This won’t pose a risk for many folks, however, anyone with a compromised immune system should avoid it.

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The Ingredients and Tools You Will Need

There aren’t a lot of ingredients needed to make delicious homemade mayonnaise, but there are some very important factors to keep in mind when you’re picking up what you need from the grocery store.

Although you can prepare this dressing with a whisk and a bowl, an immersion blender makes the process foolproof.

Here’s What You’ll Need to Have on Hand

Eggs – One whole and one yolk, it’s best if they are room temperature
Lemon juice – Fresh is best
Vinegar – White wine vinegar is recommended
Salt – Kosher
Onion powder – Just a pinch
Dijon mustard – Not stone ground, country, or old style. Go with the original.
Oil – The most important part of making perfect mayonnaise is the oil. You want a neutral-tasting oil. We recommend safflower oil, avocado oil, or a blend of the two.

The Tools You Will Need

An immersion blender
A vessel just large enough to fit the blade of the blender

An overhead view of an immersion blender next to vessels filled with safflower oil, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and 2 whole eggs.

Tips for Making Perfect Homemade Mayonnaise

Use fresh and high-quality ingredients: The success of any mayonnaise recipe depends on the quality of the ingredients used. Make sure to use fresh and high-quality egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, and a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil.

Keep all ingredients at room temperature: It is important to keep all the ingredients at room temperature before starting the process. This will help the ingredients emulsify properly and result in a smooth and creamy texture.

Use an immersion blender: Using an immersion blender is the easiest and most efficient way to make mayonnaise. It allows you to control the speed and consistency of the mixture and ensures that all the ingredients are well blended. Make sure to use a tall and narrow container that fits the immersion blender head snugly for best results.

A spoon lifted from a clear container completely covered with homemade mayonnaise.

How To Use

You can use your homemade mayonnaise with any recipe that calls for mayo!

Here are some amazing recipes that are made even better with homemade mayo!

Garlic Basil Aioli
Rosemary Garlic Aioli
Kickin’ Remoulade
Alabama White Sauce
Best-Ever Chicken Salad
Tuna Salad
Egg Salad
Carrot and Raisin Salad with Curry Dressing

The origin of mayonnaise is a bit uncertain.  You’d think it’s decidedly French, but evidence shows it may have originated in Spain. Learn more about the Uncertain History of Mayonnaise by Slate.com.

An immersion blender in a jar of homemade mayonnaise.

Ready to make the best mayonnaise in town? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

A spoon lifted from a clear container completely covered with homemade mayonnaise.

Classic Homemade Mayonnaise

This Classic Homemade Mayonnaise recipe is fool-proof.  It may take a time or two for you to get 100% comfortable with creating perfectly smooth and creamy homemade mayo, but you'll get it.  It's so delicious!  It's great in our Chicken Salad and our Tuna Salad!
4.94 from 31 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, French, Spanish
Keyword: Homemade Mayo, how to make homemade mayonnaise
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 197kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Immersion blender
  • 1 jar or vessel about the

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp white wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard optional
  • ¾ cup safflower oil plus another 2 tbsps (See NOTES)

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a vessel just large enough to fit the immersion blender.
    1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, ½ tsp white wine vinegar, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, ¾ cup safflower oil
  • Place blender all the way in, so the blades are touching the bottom of the vessel. 
  • Turn on the blender, and gently move it upwards, so the egg and egg yolk are incorporated, and the oil and egg begin to emulsify.
  • Continue, gently moving up and down, until thick.  Will keep in the fridge for up to one week. 

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you like the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel
Using the right oil is critical. Go with any of the following (or a blend of them):
  • Safflower
  • Avocodao
  • Grapeseed
Homemade mayo will keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. We don't recommend freezing it. 
NOTE: Although the risk of contracting illness from raw eggs is minimal, those with a compromised immune system should avoid consuming them. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 0.05g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in January 2018, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in May 2023!

91 Comments

  • OMG! First time a success, and hands down best homemade mayo (or any mayo for that matter)! Goofed and added 1 tsp of vinegar but only added more flavor. Used avocado oil. No oily taste, just great balanced flavor. Thank you so much!

    • Yay, Judith!!! That’s awesome!! Not everyone has success on their first attempt, so you’ve obviously got the touch!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting us know!! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Hey guys! I used my newly, mostly mastered, homemade mayo to make your chicken salad. It came out REALLY good!! And I must add the caveat: I didn’t have most of the ingredients! I used chicken (d’uh), white grapes, a smidge of olive oil and lemon juice, sunflower seeds/nuts, dill paste (sorry, no fresh), and the mayo. I needed to get the chicken and grapes used before they passed peak. Even missing all the other ingredients, it is absolutely wonderful! I had to make myself stop eating it so I can bring it for lunch at work tomorrow. Can’t wait to try it when I actually do it right! Thanks so much! 🙂

    • Hi Rhonda!! All sounds great!! It’s a very adaptable recipe! Thank you for letting us know!!! We are thrilled to hear from you and please stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley

  • Hi Kris! You two have inspired me to get an immersion blender! About 2 weeks ago I decided to break it in by making your mayo recipe. For once in my life, I followed the recipe to the letter (minus hot sauce). The texture came out perfectly! My question is about the taste. It is good, but has a distinctive oil taste (I used all avocado oil) which, while not bad, isn’t quite right for mayo. Also, the color is a pale green, not the lovely white in your pictures. Should I reduce the amount of oil used? Different brand oil? Different oil completely? I don’t mind some experimenting but do hate wasting food and money. Any tips are really appreciated. You and Wesley are just fabulous!! Thanks.

    • Hi Rhonda!! So, so very sorry for the delayed response here. You can use safflower, or grapeseed oil. I’ve had great success with those, and they don’t impart that oil taste to the mayo. That’s so strange that it turned a pale green. Even avocado oil shouldn’t do that. I’d give it a go again using safflower or grapeseed. And it’s really important all ingredients are at room temp. We have found this really makes a difference. Let us know if you try it again, and what you think!! And don’t hesitate to reach out with any other questions (we’ll try to respond sooner next time!!). All the best, Kris & Wesley

      • Hi again! No apology needed at all! I expect you have a couple other things to do in your day to day! I took another shot at it this weekend. This time I used 50/50 avocado oil and olive oil (a lovely oil from Greece) and used a total of 3/4 cup oil. It is still green (I really don’t mind the color) and still has that oil taste, but certainly less. My oils all live at room temp and I knew to let the eggs equilibrate. Texture is still fine. I’m going to try again this weekend using one of the oils you mentioned. I am determined to master this! Thank you for the feedback and I will let you know what happens with the next batch.

      • 5 stars
        Hi again, Kris. Third one’s a charm, I think. I tried straight grapeseed oil in the lesser quantity (3/4 cup) and put a wee more white wine vinegar. Ding ding! Flavor is much less oily and the color is noticeably lighter, though still not that pristine white as in your photos. All that to say that your recipe makes one awesome mayonnaise. Thanks so much!!

      • Hi Rhonda!! That is great news!! So glad to hear. Sometimes when I make a batch, the color is a little pale. It is strange how it does vary a little every time. Just the nature of the oil and the process. But the taste is what really matters! So glad you had success and thanks for sticking with it!! Stay in touch!! Best, Kris & Wesley

  • Hello and thank you for accepting me to your site and accept my admiration for delicious foods and especially the sauces you make.

  • 5 stars
    My emmersion blender also was a fail. The recipe was so runny. But I didn’t give up, I put the runny ingredients in my Vitamix and bam, thicken right up. The absolute best oil I have found to use is Thrive Culinary. It’s very light and absolutely no flavor. Thank you for the recipe!!!

    • So glad you had success! We don’t have issue using our immersion blender, but we know others have. Glad that you found success by adding to your blender. Thanks for sharing!!

  • 5 stars
    I made mayo in seconds … and I substituded a lot of ingredients according to my pantry … worked perfectly well … most delicious mayo ever …

    Can’t wait to share this with others.

    • That is so amazing to hear!! And we are so happy you had success with this mayo! It’s awesome, right? Great job!!! And thank you for letting us! Please stay in touch. 🙂 Best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    I made this exactly as written (except I used rice vinegar since I have no white wine vinegar) *twice*. The first time was a huge fail, because, after placing all ingredients, including oil, into the right size container, I discovered my emulsion blender doesn’t work anymore. So I poured the whole thing into the food processor and tried blending that way, with absolutely no success. Did some Googling for the food processor method, and found one on another blog (the oil drips in slowly through the food processor’s plunger). I used their technique but used YOUR recipe. The results are amazing. Perfect, creamy mayo. My husband loves it and will keep me supplied with olive and avacado oils (I used 50/50) so I will keep making him tasty, homemade mayo. However, this first batch is for your chicken salad sandwich recipe. Thanks for sharing this and all your other recipes!

    • Claudia! That is awesome! We know…making mayonnaise from scratch, takes a little practice, but it sounds like you mastered it so fast! We really hope you try it in our chicken salad recipe…it’s so good! And THANK YOU for letting us know how the mayo attempts went and we could not be happier that you had success. That’s what we live for!! All the best, and, of course, stay in touch. xoxo Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Chris & Loon ~ Made this again today. Used an avacado / pistachio oil blend. Perfect as usual per your instructions and too delish to contain my happiness.

    • Hi Helene! That is soooo fantastic to hear! Avacado / pistachio blend sounds wonderful. We are so happy you had success!! Thank you so much for letting us know!! Please stay in touch…xoxo Kris & Wesley

  • Many thanks for sharing your recipe… 2 questions though – (1) what brand of immersion blender did you use? I see you were careful not to advertise that… but please I want to ensure I get the right one and (2) What is the deal about the white wine vinegar? I want to try this in 2 days and I am very excited about it… want to minimize or eliminate mistakes!

    • Hi there! So sorry for the delayed response. I use a Cuisinart blender. There should be a link to the one we prefer in the post, but if you have trouble accessing it, you can find it on Amazon. We feel the white wine vinegar provides just the right amount of acid and taste, but you can go really with any kind of vinegar, and you’ll get good results. Hope this helps!! Let us know of any other questions or thoughts!! Best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Thank you for the idea to use the hand held emulsifier! i had seen so many recipes but was disheartened by the idea of whipping it myself or making a huge batch in a food processor!
    I made home made mayonnaise for the first time just a few minutes after viewing your video instruction (using my hand held emulsifier) and it was splendid!
    Thank you for simplifying things!

    • That is so wonderful to hear! And so very happy to hear you had great success! We just love making homemade mayo with our emulsifier. So easy and so good, right?! Thank YOU for letting us know!! Stay tuned and stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Oh ____k! Not sure how I earned this karmic gift card, but wow! The combination of this “Devine Mayo” and the “Hands-Down” chicken salad is a conspiracy! (wanted to dine alone, wink) And you guys are too adorable. Ty

  • Hello there. My first attempt was not successful, I will try again. Other comments mention white vinegar, but I don’t see it in the list of ingredients? How much should be used? Thank you for the recipe.

  • 5 stars
    Alright you guys! I tried to make this mayo and it was a fail. I have no idea what happened! I followed the recipe and also used my immersion blender but it was a no-go! . It stayed a liquid. I even tried putting it in the frig to see if that would help. Nooooo. Can you trouble shoot this for me? I wonder if I used too much vinegar and killed the whole batch. What do you all think? I tasted it. Delish!

    • Oh no!! So sorry to hear that, Martha! Did you use a vessel that had a base that was just large enough to hold the immersion blender. That seems to be very important. And honestly, it may just take a little practice. When I first started making my own mayo, by hand, with a whisk, I had numerous fails before it started to work like a charm. If it seems like there was too much vinegar, try pulling back a little. Try again and we bet you have success!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

    • I just tried making it too, and the same thing…a liquid disappointment. I don’t have one of those immersion blenders….maybe you. HAVE to use one…I 1st tried a hand mixer, then the blender…I used grape seed oil…..I may try again if I ever buy one of those immersion blenders. 🙁

      • Ah!! So sorry to hear, Cherie! I’ve had problems with blenders and hand mixers, too. It’s hit or miss, but I never have a problem with my immersion blender. Once I got an immersion blender, I find that I use it all the time. Best, Kris & Wesley

    • The first time I attempted this, it was a miss as well. I threw everything in at once, and hoped for the best. After a befuddled phone call with my best friend, I realized the key principle I was passing over was emulsification. I have a standing mixer, and used that with the whisk blade on high. Combine all of the ingredients except the oil in your mixer. Leaving it running on high, VERY slowly pour the oil in a steady stream. As in, I spent more than six minutes adding a cup and a half of oil. I let it beat for several minutes more after that, and voila, creamy mayo!

    • Same problem here. Followed recipe, used Cuisinart immersion blender, container just larger than blender (2 cup glass measuring cup) and result was about like eggnog. Tastes great but no amount of blending thickens it.

      • 4 stars
        I just had the same thing happen with it turning out really runny even with my immersion blender. I threw it in the Ninja blender and it didn’t help. BUT I finally tried doing the eggs first separately, and then pouring in the rest of the ingredients and it thickened up in seconds! Saved the whole batch! And now I like it!

  • I’ve never purchased avocado oil before; what are some of your favorite brands or maybe what to look for? Thanks

      • Hey Tina! There are lots of wine vinegars on the market, ranging in a pretty wide swath of price. I really like Colvita…they are good quality and not too over-the-top expensive. But again, you really can’t go wrong with whatever you choose. Hope this helps!!

  • 5 stars
    I will never buy mayo off the shelf again. So much better than anything you can buy and you control the quality of ingredients!!! Thank you!

    • We’re so glad you made the mayo!! It’s pretty awesome, right? And so delicious! And thank you for letting us know! Woo hoo!! Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    If you add whey (from homemade yogurt) in place of water, put it on the counter for 3-4 hours to allow the whey to activate, your mayonnaise will last for up to a month. I do this all the time. Oh, I also use a whole egg instead of just the yolk. This mayo is great with your chicken salad recipe, just as you recommend.

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