Whole egg mayo is SO easy to make that you won’t believe you haven’t made it before! Once you try this homemade mayonnaise, you won’t want to go back!
I love to know how to make things. While I don’t make mayo every single time I need it, I make it often because
1 – It tastes SO much better!
2 – I can control the ingredients.
This whole egg mayonnaise with avocado oil will stay for a week or two in the fridge, as opposed to months for the store-bought variety. That’s because there are only whole food ingredients in this mayonnaise recipe. It doesn’t contain preservatives or additives like the grocery store counterpart. That’s what makes it shelf stable, and last forever in your refrigerator.
Additionally, unless you’re buying avocado mayo, the oil that is used in processed mayo is not one you’d use in your daily life. There’s lots of research behind what oils we should be eating, but I won’t get into that here. Just know that when you make it yourself, YOU get to choose what oil you use and make sure it’s what you want your family to eat.
We just got chickens a few months ago, so egg production should be starting by the fall. I cannot wait to use my free range eggs to make this. I can’t imagine what a difference it will be over Aldi or Costco eggs!
What is Whole Egg Mayonnaise made of?
This whole egg mayonnaise recipe is so easy, because you only need a few ingredients! You’ll need:
- 1 room temperature egg
- lemon juice (or vinegar)
- Himalayan sea salt
- A light oil (like avocado oil or extra light olive oil)
Note: Because this recipe uses raw eggs, make sure they’re fresh and handled safely. While rare, salmonella poisoning can happen with undercooked or raw eggs. Using farm-fresh eggs or pasteurized eggs reduces this risk.
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Oil
The first time I tried making a whole egg mayonnaise recipe, I was in for a rude awakening. I used my regular olive oil and the mayo was SO disgusting! It basically tasted like I was eating straight olive oil.
After that, I began to use extra light olive oil – something like this one. That worked perfectly.
After I was making mayo for a while, I began to see avocado oil mayonnaise everywhere. And it was so expensive! But when I went to Costco, they sold avocado oil and it was so reasonable! This one on Amazon looks like a good price if you don’t have a Costco membership.
Lemon juice or Vinegar
I have used both bottled and fresh lemon juice for this recipe and give it a mild flavor.
Many recipes call for vinegar in the mayo, but sometimes that can give it a sharper flavor. But in a pinch, I have used both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar. But my favorite is lemon juice.
Using lemon juice makes it so fresh and very neutral tasting. But in a pinch, you can definitely replace the lemon juice with vinegar.
Salt
I usually use pink Himalayan sea salt in my house. But if I run out, I use the cheap iodized salt I always have on hand just in case. Either way, you’ll want some type of salt in this mayonnaise recipe.
Room Temperature Egg
In order to make this whole egg mayonnaise recipe, you definitely need a room temperature egg. If the egg is too cold, the mayo won’t emulsify.
In the past, when that happened, I would just throw it out. But recently it happened and I found a great website that showed me what to do to save my mayo. It worked like a charm!
I used the method of putting an extra egg yolk in a bowl and slowly drizzling in the mayo that didn’t emulsify. It saved my cup of avocado oil! Yay!
If you don’t have a room temperature egg, you can run it under hot water for 30 seconds to a minute to try to get it to room temperature. This has worked for me in the past, but the last time my mayo didn’t come together, it was because I used this method and didn’t just wait. So beware!
Some people only use egg yolk to make homemade avocado oil mayonnaise. I don’t find that necessary. I like the use the whole egg and don’t find that the egg white adds anything negative to my whole egg mayo and skips an unnecessary step.
How to Make Whole Egg Mayo
There are a couple ways to make whole egg mayo. One of them is to put the egg and salt in a blender and SLOWLY drizzle in the oil to emulsify it. This Vitamix mayo works great, but I find that I end up having a ton left in my blender, and it wastes so much of the mayo I worked so hard to make!
Tools I use for whole egg mayo:
The way I make this whole egg mayonnaise recipe is with an immersion blender (also referred to as a hand blender or stick blender). This is the current version of the one I have. I also always make my mayo in a wide mouth quart jar or a pint and a half mason jar like I have here. We use these a lot as drinking glasses and smoothie cups. I used to find them at Target, but recently they are REALLY difficult to find!
Why the jar? Because when you make mayo in a jar, you can blend right in the container and avoid waste. Plus it’s perfect for turning the mayo into a quick salad dressing like ranch dressing or caesar dressing.
Process to make whole egg mayo:
- Add the avocado oil, egg and salt to a jar. ****At this point, you need to follow directions really carefully! When you put the immersion blender into the oil, you want to make sure that you NEVER raise it above the level of the top of the oil.****
- Place the immersion blender directly over the egg at the bottom of the jar and set it straight up and down so it’s on top of the whole egg.
- Blend until the mixture thickens and emulsifies. Slowly move the hand blender up and down – but don’t lift the stick blender out of the avocado oil.
- Once the avocado oil mayonnaise begins to thicken on the bottom of the jar, hold the jar and begin to move the immersion blender up and down a little, but DO NOT bring it out of the avocado oil.
- Stir in the lemon juice or vinegar.
At the very end, I bring it out and put it back in just to finish it all off. It literally comes together from beginning to end in just a couple minutes. It’s amazing!
Isn’t it so thick and creamy?! It is so dreamy!
Here’s a quick video on how I make the whole egg mayo!
The last step of the whole egg mayonnaise recipe is to stir in the lemon juice to the mayo. And that’s it! Once you get the hang of it and make it a few times, you will be able to whip up a batch so fast that you’ll never consider running out to the grocery store to buy mayonnaise!
FAQs
How to Use Whole Egg Mayo
Homemade mayo is the base for so many recipes:
- Chicken salad or egg salad
- Deviled eggs
- Homemade ranch or caesar salad dressing
- Use for creamy sauces like chipotle aioli
- Jalapeno cilantro lime ranch for taco salad
- Dips for fries, sandwiches, or even on salmon bowls
My favorite ways to use Whole Egg Mayo?
I sometimes use this for a regular mayo if I’m making something like chicken salad – we love to add curry powder to ours and serve it on wraps or croissants. IT IS DIVINE! I also usually use it for egg salad or deviled eggs.
The biggest reason you’ll find me making this homemade mayo with avocado oil is to use for my homemade ranch dressing. If you want me to post that recipe here, let me know! I feel like the real mayo really takes the dressing to the next level!
I also use this whole egg mayo for homemade creamy caesar dressing, and jalapeño cilantro lime ranch for taco salad.
Also, I always use this when I’m making an aioli. Do you know that’s just a fancy word for mayo with stuff in it!? Yup! I will often add the sauce from chipotle peppers to drizzle on an asian bowl.
Or I add my Oregano Pesto and dip fries into it or put it on a sandwich. You’re totally missing out if you haven’t tried that!
Use it as the base for homemade ranch dressing – I need to share the recipe because it’s AMAZING!!!
I guess you could say that I whip up a batch when I need a large amount of it for one dish. In all transparency, I usually keep real mayo in the fridge for tiny things like sandwiches, since we don’t eat those often.
Storing – How long does egg mayo last in the fridge?
Keep your mayo in an airtight jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. See the instructions below if you’d like to make it last longer.
How can I get my Whole Egg Mayo to last longer?
Want homemade mayonnaise to last longer? Add a tablespoon of whey (from Greek yogurt) and leave it at room temperature for 8 hours. This creates a lacto-fermented mayonnaise, which lasts up to a month in the fridge.
Can I make homemade mayonnaise with a food processor?
Yes! A food processor works great for making mayo. Just add egg, salt and lemon juice, turn on the food processor and then VERY SLOWLY drizzle the light tasting olive oil or avocado oil in to allow it to emulsify.
It’s a bit messy to have to clean an entire food processor just to make a small amount of mayonnaise, so I’d recommend making a larger batch, as long as you can eat that much before it goes bad.
What is the best oil for homemade mayonnaise?
Neutral oils like a very light tasting olive oil or avocado oil work best. If you use regular extra virgin olive oil, the taste can have a strong aftertaste and off-putting. These lighter oils give it the best flavor and color.
Is mayonnaise better with whole eggs or yolks?
The classic French mayonnaise uses only egg yolks. Whole eggs make the recipe faster, lighter in texture, and less wasteful. You still get that rich creamy flavor, though!
Can I make homemade mayonnaise with egg whites?
Unfortunately, you will need the egg yolk to emulsify the mayonnaise, so you won’t be able to make this homemade mayo without a whole egg.
Is whole egg mayo healthier?
Whole egg mayo is much healthier than any of the store bought varieties on the market. The grocery store counterparts have to be shelf stable for years. Because of that, they are filled with ingredients that help to stabilize the mayo and make it last a long time.
This homemade mayonnaise is only made with a handful of ingredients and go bad quickly. But because of the lack of preservatives and ingredients you can’t pronounce, it makes it much healthier than what you would buy in the store.
Why did my homemade mayonnaise break?
If your mayo didn’t emulsify properly, it was probably due to using a cold egg that was not at room temperature, or not following the instructions very carefully. Because the oil needs to be added very slowly, the immersion blender needs to be straight up and down as you make the homemade mayo. This allows the blades to pull in a small amount of oil at a time as it emulsifies it.
If this happens, don’t toss it! Add a fresh egg yolk to a clean jar and slowly add the broken mayo while running the stick blender. This usually fixes it.
Is it safe to eat mayo made with raw eggs?
Most people safely eat whole egg mayo with no problems as long as the eggs are either farm fresh or pasteurized. However, there is always a small risk of salmonella poisoning when using raw eggs, so be very careful how your eggs are sourced.
I hope you love this whole egg mayonnaise recipe! Let me know how it turns out for you below!
Whole Egg Mayo (Homemade Mayonnaise)
Whole egg mayo is SO easy to make that you won't believe you haven't made it before! Once you try it, you won't want to go back!
Ingredients
- 1 cup light olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 egg - ROOM TEMPERATURE
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
1. In this recipe, I use a wide mouthed pint and a half mason jar and an immersion blender.
Add the oil, room temperature egg, and salt to the mason jar. Pour in the oil, then add the egg and salt. At this point, you need to follow directions really carefully! When you put the immersion blender into the oil, you want to make sure that you NEVER raise it above the level of the top of the oil.
2. Sink your immersion blender in and set it straight up and down so it's on top of the egg, and it's pulling the oil in the sides of the immersion blender. This essentially acts like you're drizzling the oil in to the egg.
3. Once it starts to thicken on the bottom, I hold the jar and begin to move the immersion blender up and down a little, but not bringing it up out of the oil.
4. At the very end, I bring it out and put it back in just to finish it all off. It literally comes together from beginning to end in just a couple minutes. It's amazing!
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