How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise in a Food Processor

I grew up in when Miracle Whip was a star brand. With that weird sweet tangy flavor, I never loved it because even as a kid, I knew it just wasn’t right. I mean why would you put something sweet on your sandwich? When I found out there was a similar substance (good old Hellman’s) that wasn’t sweet and made tuna, chicken and egg salad actually taste GOOD, I was an immediate convert. Then the game changer came when I made my first batch using this foolproof method. Keep reading to learn How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise in a Food Processor.

Why Would You Make Homemade Mayonnaise

I wondered this myself for a long time. I assisted my mentor with a cooking class one time where she made mayonnaise and it seemed so hard. I’ve watched cooking shows where they whip it by hand dropping the oil in drip-by-drip and I wanted to gouge my eyeballs out, it was such a painstakingly slow process. Then one day when I was doing my first Whole30 and really wanted to make chicken salad but couldn’t readily find sugar and soy-free mayonnaise (most brands have both of these ingredients) and didn’t want to pay for the premium Paleo brands that make them with healthy ingredients, I bit the bullet (geez, two violent references…can you tell I’ve been watching Alias now that it’s on Prime?) and tried making my own. Once I realized not only how easy it was, but how creamy, flavorful and NOT sweet it was, I was never turning back.

Ingredients in Homemade Mayonnaise

The ingredients in REAL mayonnaise are so very basic. Egg, Light olive or avocado oil, mustard, apple cider vinegar and sea salt are the basic ingredients. Yep, that’s it. Look at the back of a mayo jar and compare. You will quickly see we have been eating a lot of junk over the years.

But Homemade Mayonnaise Has Raw Egg, Right?

Yes, it does. That was part of why I didn’t try it for so many years, but then when I finally got some eggs from a local farmer, I gave it a shot. The key is, you want the freshest eggs possible and you want them from a source you know are raised and handled well. If you do buy them from a store, buy the highest quality you can find or spring for the smallest container of pasteurized eggs you can find. One egg makes about 1 1/2 cups so to make close to a quart, you will need two eggs.

Tips and Tricks for Making Failproof Homemade Mayonnaise

• Use room temperature eggs. If you forget to put them out an hour ahead of time, simply place them in warm water for 5 minutes.
• Use a food processor that has a drip hole in the center of the food pusher. (My favorite one.)
• Use Dijon mustard, not dry mustard or yellow mustard.

How Long is Homemade Mayonnaise Good

Homemade mayonniase keeps for as long as the eggs are good, so take note of the date on carton if you buy at the store. I get my eggs from a local friend so I know they’ve got at least 4-6 weeks so that’s about how long I keep mine.

It’s actually very easy.

1. Place warm raw eggs, Dijon mustard, salt and onion powder or other spices in the bowl of the food processor.
2. Pulse to blend these ingredients together.
3. Turn food processor to high and pour olive oil into food pusher. It will slowly start to drip in while food processor is running and you will see the mixture turning white and creamy.
4. When the first amount of olive oil is mixed in, add the remaining olive oil and keep letting it run. (The whole process takes 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the apple cider vinegar to the food pusher and let it run until it has been completely incorporated.
6. Transfer to a jar and let sit on the counter at room temp for it to cure for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
7. Use anywhere you would use mayonnaise.

Ways to Use Homemade Mayonnaise

• The obvious places of course: sandwiches, salads, etc.
• Use instead of butter on the outside of grilled sandwiches (I learned this from a grilled cheese food truck)
• Use to adhere crumbs to fish, chicken or veggies to make oven baked crunchy things. Add extra flavor by making a flavored mayo like the ones below.
• Mix in your favorite flavorings to make flavored mayo to serve with Home Fries. Some of my favorite combinations are:
  • chopped chipootle chiles, lime juice and honey
  • chopped capers, shallots, garlic and dill or taragon
  • garlic, rosemary, black pepper and lemon juice.
• Make special sauce for burgers: 1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp relish or chopped pickles, 1/2 cup mayo
• Dijonnaise: 1 tbsp Dijon mustard to 1/4 cup mayo or make Honey Dijonnaise by adding 1-2 tsp honey to taste
• Make Whole30 and Paleo Friendly Ranch Dressing – use my dairy-free version here