Mayonnaise
Classic homemade mayonnaise made with a single egg yolk, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and neutral oil, whipped with an electric beater in about five minutes.
This is a small single-yolk batch that comes together in five minutes with an electric beater, which is safer and more foolproof than a stick blender or food processor. Using only the yolk gives a richer mouthfeel, and the mayonnaise is easy to flavor with garlic for aioli, lemon zest, parsley or sriracha.
Instructions
- 1
Mix the yolk: Use a small to medium bowl, because in a bowl that is too big the mixture spreads too thinly and the yolk and oil cannot catch on the beater. Place everything except the oil in the bowl and give it a quick beat with an electric beater to combine.
- 2
Pour slowly and keep beating: With the electric beater running on medium-high speed (8 out of 10), start pouring in the oil in a thin, steady stream. Aim for the beaters so the oil is mixed in straight away, and move the beater around the bowl as needed. Continue with the remaining oil in the same thin stream, pausing the pour whenever needed to give the mayonnaise a chance to catch up and absorb the oil before adding more.
- 3
Finish by hand: Stop beating once all the oil is added and beaten in; do not keep beating unnecessarily, as it can make the mayonnaise split. Use a rubber spatula to scoop around the bowl and mix in any residual oil splatters.
- 4
Voilà! Homemade mayonnaise! It should have the consistency of softened butter. Use it as you would shop-bought mayonnaise; it is so beautiful you could even spread it on warm bread like butter (try it, it is amazing!).
- 5
Hand-whisk method (requires arm stamina!): Follow the same steps as with the electric beater, but use a hand whisk instead. While whisking constantly, pour the oil in a thin, steady stream onto the spot where the whisk is moving. Set the bowl on a damp tea towel to stop it from moving.
Ago's Notes
- Raw egg: this mayonnaise contains raw egg, so it is not recommended for pregnant or immunocompromised people. If you can get pasteurized eggs, use them instead; they have been heat-treated to kill harmful bacteria without cooking the egg.
- Best oil: grapeseed oil has a clean, neutral flavor. Any other neutral oil works too, such as sunflower, canola, vegetable or light olive oil, or refined avocado oil. Don't use extra virgin olive oil on its own, because the flavor can overwhelm and beating makes it more bitter; up to 50% of the oil is fine.
- Scaling up: the electric beater method is practical and safe up to a triple batch. For a quadruple batch or more, use a food processor: blitz everything except the oil, then pour the oil in slowly through the feeder while the blade is running. Make sure the bowl is large enough for the volume plus headroom.
- Stick blender: high risk for a single batch, safer with a double or triple batch and recommended for experienced cooks only. Put everything, oil included, in a tall jug just wide enough for the blender head, press the blender on the base of the jug and blitz, pulling up slowly as the emulsion forms. Stop as soon as it comes together or it can split, and mix in any stray bits of oil with a small whisk or fork.
- Storage: keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
I love how one yolk and a thin stream of oil turn into a glossy, spoonable mayonnaise in five minutes, and the electric beater makes it practically foolproof. Many Italian cooks still whisk maionese by hand for insalata russa or vitello tonnato; this is the same emulsion with much less arm work. The taste is clean and creamy with a gentle lemon tang, far fresher than anything from a jar.
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