I used to hate mayonnaise, like the wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole kind of hate. I know now that my distaste for mayo was a blessing considering the first ingredient is soybean oil, a genetically modified, rancid industrial seed oil that I prefer to avoid at all costs. And the rest of the ingredients aren’t too hot in my book either.
Turns out that mayo can actually be quite delicious though… when it’s free of all those nasty chemicals, sugar and bad oils of course! And it’s really quite easy to make too, especially if you have my new favorite kitchen tool: the immersion blender! It’s cheap, easy to use and to clean, and it’s highly versatile. I use mine to blend soups, make butter coffee, and homemade mayo and other creamy dressings and sauces. I have this one. You can also make mayo in a blender or a food processor, but it takes a lot more time.
The key to making mayo is getting the fat to emulsify. In a blender or food processor the only way to ensure proper emulsification is to pour the oil in drop by drop. But who has time for that? With an immersion blender, all you have to do is place your ingredients in a cylindrical container (I use the 2 cup measuring cup it came with or a 16oz wide mouth mason jar- just make sure the base of the cup isn’t larger than the immersion blender head), put the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the container, and blend away. You will be left with perfectly emulsified, creamy and delicious mayo! Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes!
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- ½ tsp yellow mustard (mustard powder works as well but changes the flavor slightly)
- ⅛ tsp salt (or more, to taste)
- ⅔ cup avocado oil or light tasting olive oil
- Place egg, lemon juice, mustard, and salt into a tall container.
- Add oil.
- Place immersion blender at the bottom of the container.
- Blend until it starts to become thick.
- Move blender around until all the oil is incorporated.
Yes, this recipe does contain a raw egg. It is perfectly fine to consume raw eggs, but you will need to make sure you are getting them from a quality, pastured source. I buy mine from a friend that I work with who has her own little farm. If you can’t find local pastured eggs, just try to find the best quality eggs possible. Organic doesn’t guarantee the chickens were raised humanely so spending the extra money for the organic isn’t always worth it. Look for “Certified Humanely Raised” or “Pastured” and just do the best you can! We aren’t about perfectionism over here!
In vibrant health,
Kiersten