How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise in Fast as Five Minutes

Why make mayonnaise when you can always grab a bottle made from your local mayonnaise manufacturer? This question makes sense since it is convenient and may be tiresome to create one. But surprise, surprise! You can make your own for only five minutes. And the good part, you have the liberty to cut the sugar, lessen the salt, or use a healthier oil, just the way you want it.

With only four ingredients that can be easily found in your kitchen and five minutes of your spare time, homemade mayonnaise is within your reach. Learn how to make it with our step-by-step guide. 

Making Homemade Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is very easy to make because it is only an emulsion of egg yolks and oil along with salt and a little acidity to brighten the taste. Here is the basic recipe that will give you a cup of mayo:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of neutral-flavored oil (light olive oil, walnut oil, or sweet almond oil)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pinch of fine grain salt

Directions:

1. Make sure that you have prepared all four ingredients. It would be best to use a bowl with high sides since this will help prevent unavoidable splashes, plus a sturdy whisk works best.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the latter in a small bowl with high sides and save the egg whites for another use. Better use an egg separator to separate eggs if you have one.
3. Pour the vinegar into the bowl with egg yolks and whisk them well. Egg yolks have a natural emulsifier that helps bind ingredients and thicken sauces.
4. Slowly, like few drops at a time, pour the oil into the bowl while whisking continuously. Once the mayo has begun to thicken, you may stream the oil in a slow and steady flow. If the oil starts to build up, stop pouring, and whisk the mayonnaise quickly until the oil has fused thoroughly.
5. If the mayonnaise starts to look thick, you may add enough water to make the consistency thin. Add roughly a teaspoon of water at a time to avoid overdoing it.
6. When all the oil has been thoroughly mixed in, the mayonnaise should be thick and fluffy. Season it with a fine grain salt. If you prefer thinner mayonnaise, you can still add a small splash of water and incorporate it into the mixture. 

Things to Remember to Make Your Homemade Mayo Successful

Indeed, making mayonnaise is easy, but it won’t be successful if you will not be keen on these little tips:

• Only use room temperature eggs because cold eggs often result in mayonnaise that does not thicken. Also, if available, use good quality free-range eggs since this condiment is produced with raw eggs.
• Make sure to add the vinegar first because it helps breakdown the protein in egg yolks to emulsify. If you want to use lemon juice, better to use freshly squeezed lemon juice due to some instances that bottled lemon juice may give your mayonnaise a funny taste.
• When mixing, start with streaming oil languidly, and a few drops at a time would be best until the mayonnaise begins to thicken. Once it began to thicken, then you can pour the oil in a little fast manner.
• It wouldn’t hurt if you seasoned mayonnaise with a good quality sea salt by adding only a pinch at a time. Be careful in sprinkling extra pinch, though, because mayonnaise can quickly become too salty.

What to Do if Your Mayonnaise Making is in Trouble?

• Mayonnaise is Too Thick

If your mayo’s consistency starts looking thick, add teaspoons of water to thin it down based on your preference.

• Mayonnaise is Not Thickening

If you are still getting the hang of it, you can salvage the emulsion by adding another egg yolk and whisk it briskly. Add the remaining oil plus some extra for a double recipe, and don’t forget to adjust the seasoning. BUT if it never thickens and it still looks like a puddle, then you might need to start from square one.

Conclusion

To summarize, making mayonnaise at home is easy as 1-2-3, which can be both fussy and complicated too. Yet, making a homemade one is certainly worth the effort because you can customize your mayo based on your preference that you will never find in store varieties. Not to mention the fresh lemony flavor that is only attainable when the simple ingredients are mixed and eaten right away.

Indeed, it needs patience and tiresome whisking, but making mayonnaise is not that hard. What is more, you will master an essential kitchen skill that will be worthy not just for sandwich condiment status, but for party sauce dippings as well.