Recipe: Homemade Mayonnaise {Paleo}

Healthy, homemade mayonnaise that you can whip up with on-hand ingredients in a matter of minutes … and it will blow your tastebuds away.

Mayonnaise is one of those polarizing things. People seem to either love it or hate it.

Then there’s me.

And maybe you too?

It’s an occasional swipe on a sandwich for the kids.

Or an ingredient in a recipe.

And that’s pretty much … it.

I used to use it more religiously for sandwiches and the like, until I started clean eating in 2010. And then it went by the wayside in favor of mustard or smooshed avocado.

But there’s still always a jar in the fridge for the occasional sandwich.

Last week, I was nearly out, and in my ongoing effort to replace processed items with more homemade items (and save money to boot), I remembered I had seen an easy-to-make recipe for mayo in a Paleo cookbook I like.

And here we are.

I used my mini blender and whipped this up in just a few minutes.

With a handful of basic ingredients I bet you have on hand, you will be rewarded with the creamiest, lightest, most awesome tasting mayo ever.

Like, for real.

Almost like an aoili, as opposed to the thicker consistency found in name-brand mayo.

Lemony, silky, just so good that you have to try it yourself.

I’ve had it with a bit of baked ham. Alongside grilled chicken. Spread on Madeline’s lunch sandwiches. Made deviled eggs with it.

Seriously amazing stuff, and you’ll never go back to store-bought again.

And besides the fact that it’s cheaper and healthier to make it yourself, you never have to worry about running out – you have everything you need to make it!

Because it does have a raw egg in it, your homemade mayo will expire whenever your eggs’ expiration date is, so you’ll need to keep an eye on it, but since this recipe make just a cup and a half, you should be fine.

And yep. I totally reused the, ahem, store-brand jar to store this homemade goodness in. Shh. Don’t tell.

When I mentioned to my mom that I made mayonnaise, she said that my grandmother did as well.

If you have kids, let them watch as you make it – it’s a pretty cool science experiment to watch it as it turns from the liquid to the more-solid mass.

 

Olive Oil Mayo
Recipe courtesy of Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

Ingredients
1 large egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1 cup light-tasting olive oil (not extra virgin!)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a blender or food processor, break the egg and add the lemon juice. Put the lid on your appliance and allow the egg and lemon juice to come to room temperature together (at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours).

When the egg and lemon juice are room temp, add the mustard, salt, and 1/4 cup oil to the canister. Blend on medium until the ingredients are combined. Now the exciting part begins. Your mission is to incorporate the remaining 1 cup oil by pouring very, very slowly. You want the skinniest drizzle you can manage; this takes about 2-3 minutes. Breathe. Relax. Sing to yourself.

If you’re using a blender, you’ll hear the pitch change as the liquid begins to form the emulsion. Eventually, the substance inside the blender will resemble traditional mayonnaise, only far more beautiful. Do not lose your nerve and consider dumping! Continue to drizzle, slowly.

When all of the oil is incorporated, revel in your triumph and transfer the mayo to a container with a lid. Mark a calendar with your egg expiration date – that’s when your mayo expires too.