How to Make Homemade Mayonnaise - Gluten Free and Dairy Free!

I'm not going to lie and say that making mayonnaise is an easy task...it's actually more like it's easy to mess up. But the recipe is pretty simple and can be made by an average person like myself.

I had never made mayonnaise before, but Rachel had done it several times for work a few years back. So, when we decided to make Purple Potato and Dill Salad, Rachel found it to be the perfect opportunity to teach me this new kitchen skill. It was really quite simple...once we called her restaurant/catering company-owner/brother Adam to help us figure out where the heck we went wrong in the first attempt, which never thickened up.

Trying to make mayonnaise in the blender

First we attempted to make the mayonnaise in the blender. This didn’t work out so well. This is because we discovered that the blender was leaking some of the egg out before it could emulsify – booo. 

So then we tried pouring our failed mixture in a bowl and mixing it by hand. After Rachel's arm nearly fell off from blending for 20 minutes, we came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work. Once you have tried to make mayonnaise and it hasn’t thickened, there is no hope, so just start over! 

So, to base this properly on a successful experience, I will recommend using the bowl and hand mixer method from the start. But, I would guess that you could try it in a blender as well - IF your blender doesn’t leak all the egg out before you add the other ingredients! So here is a simple recipe for how to make mayonnaise – best of luck!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

Ingredients (to make about 2 cups of mayonnaise)

2 eggs

2 tbs apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 cups of oil - we used cold pressed extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 tsp salt, pepper and other seasoning to taste (try garlic, basil, dill or whatever you like)

Separating the egg yolks for mayonnaise

1. Mix the seasonings of your choice in with the oil

2. Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a mixing bowl (keep the leftover egg whites for a fluffy egg white scramble...mmm).

3. Start beating the egg yolks and add in 1 tbs of the vinegar/lemon juice.

4. When the eggs start to thicken or emulsify, very slowly add in the oil and herb mixture…very slowly...like drops at a time.

5. Add in the remaining vinegar/lemon juice. Mix and continue to add oil until nice and thick and well blended; the thicker it gets the faster you can add the oil, but it should still be added slowly.

6. Once you have a nice thick emulsion, add any other spices to taste and then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Now that is thicker like real mayonnaise!

You can make this in smaller or larger portions; just keep the ratio of 1 cup of oil per egg, and keep in mind that it only lasts for a day or two because of the raw egg. It is also highly recommended that you use only pasteurized eggs because they are not cooked. 

Have fun with different spices for different flavors. This recipe works great for potato, chicken, or tuna salad. Use it as a sandwich spread, or you can also add garlic cloves and a little more lemon juice to make an aioli dip. 


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