Recipe: Homemade Mayo (The Paleo Mother Sauce!)
I remember being in fifth grade, trying to figure out how to reduce the (Weight Watchers) Points value of my Subway sandwich. The first thing to go was, of course, mayo. Sugar-y “wheat” bread and preservative-filled meats were totes kosher, but adding the forbidden nectar was just asking for a disappointing weigh-in.
Luckily, now that I’m much older and wiser, I know that food quality matters just as much as the nutrition label. I know that there’s a difference between how my body treats turkey breast that’s full of nitrites and sugar and organic turkey breast that’s simply roasted with salt and pepper. I know that there’s a difference between mayonnaise made with heart-clogging vegetable oils and mayonnaise made with healthy fats rich in omega-3s.
Still, it took me a while to accept mayo as a health food. Every paleo recipe book has a recipe for it, but my brain could not compute how the stuff that Weight Watchers told me to avoid AT ALL COSTS could actually be not all that awful for you.
It really comes down to the quality of your ingredients. When you break it down — if made with the right stuff, mayo can be a great source of healthy fats. Perhaps you shouldn’t subsist on mayo alone, but especially on a Whole30, it’s a good way to making your meals a little more filling, and it’s a great dip for everything from crispy potatoes to raw veggies.
Usually, I treat myself by buying Sir Kensington’s mayo, which uses cage-free eggs, sunflower oil, and lemon juice to create a deliciousy tangy spread. Unfortunately, it also contains a touch of sugar, which makes it unfit for Whole30.
There are other jarred mayos that are Whole30-compliant, such as Primal Kitchen’s Avocado Mayo. I’m sure they’re awesome. For me, this comes down to a budget issue: I’m using far too much of this stuff to justify spending $7–8 per jar of mayo, on top of an already inflated grocery bill this month.
SO! That leads us to making mayo at home, which can literally be done in under five minutes.
Choosing Your Base Oil
The key to a balanced-tasting mayo is to use a neutral-tasting oil. Regular (extra virgin) olive oil is surprisingly overpowering in homemade mayo, and I don’t recommend using it unless you really love the taste of straight-up olive oil and you cut it with a more neutral-tasting oil. Some Whole30-compliant oils I’d suggest are:
- Avocado oil (I love Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil)
- Sunflower oil (can find this at Whole Foods)
- Extra light olive oil (can find at Kroger)
Tools for the Job
We love using our immersion blender for making mayo. If you don’t have one, I’d highly recommend adding one to your tool kit. You can usually find them for under $40, they occupy little space, and they are super handy for tasks like blending soup right in the pot, breaking up chunks of meat in chili, and yes, making mayo. Here’s the one I have and have used for several years without fail!
This recipe uses the following:
- Immersion blender
- Wide-mouth mason jar (anything tall that will fit your immersion blender will work)
Whole30 Mayo Recipe
We’ve been using this recipe from The Movement Menu with great success. Once you get this basic recipe down, you can start playing around with variations! I’m looking forward to trying curry mayo, basil mayo, etc. this month.
Ingredients
- 1 cup neutral-tasting oil (see note above)
- 1 whole cage-free egg, at room temperature (don’t skip this! just let it sit on the counter for 20 mins or so)
- 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except lemon juice and salt to your jar.
2. Stick your immersion blender into your jar until it touches the bottom. Break up the yolk with the end of the blender.
3. Slowly, slowly begin blending, gently moving the blender up and down until you get a white, creamy emulsion (between 15–30 seconds).
4. Stir in lemon juice and salt and you’re done!
Store your mayo in an airtight container for up to a week (if it lasts that long!).
How to Use Your Mayo
So far, I’ve used this mayo to make:
- Whole30 deviled eggs (recipe coming soon!)
- Whole30 chicken salad
- Dip for crispy potatoes
- Dip for veggies
- Whole30 salmon cakes
I’m so grateful to this simple recipe for the creaminess and deliciousness it adds to our meals!
What Recipes Do You Want to See?
I’d love to hear from you: What recipes do you want to learn how to make? What paleo foods have you been too intimidated to make at home? If you’re doing a Whole30 — what kind of foods have you been craving?
I’m all ears, friends!
