Perfect Mayo

Homemade mayonnaise is a staple in the Whole30 kitchen. It forms the base for an unlimited number of sauces and dressings; holds together chicken, tuna, salmon, and egg salad; and coats meat and seafood before cooking or grilling.

This is one recipe for which you don’t want to use extra-virgin olive oil—the flavor is just too strong. Use a light-tasting olive oil, avocado oil, or a high-oleic safflower or sunflower oil instead.

You can use a food processor or blender, or mix using a handheld immersion (stick) blender, but please don’t try to whisk your mayonnaise by hand—you’ll give yourself tennis elbow and have really runny mayo to boot.

Mayonnaise will last in the fridge for about a week after your eggs expire, so check the date on your egg carton, add a week, and write that date on your mayonnaise jar.

basic mayonnaise

Makes 1½ cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

  • 1¼ cups light olive oil
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon mustard powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Juice of ½ lemon

You can change up our Basic Mayonnaise any number of ways to create a variety of different flavors. For inspiration, see Mayonnaise Variations.

Place ¼ cup of the olive oil, the egg, mustard powder, and salt in a blender, food processor, or mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. While the food processor or blender is running (or while mixing in a bowl with an immersion blender), slowly drizzle in the remaining 1 cup olive oil. After you’ve added all the oil and the mixture has emulsified, add the lemon juice, blending on low or stirring to incorporate.

✪Pro Tip The key to this emulsion is making sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Leave your egg out on the counter for an hour, or let it sit in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes before mixing. Keep one lemon on the counter at all times for the express purpose of making mayo—trust us, you’ll be making a lot of this. The slower you add your oil, the thicker and creamer your emulsion will be. You can slowly pour oil by hand out of a spouted measuring cup, or use a plastic squeeze bottle to slowly drizzle it into the bowl, food processor, or blender. If you’re using an immersion blender, pump the stick up and down a few times toward the end to whip some air into the mixture, making it even fluffier.