I've got the best paleo mayo made in just 1 minute with an immersion blender. With the right ingredients and tools in hand, you’ll be well on your way to creating thick, creamy and delicious paleo mayo. It is dairy free, soy free, paleo and Whole30!
Immersion blenders are AMAZING- I always use them when I’m making soups and stews, too- so convenient. Plus the cleanup is minimal: all you will need to wash is the blade of the blender (which detaches from the stick part!)
Why am I even making this paleo mayo recipe? Well, I started a Whole30 on Monday, and I have taken over the Whole30 Recipes Instagram page for the week.
There, I am sharing my best practices while Whole30’ing, recipes, and tips and tricks I have while grocery shopping, prepping food, etc.
One of my biggest secrets/tips would be to have a jar of this stuff in the refrigerator at all times. It’s so dang versatile, and you’re going to need all of those healthy fats during your journey!
Why you should make paleo mayonnaise at home
Sure, you can buy some awesome brands that are Whole30 compliant like Chosen Foods or Primal Kitchen Foods, but homemade paleo mayo is really quick and easy to whip up when you’re pressed for time.
Besides, who has time to run to the store or wait for an order to be shipped to you nowadays? If I want paleo mayo, I want it here and now! 😉
You don’t need much and chances are, you’ll have the majority if not all of these ingredients already in your pantry.
I love mixing in different spices like: curry powder, some cayenne, garlic powder or turmeric into my homemade mayos! The possibilities and flavor combinations are endless. Pair it with your breakfast scramble, grilled meat & vegetables or use it as a dip!
What’s awesome about this paleo mayo is that it can be used as the base in so many different recipes.
What’s the deal with paleo mayo? Why is it all the rage? Before trying this mayo, I was unsold on ever being able to like mayonnaise.
Kraft mayo from the store- no, thank you. The taste comparison is incredibly different, and I’d never find myself dipping vegetables and homemade roasted potatoes in a bottle of Kraft mayonnaise.
However, I find myself slathering this goodness all over everything: I’m talking about scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, chicken, etc.
The customization options are truly endless and you get to control how acidic or salty your mayonnaise tastes! Make it your own.
Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions
Do I need to use mustard? You can make paleo mayonnaise without mustard, but it's important to note that mustard is one of the fail-safes I have added to this recipe to ensure proper emulsification.
Is it safe to consume raw eggs? I highly recommend purchasing from a farm or buying a brand at the market that you trust. Try to purchase organic, pastured eggs if at all possible. Be sure to keep your eggs refrigerated at all times.
Can I use olive oil instead? I would encourage you not to unless you can find a light-tasting olive oil. Otherwise, the pungent flavor will take over and you most likely will really not like the taste of the mayo.
What if I don't own an immersion blender? If it is in the budget to purchase one, please do yourself and go for it. If you don't want to buy one or don't own one, I've provided a tutorial for you to use a food processor or blender instead right here.
How to make homemade mayonnaise
In a glass jar (see notes), pour in the avocado oil. Add egg to the oil and let the ingredients settle for 1 minute.
Take the immersion blender and let it touch the bottom of the container, piercing the egg yolk completely.
Turn the immersion blender on and leave it on the bottom for about 20-30 seconds, until the whole bottom has turned white in color.
VERY SLOWLY lift it up to continue emulsifying. This process should take anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue blending until the mixture has thickened to your desired amount.
Add mustard and water to the mixture.
Stir in the salt and gently fold in the lemon juice. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
You can alternatively use safflower oil or a light-tasting olive oil. Also, feel free to use 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
If your mayo does break, here is an incredible tutorial that will get it emulsified and creamy!
More recipes that use paleo mayo as the base:
Dairy Free Whole30 Potato Salad
Paleo Whole30 Chicken Salad Boats
Delicious ways to use homemade paleo mayo
- Use it to make the creamy base of any salad dressing. It's my favorite thing to use in potato salad!
- Have you tried my egg salad yet? There is nothing tastier than soft-boiled eggs mixed with creamy mayo.
- Use it as a dip for roasted veggies and potatoes
I can nearly guarantee that you will never head to the store to buy mayonnaise ever again once you realize how much better it tastes homemade.
I gave Sophie some last night on her chickpea pasta, and she literally started licking it off each individual noodle.
How awesome is she? 🙂 She's definitely my daughter.
Well, I think it's safe to say it's time.
If you are having ANY issues making this mayo work, please don't hesitate to reach out.
I'm here to help you troubleshoot, and I absolutely cannot wait for you to try this creamy, yummy goodness!
The Best Paleo Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 cup avocado oil see notes
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 lemon juiced, see notes
Instructions
- In a glass jar (see notes), pour in the avocado oil. Add egg to the oil and let the ingredients settle for 1 minute.
- Take the immersion blender and let it touch the bottom of the container, piercing the egg yolk completely.
- Turn the immersion blender on and leave it on the bottom for about 20-30 seconds, until the whole bottom has turned white in color.
- VERY SLOWLY lift it up to continue emulsifying. This process should take anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue blending until the mixture has thickened to your desired amount.
- Add mustard and water to the mixture.
- Stir in the salt and gently fold in the lemon juice. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Monica – recipe developer, matcha addict and lover of all things chocolate, kombucha and any & all puns. I am also the blogger, real food lover, & bonafide hustler behind the blog ‘The Movement Menu.’ I’m so excited to welcome you to my happy space, where my appreciation of creative recipes and healthy & mindful eats come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
I just made this. It has a beautiful consistency!! I cannot find avocado oil, so I used extra light olive oil. I added just a wee bit of garlic powder....not enough to measure. At room temp, it does taste a bit odd, but, I think it will be better when it gets cold. I didn't have an immersion blender, and I used my mini food processor. I just kept hitting pulse, ever so quickly. Pretty sure I will make it again.
Hi there, any updates on the taste? An immersion blender helps IMMENSELY!
This mayo is great and I've made it twice in my food processor. You just have to pour in the oil very very slowly while motor is running....super slowly....But ya know, my mom made this in the fifties with just a Sunbeam mixer....so use what you have and just realize emulsification is a process not a dump everything in kind of recipe.
Thank you for this. It makes me so sad to hear that it doesn't work out for some people, but yes emulsification is a pretty steady science ๐
Making sure the egg is at room temperature when you start will help it emulsify, if you're having problems. I've used olive oil and avocado oil for this recipe and I like them both! Just different. I also added about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and omitted the mustard because I didn't have any Whole30 compliant mustard on hand.
Hi Rachel, thank you SO much for sending this over. I will be sure to include this in my notes so people have a bit more success. I love using avocado oil and light tasting extra virgin olive oil, too. I will need to try your method with the ACV. Yum!!! Have you already left a review towards the bottom of the recipe? That helps me out a ton!
Hi there! Gonna try to make this in a vitamix blender. What is the blending speed I need it on to make the mayo? Fast or slow?? Thanks so much!!
Hi there. This is a good question, I would try it on medium speed and very slowly drizzle the oil in. Can you let me know how it turns out?
Did exactly as you said and liquid. Room temp egg, avacado oul, bought cuisinart immersion blender, started from bottom up on low speed. Held at bottom for 20 seconds before moving up and soup
https://whole30.com/2014/05/mayo/
This is a great place to look at if it's not emulsifying properly. It's a process, and I hope we can get to the bottom of it. Can you let me know how it turns out?
I used exact ingredients and immersion blender and it's liquid. Also the recipe above calls for salt but doesn't say when to add it
Hi Kelly, I sometimes receive comments like these and it breaks my heart. Sometimes, it just doesn't emulsify, but this only happens to me about 1 in 8 times. I wonder if we can troubleshoot somehow. I'd be willing to walk through it with you or send you a video. Did you see my video? Also, sorry about the salt. My mistake!
I am so disappoInted. I used the exact ingridients and method, after two failed attempts i tried it several other ways and no luck ๐ so much wasTed food... what am i doing wrong??
Hi Rebekah, this makes me so incredibly sad to hear. Maybe I can help you troubleshoot somehow? Can you send me an email? Monica@themovementmenu.com
Is there any risk from eating raw eggs?
I have never heard of any issues, personally. I buy my eggs from a local farmer who I know keeps good practices. Just make sure you're purchasing good quality, organic eggs ๐
Also for anyone else with the question, the acid from the lemon juice or vinegar essentially "cooks" the eggs. So there isnt truly anything raw in it. Similar to the way ceviche is "cooked" in citrus.
OMG!! I've made paleo mayo before but this is by far the best recipe! Thank you!!
Thank you SO much. I'm so happy to hear that!
mine turned out very liquidy - help
Hi there! Did you use an immersion blender? Also, what kind of oil?
I'd be happy to help you troubleshoot! 1 out of 10 times, mine doesn't emulsify and I have to redo it. But let's try and figure this out! ๐
It was so easy and worked perfectly...I can't believe I've been buying expensive mayo! No more!
I'm so happy to hear that! Did you use an immersion blender? I love how creamy it is!
Used blender and it's like dressing not thick like mayo. What should I add
Hi there. I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like it did not emulsify properly. The immersion blender is what I have found to work best. Is there any way you can get your hands on one?
This is awesome I just made this and it worked perfect. I have been wanting to make homemade mayo for years I tried it once about 10 yrs ago with my food processor and it didn't work. I am on a special diet and love mayo so this homemade is perfect, easy and delicious!! Thank you
You're SO welcome. I'm really happy to hear that because it's been getting some bad reviews, and I've been wondering why. I've never had an issue with it emulsifying when using an immersion blender. Anyway, I'm so thrilled you love it. Enjoy!
Do you know how long this last in the fridge?
I would say up to one week, to be safe.
If you add a probiotic liquid like the liquid that sits on the top of yoghurt, or from a fermented product like sauerkraut or kombucha, leave it out on the bench overnight and then it will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.
I know this is like a year later, but thanks so much for this idea! I have plenty of buch liquid in my scoby hotel.
Where has this mayo recipe been all my life!
Made no changes, used the immersion blender....easy, easy to whip up.
To die for! A million hugs to youโฃ๏ธ
A million hugs back at you. Happy to hear it turned out for you... it always turns out for me, but I've been getting complaints that it isn't emulsifying ๐
I just tried making this mayo with my new Immersion blender on its lowest speed and the consistency is still liquid. Could it be that my lowest speed is not slow enough. I am so upset because I bought it specifically to make mayonnaise. Ugh? What type do you use?
Hi there. Did the mayo emulsify and it was just liquidy? Can you provide me with more details and the exact ingredients you used? I have a Cuisinart mixer.
This does not taste good. I used olive oil. I didn't have avocado oil. I wish I knew how to make it taste better.
Hi there. I'm so sorry to hear that. The olive oil has to be very light or it will taste a bit funny. Avocado oil is the best. Do you have access to it?
Thanks for your recipe. I don't have an immersion blender and tried it with my ninja - and couldn't get it to emulsify. I made a second batch, but used a hand mixer and followed your second set of instructions and it worked. I then pulled a little of the emulgied stuff out (as a starter) and slowly added the unemulsified batch to it (using the hand mixer) and got it to work. Both batches were thinner than I expected, but still tasty, and will work for what I intend to use it for. Thanks!
Hi there. I'm happy to hear it finally worked, but I'm sorry to hear it didn't thicken up ๐ The immersion blender is a game changer. I use it for soups / stews all the time, and there is nothing that makes better mayo!
You need to be on a high speed.
I'm a senior, and I learned to make mayo this way some time ago, but it used an Osterizer. I'm glad to see this method getting internet coverage. It's so much easier than the old method. It's practically no-fail. And makes great mayo. I added paprika, cider vinegar and cayenne to my recipe. Whatever did we do before immersion blenders?
Very excited to try this recipe!!! My husband and I started the whole30 this week and it will be nice to have this on hand!
That's so wonderful. Please let me know how it turns out and what you think!
My husband and I started the Whole30 this week too, and I've been looking for a recipe like this. I'm excited to try it out!
Ah, that is so awesome to hear. Please let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions!
Hi,
My husband is allergic to lemon juice, what would you recommend in its place.
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi there! You could use the same amount of apple cider vinegar in its place!