Nearly every jar of store mayonnaise — including most "avocado oil" brands — contains soybean or canola oil as the primary fat, with avocado oil listed further down. Homemade takes one egg, one cup of light avocado oil, and about 60 seconds with an immersion blender.
The immersion blender method is nearly foolproof — the whole egg and oil emulsify before you can second-guess it. The whisk method takes 10 minutes and a steady pour but needs no equipment and works anywhere. Both versions keep for two weeks in the fridge and are the base for homemade ranch.
Ingredients
- 1 large whole egg, room temperature
- 1 cup light (refined) avocado oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Make sure your egg is at room temperature — take it out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead, or set it in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. A cold egg straight from the fridge emulsifies less reliably.
- Crack the whole egg into a tall, narrow jar or the blending cup that came with your immersion blender. Add the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt directly on top of the egg. Do not stir.
- Pour all of the avocado oil slowly on top. The egg should sit at the bottom undisturbed.
- Lower the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the jar and press it firmly against the base. Blend on high without lifting or moving the blender for 20–25 seconds — you will see thick white mayo forming up around the blade.
- Once the bottom is fully emulsified, slowly tilt and lift the blender toward the top to pull in the remaining oil, about 10 more seconds. The entire jar should be uniformly white and thick.
- Taste and adjust salt or lemon. Seal the jar and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.
- Separate 1 egg yolk into a medium bowl (the whisk method uses yolk only, not whole egg). Add the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt. Whisk briskly until pale and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Begin adding the avocado oil one drop at a time while whisking constantly. This slow start is what builds the emulsion — add oil too fast here and the mayo will break.
- After the first ¼ cup of oil is incorporated and the mixture is visibly thick and creamy, you can add the remaining oil in a thin, steady stream, still whisking without stopping.
- The finished mayo should be thick, glossy, and hold a soft peak. Taste and adjust salt or lemon. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
Tip 1
Room temperature egg is the single most important variable — cold eggs straight from the fridge break the emulsion more often than not.
Tip 2
Light (refined) avocado oil is neutral in flavor. Extra-virgin avocado oil works but has a grassy, slightly bitter note that can be strong in mayo.
Tip 3
If the mayo breaks (separates into oily liquid): start fresh with a new egg yolk in a clean bowl, whisk it, then slowly whisk in the broken batch as if it were the oil. It almost always rescues.
Tip 4
Dijon mustard is not optional — the lecithin in it acts as an emulsifier that stabilizes the bond between egg and oil.
What you'll need
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