Name: Homemade Mayonnaise
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1 small bowl
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 egg yolk at room temperature; 1 teaspoon mustard; 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice; 200ml oil (grape seed, sunflower, etc.); salt and pepper; a small stainless steel bowl or glass jar; optional: tarragon, chives, parsley

Introduction

Mayonnaise is easy to make. Once you master it, buying store-bought mayonnaise becomes unthinkable.

MIBE illustrations - I love eggs

Some trace it back to the 17th century in France, under the name “sauce mahonnaise,” created after the capture of Mahón (Menorca) by the Duke of Richelieu. Others see it as an adaptation of Spanish egg-and-oil sauces. It became popular in the 19th century in French haute cuisine thanks to chefs like Marie-Antoine Carême, who codified the classic sauces.
Use extra-fresh eggs.

Prefer a neutral oil (grape seed, sunflower, etc.). If using olive oil, mix for example 2/3 neutral + 1/3 olive to avoid bitterness and the “stiff” texture of a 100% olive oil mayonnaise.

Use a small mixing bowl or a narrow container (like a glass jar); if ingredients are too spread out, the mayonnaise will not emulsify.

You can also use an electric whisk, starting slowly and gradually increasing speed.

For Auguste Escoffier, mayonnaise is a test for the cook: it must be firm, shiny, and hold its shape.

Joël Robuchon recommends working with eggs and oil at room temperature to ensure perfect emulsion.

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Ingredients

1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
200ml oil (grape seed, sunflower, etc.)
salt and pepper
a small stainless steel bowl or glass jar
optional: tarragon, chives, parsley

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The Recipe

Whisk the egg yolk and mustard until smooth.
Add a few drops of oil while whisking vigorously.
Once the mayonnaise begins to thicken, pour the oil in a thin stream while continuing to whisk.
Add vinegar or lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then whisk again.

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Additional Tips

To store for several days, once firm, add 3cl of boiled white vinegar and mix gently.

Using eggs at room temperature helps the mayonnaise emulsify better, as lecithin works best at a higher temperature.

Adding acidity (vinegar or lemon juice):
At the beginning: this is the most common method (Auguste Escoffier, Paul Bocuse, or the Culinary Academy of France technical sheets). Acidity stabilizes the emulsion from the start and gives a firmer mayonnaise.
At the end: some chefs (Joël Robuchon) add vinegar or lemon juice once the mayonnaise is emulsified to better adjust seasoning and give shine and lightness.

Too thick?
Whisk in 1 tablespoon of hot water (never tap water) or a bit of acid to loosen without breaking the emulsion.

Mayonnaise splits (fails to emulsify):
A mayonnaise splits if the oil is added faster than the yolk can emulsify it. The yolk contains proteins and phospholipids (especially lecithin) that coat each oil droplet to form a stable emulsion.
Start again with a fresh yolk in a clean bowl, gradually incorporating the failed mayonnaise while whisking.

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Mayonnaise-Based Sauces

Aioli Sauce

Crush 4 garlic cloves finely in a mortar into a paste and add them to the egg yolk to make mayonnaise, omitting the mustard and using olive oil. Purists argue that aioli does not need egg yolk, and they are correct, as garlic alone can emulsify. Beginners will find it easier to include the yolk. Serve with vegetables, cod, whelks, or any raw vegetables, cold fish, and seafood.

Provence Butter

Make a mayonnaise base with pre-boiled then dried garlic cloves, capers, and boneless anchovies. Ideal with cold fish.

Gribiche Sauce

Make mayonnaise with 2 hard-boiled egg yolks passed through a sieve and 1 raw yolk. At the end, add 1 tablespoon chopped pickles and capers, parsley, tarragon, chervil, and grated hard egg whites. Classic for veal head! Also excellent with shellfish, cold fish, white meats, or steamed leeks.

Rémoulade Sauce

Mayonnaise with raw yolk and mustard, plus chopped capers and pickles, parsley, chervil, tarragon, and a mashed anchovy. Ideal for celery remoulade, raw vegetables, and Piedmontese salad.

Tartar Sauce

Mayonnaise with 2 hard-boiled yolks sieved and 1 raw yolk. When emulsified, add a large spoon of green onion or chives puree. Traditional for cold meats or poultry.

Andalouse Sauce

Add one-third tomato purée to the mayonnaise. Serve with vegetable terrines or cold fish.

Cocktail Sauce

Add a large spoon of ketchup, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon cognac. Season with a few drops of Tabasco. Perfect for shrimp, crab, and other shellfish salads.

Tomato Fries

Mix 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, and a pinch of paprika into finished mayonnaise.

Traditional Fries

Mix 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, a pinch of salt, a pinch of white pepper, 1 finely chopped shallot, finely chopped chives, and 2 tablespoons thick cream into the mayonnaise.

Smoked Tomato Mayonnaise

Make mayonnaise. Separately, blend sun-dried tomatoes in oil with smoked eel. Mix gently. Serve with cold meat, fish, shellfish, or eggs.

Chantilly Sauce

Make mayonnaise using lemon juice instead of vinegar. Fold in half its volume of whipped cream. Serve with warm or cold asparagus.

Mousseline Sauce

Make mayonnaise using lemon juice instead of vinegar. Fold in 1 egg white whipped to stiff peaks. Serve with cold asparagus, artichokes, or raw vegetables.

Mousquetaire Sauce

Add 3 chopped shallots sautéed in 100ml white wine until evaporated, 1 tablespoon meat jus (e.g., roast chicken), and chopped chives. Season with cayenne pepper or a small dried chili. Serve with cold meats to enhance leftover roast chicken or Sunday roast beef.

Swedish Sauce

Cook apples into a compote with a little white wine. Blend and reduce over heat until thick. Once cooled, fold in twice the amount of mayonnaise and finish with a touch of horseradish. Pairs with cold pork, smoked fish like salmon or herring.

Cipriani Sauce

Make mayonnaise with olive oil and lemon juice. Add 1 teaspoon Colman’s mustard, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and thin with 1–2 tablespoons warm milk. Should be fairly fluid. Traditionally served with the carpaccio at Harry’s Bar in Venice.

Japanese Mayonnaise, Tamago-no-mono

1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon mustard (Japanese karashi, stronger than European mustard) or miso paste, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, a pinch of cayenne, a strip of lemon zest, peanut oil. Mix yolk with mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar, and chili. Whisk in oil to emulsify.

Seaweed Mayonnaise

Add a few spoons of nori seaweed paste to finished mayonnaise. Lightly salt as seaweed paste is salty. Pairs well with cold fish, shrimp, langoustines, or raw vegetables.

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The mayonnaise recipe.