How to Make Homemade Mayo
Published Jan 17, 2018 | Last Updated May 14, 2026
Learn how easy it is to mayo from scratch with just a food processor. The flavor is so much more alive and interesting than the store-bought mayo. Your sandwiches and everything else will end up tasting better. And it will taste more like the Aioli (eye-o-li) you get on most restaurant menus. There is a recipe for chipotle aioli at the end too!
Restaurants like to use the word aioli, never "mayo" or "mayonnaise” on their menus. It sounds so much better. And if I see the word aioli used, I am assuming they have made it fresh, and aren’t using something from a jar or tub. Mayo and aioli are a little different. Traditional aioli is made with a mortar and pestle, to grind the garlic cloves into a paste first, and uses olive oil, never canola. Most of our tastebuds aren't used to the strong flavor of real Extra Virgin Olive Oil in our mayo, and therefor other oils are used that are more mild. The difference between mayonnaise and aïoli has blurred over time. I tend to call it aïoli if I have made it myself, even if it wasnt with a mortar and pestle.
Why Make Homemade Mayonnaise?
With a food processor, making aioli or mayo yourself is so easy and so much better than anything you would get a store that you will want it around all the time. You will be much happier with the far smaller list of ingredients as well. When made from scratch, the flavor is so much more alive and interesting than store-bought mayo. Your sandwiches and everything else will end up tasting better.
With homemade mayo you have complete control over your ingredients unlike store bought. You can control the quality of the oils, especially if you are avoiding soy products and canola oil.
What Oils to Use for Mayonnaise
My favorite combination to use is some Extra Virgin Olive Oil like Enzo's, some lighter olive oil along with some avocado oil. I want the health benefits of the stronger Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the polyphenols, but I also want to soften the spiciness that usually comes from an EVOO by blending it with the other lighter oils.
Ingredients for Homemade Mayo
3 large egg yolks
1 small garlic clove
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup grapeseed or avocado oil
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup light or "delicate" olive oil
Additional Flavors to Add to Mayo
You can create any flavor you want by adding fresh herbs and spices, or some roasted red bell pepper or sundried tomatoes. You can also use this base to make a spicy chipotle aioli, which goes great with burgers and fish tacos. I've added some directions for that version down below. Here are some flavor combinations to add to the base recipe.
A couple tablespoons of chopped chives, parsley and dill to make a ranch dressing style mayo
Roasted garlic - roast a whole bulb of garlic and squeeze some of the soft cloves into your finished mayo
Add Sriracha and a splash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Add some pesto! Great for turkey sandwiches
Curry powder and a squeeze of lime juice
The options are endless! Make the homemade mayo recipe first, pull out some of the plain mayo if desired, and then start to add your variations.
Storing your Homemade Mayo
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
How to make mayo with a food processor
The original aioli or mayo was made with a bowl and a whisk. You had to slowly drizzle in the oil while constantly whisking in order to create an emulsion. (This is something I had to do in culinary school. ) Now, we have food processors with this handy hole in the top which slowly releases the olive oil for you so the emulsion can happen.
Place egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and salt in the food processor. Turn on and let run until garlic is broken up, about 15 seconds. The key to a good emulsion is to start very slow. Most food processors have a hole in the round insert for the processor lid. This is to help create a slow, small stream of oil, when you pour the oil through this part of the lid.
Turn on the processor and begin pouring in 1 to 3 tablespoons at a time of oil through the hole in the lid, until you can see the mixture begin to gel, or bind together. Take your time here. If the emulsification doesn't happen at the beginning, the mixture will just be runny no matter how much you run the processor. Once you see the "mayo" forming, go ahead and pour the oil in a little faster. The hole will keep the oil flowing in a steady stream.
If you aioli is super thick half way through adding the oil and add a little warm water, about 2 tablespoons, and turn on the processor again. The aioli then thins a bit and looks like the consistency of regular mayo.
Once all the oil is in, taste the aioli and add more lemon or salt if desired
Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator.
Chipotle Aioli Recipe
For a spicy twist on this recipe, you can also use it as a base to make a chipotle aioli. Just combine:
1 cup of the basic aioli recipe above
½ chipotle in adobe sauce (look for brands with no wheat flour like Embassa)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
and the juice of 1 lime (or 4 teaspoon).
Combine in a food processor and add more peppers if you want more spice.
Printer-Friendly Recipe
Aioli aka Homemade Mayo
Aioli (eye-o-li) could be described as the fancy name for mayo. When made from scratch, the flavor is so much more alive and interesting than the store-bought mayo and it all comes together in the food processor.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup grapeseed or avocado oil
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup light or "delicate" olive oil
Instructions
- Place egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and salt in the food processor. Turn on and let run until garlic is broken up, about 15 seconds. The key to a good emulsion is to start very slow. Most food processors have a hole in the round insert for the processor lid. This is to help create a slow, small stream of oil, when you pour the oil through this part of the lid.
- Turn on the processor and begin pouring in 1 to 3 tablespoons at a time of oil through the hole in the lid, until you can see the mixture begin to gel, or bind together. Take your time here. If the emulsification doesn't happen at the beginning, the mixture will just be runny no matter how much you run the processor. Once you see the "mayo" forming, go ahead and pour the oil in a little faster. The hole will keep the oil flowing in a steady stream.
- My aioli tends to emulsify so well that the mixture is super thick half way through adding the oil. I then stop the oil and add a little warm water, about 2 tablespoons, and turn on the processor again. The aioli then thins a bit and looks like the consistency of regular mayo.
- Once all the oil is in, taste the aioli and see if you want to add any more lemon or salt.
- Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
MAKE CHIPOTLE AIOLI
For a spicy twist on this recipe, you can also use it as a base to make a chipotle aioli. Just combine 1 cup of the basic aioli recipe above with 1/2 chipotle in adobe sauce (look for brands with no wheat flour), 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 3/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and the juice of 1 lime (or 4 tsp). Combine in a food processor and add more peppers if you want more spice.
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