My Homemade Mayo Experiment

If you’re wondering how to make homemade mayo, I found the perfect recipe and it was ridiculously EASY! It turned out SO good!

Earlier this year, I added “Make Homemade Mayo” to my 12 Things to Attempt in 2025 list. It felt a sort of random at the time, but it’s one of those skills I’ve wanted to try for a long time. It seemed like it couldn’t be too hard to do and it was something outside my usual kitchen skills.

And guess what? I tried it, and it worked!

Once I decided to try making mayo from scratch, I did what most of us do — I searched online for a recipe that felt doable. That’s when I stumbled across this article and recipe from Inspired Taste. It promised creamy, fresh-tasting mayo in just a few minutes using ingredients I already had on hand.

I figured I had nothing to lose, so I pulled out my food processor.

Emulsification is Key

This homemade mayo recipe I found has just a few ingredients:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1 cup (240ml) safflower oil or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, optional

You’ll also need a food processor or something similar to mix everything up but you can prepare a batch of homemade mayo pretty quickly. (Many people highly recommend using an immersion blender for homemade mayo but my little food processor worked just fine!)

One of the big things this recipe emphasized was something called emulsification. If you’re like me and hadn’t heard of that before, here’s the short version: It’s the process of blending two things that don’t normally mix, like oil and vinegar or oil and egg, into a smooth, thick, uniform sauce. In this case, it’s what turns your runny ingredients into fluffy, creamy mayo.

The first few minutes of making it, I honestly thought I had messed up. I slowly drizzled in the oil just like the recipe said, but it didn’t seem like anything was happening. But then, little by little, the texture changed. It started to whip and thicken… and suddenly I had actual mayonnaise!

(Note: It would be easier to have a food processor that has a spout at the top that you can drizzle the oil through while still blending. But I just used what I had — my food processor doesn’t have a spout — and it meant I had to keep taking the lid off, adding a tiny bit of oil, putting the lid back on, and so on and so forth. It worked, but it definitely wasn’t very efficient!)

Farm Fresh and Flavorful

One thing I did differently from the original recipe was use a farm-fresh egg and a dollop of mustard, which gave it a lovely yellow hue and a rich, tangy flavor. It was definitely more vibrant than the mayo you buy at the store, and I think that made it even more fun… er, maybe some people would say weird. (My husband was like, “What is THAT in the fridge?” But then he was very impressed when I told him I’d made homemade mayo!)

Some people might prefer the neutral color and flavor of store-bought brands, but I loved how real and fresh this tasted. And I loved knowing exactly what went into it — no preservatives or additives.

Depending upon what kind of oil and vinegar and mustard you use, you can really change up the flavors of the mayo and find a combo that you love!

Is It Really Cheaper to Make Your Own?

Now, I wouldn’t necessarily call homemade mayo a money-saving must. A jar of store-bought mayonnaise is usually affordable (Kroger just had them on a crazy sale of $0.99 per smaller container!), and it lasts quite a while. That said, if you already have the ingredients or you’re someone who likes to avoid certain oils, preservatives, or allergens, this could be a fantastic alternative.

And beyond the practical side of things, I’ll just say this: there’s something really satisfying about making something from scratch. I felt so proud when it all came together (and yes, I might have done a little happy dance in the kitchen).

What I Want to Try Next

Now that I’ve dipped my toe into the world of emulsification, I’m curious what else I can make! Salad dressings? Aioli? Hollandaise sauce? I’d love to try a few more recipes that build on this same technique.

Have you ever tried a homemade mayo recipe? Or tried any other recipes that use emulsification? I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments. If you’ve ever done something new that made you feel more confident and creative in the kitchen, I’d love to hear about that, too!