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Even homemade eggless mayo is super simple to whip up yourself. Psst. Don’t use aquafaba though!
The smooth, creamy texture and sheer elegance that quality mayo imparts to sandwiches, salads, and sauces is certainly unrivaled at least in American cuisine.
Never does the thought cross my mind to “go light on the mayo”. If I am feeling like a huge dollop or two, I feel free to indulge myself given that the mayo I insist on using is of superior freshness and quality and made with health boosting oils and liquid whey for additional digestive enzymes and even probiotics.
Given that the fats used in the mayo are the most critical ingredient, which oils are the best ones to select?
I tell folks that when making mayo for the first time, use sunflower seed oil as this will give the closest consistency and taste to store mayo. However, sunflower oil is a high omega 6 oil and while this is fine if one follows a whole foods, traditionally based diet where the omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio is roughly between 1:1 and 1:4 – if one is still in the process of transitioning off processed foods, a lower omega 6 oil is probably a better choice given that processed foods are loaded with rancid omega 6 oils which encourage development of inflammation.
Including even a few processed foods in the diet can skew that omega 3 to omega 6 balance toward inflammation in a hurry!
If watching your omega 6 intake, sesame oil is a good choice for mayo as it is higher in oleic acid (monounsaturated, omega 9 fat) and lower in omega 6 fats (polyunsaturated) than sunflower oil. Oleic acid is the healthy fat found in great quantity in olive oil.
Which is Better – Coconut Oil, Ghee or Olive Oil?
If oleic acid is so fantastic, then why not just use olive oil for mayo then?
Extra virgin olive oil can be a good choice for mayo but many folks find the flavor too strong when used by itself. Using half olive oil and half sesame oil is an option for a milder tasting mayo which still is high in oleic acid.
In addition, some folks find that olive oil really packs the weight on as oleic acid is a longer chain fatty acid and is more likely to contribute to the buildup of body fat than the shorter chain fatty acids found in coconut oil or ghee.
My current favorite oil mix for mayo is to blend 1/2 sunflower or sesame oil (whichever I have on hand) and 1/2 expeller pressed coconut oil. Since coconut oil goes very firm below 76F, using half coconut oil produces a mayo that is very thick and scoopable.
I wouldn’t advise using virgin coconut oil, though, unless you enjoy a coconut flavor to your mayo.
The final suggestion I would make for healthy mayo making oils is ghee. I’ve made mayo with ghee before and it turns out absolutely fabulous. The one drawback is that the mayo turns out so rich that you can’t use a lot of it without feeling very full.
Since I like to use a lot of mayo, using all ghee doesn’t really work for me, but half ghee and half sesame oil would be a good option to lighten up the richness factor a bit.
Which oils and in what combination do you use for making your mayo? Are you switching around all the time like I tend to do or have you found a combination that you stick with consistently?
Where to Source Quality Oils for Your Mayo
Be sure to check my Resources page for a list of vendors I trust that supply quality oils for all your mayo making endeavors!
Update: Since this post was written, I have found another healthy oil that is fabulous for making mayo: avocado oil.
This is the quality unrefined brand that I use. It is mild tasting, has a fatty acid profile similar to olive oil, and the mayo stays creamy in the fridge. Bonus, a new mayo on the market with totally clean ingredients uses avocado oil and tastes just like homemade. Check it out here. The only downside is that it does not use raw egg yolks.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
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Good idea with the coconut oil. I don’t know why I never thought of that! I might even try it with the flavor coconut oil for a twist. Too bad I just made some today. I will have to wait a week to make!
Hi Sarah,
I have been experimenting with homemade mayo a lot lately, in addition to looking into what other people put in theirs. I read a suggestion from someone to use peanut oil, but I’m not sure if this is a good healthy oil to use (I would most likely cut it with EVOO or try some ghee!). The mayo they made looked fantastically thick and creamy. Mine is usually a bit thin… 🙁
We follow a very strict diet when it comes to our oils (coconut oil, lard, EVOO, butter from grassfed cows, and absolutely never touch the other so called “healthy oils” (soy bean, canola, etc..) and I want to stay as faithful as possible to the healthiest of oils, but I must admit..I really do not like a straight EVOO mayo..
Anyway, your take on peanut oil would be greatly appreciated! I find your blog so helpful and you really know your stuff!
Hi Julia, peanut oil is ok – it is high in monounsaturated fats like olive oil but I would suggest sesame instead. Peanuts can be moldy unless grown in a very dry climate and the oil might be questionable quality wise. Try half sesame and half expeller coconut oil. I think you might really like it.
really? that is not what my chiropractors said…i will have to ask them about that….
Coconut oil!
Deb- I have used palm oil before for mayo and it makes a great creamy neutral one! I have also done lots of combinations of olive oil and coconut oil together and that works great! Your palate will eventually learn to love the taste of olive oil in mayo you just need to find an olive oil you like! I have also made it with bacon fat that is a great mayo as well! Keep experimenting
I made home made mayo this week using a light olive oil and coconut oil 50:50 ratio. I also used apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it) and whey. Next time I’ll try sesame or safflower. I think I’m also going to add some roasted garlic to boost the flavor. I absolutely love it!!
ah, some brands use hexane, etc, some do not – the spectrum brand does not and uses no other solvents!
Grapeseed is still very high in omega 6 fats even if you find a brand that doesn’t use solvents. So it would be like sunflower oil .. just passable but not ideal.
Sarah, I was hoping to avoid having to buy expeller coconut oil and make do with the coconut products I already have on hand, thus, the question about the coconut palm shortening. Sorry, I think I said “palm oil” the first time; I meant organic palm shortening. I’m wondering if it’s healthy; it appears to be, and I’m hoping I can use it for mayo as it has no coconut flavor. I love it for frying eggs and oiling baking dishes. Do you have any experience with this product? Here is the Tropical Traditions link to the shortening. http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_palm_shortening.htm Thanks!
BTW, the image in the Tropical Traditions link is NOT the image of the product in question. I don’t know why that one comes up.
true…if you have a diet high in omega 3, one would be okay to use it, right?
Deb- that is what I used was the” palm oil” shortening from Tropical traditions
That is a good idea!
And, regarding the grapeseed oil…Wow! I didn’t know that. Is that true of all grapeseed oils? Is there such a thing as an organic grapeseed oil? Or, do they pull the same stunt there as is done in baby formula: using hexane or benzene to extract their omega oils to create toxic lipids that arethen put in every baby formula on the market–and still get away with calling it organic (!!!)?
How about macadamia nut oil, I just bought some.
I have used macadamia nut oil, which is the lowest in PUFAs except for coconut oil, in combination with EVOO. I’ve also used sesame, coconut oil and EVOO. Last time I made way too much, we didn’t use it and it started to taste off so we fed it to the dogs! I always go the lacto-fermented route, too, but I think I didn’t let it culture enough last time. This morning I used mostly avocado oil, with some EVOO and a tiny bit of macadamia nut oil. The directions for mayo in Sally Fallon’s “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” say to let it culture on the counter for 7 hours for refrigerating (this is if you’ve included some whey). It turned out great!
I have tried hemp oil, olive oil, and macadamia nut oil and the macadamia was by far my fav! Hemp was good but it sounds like hemp is not that great for you? The only down side to the macadamia nut is that anything I make it with I can’t give leftovers to the dogs, macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs.
What great info! …My family found the EVOO alone to be too strong, and I BLESS you for telling the news about its association w/weight-gain. I haven’t tried our coconut oil because of the coconut taste-never considered using non-virgin, so maybe we’ll give that a try. We have been making it w/a mix of EVOO and Organic Peanut Oil with good, thick results, but again, I was unaware of the weight-gain possibilities from peanut oil…another good reason to give the non-virgin coconut oil a shot. Thanks!
This is really funny because I just made this recipe last weekend for a potluck (which was a massive hit), and made my first batch of mayo for it: I made it with coconut oil and because the consistency wasn’t coming together, splashed in some sunflower oil I happened to have and it was perfect! What I would really love to try is the suggestion a commenter made on the mayo recipe on The Nourishing Cook for using bacon drippings as the oil. I imagine it would be like the ghee and very rich, but bacon mayo sounds heavenly.
I’m definitely going to try bacon mayo soon!
I think I’m going to try that too! I save my bacon grease and cook with it sometimes (guilty secret!)
Would organic grapeseed oil be a good choice?
Grapeseed is high in omega 6 fats like sunflower so not an ideal choice. It is also sometimes industrially processed using solvents like hexane and traces would be left in the oil.
If you use a Greek or Mediterranean olive oil your mayo will taste much more neutral. Italian olive oil is a little peppery and strong for use in mayo.
concerning expeller pressed coconut-is it not as healthy as virgin? is that why you suggest it for something like mayo but not in general?
more processed = less good stuff, but also less flavour. For fried eggs or mayo, less is more!
What IS the best recipe then??I do not see it posted -any links ?
There’s a link in the third sentence that links to a video on how to make the mayo.