Mayonnaise has a very bad reputation, and honestly, that’s probably for good reason. At least that’s the case for the junk sold at the grocery store! Do you know what actually goes into real mayo? It’s simple: raw egg, oil and lemon or vinegar. Simple, straight forward and depending on the oil that you use, actually pretty darn healthy! So you might already be wondering… if it’s made with raw egg, how come it’s not found in the fridge? Well my friends, here’s the low-down on this artificial food we like to refer to as mayo. Check out the ingredients lists in these popular brands of mayonnaise:
Hellman’s Mayo
Canola Oil, Water, Liquid Whole Egg, Vinegar, Salt, Liquid yolk, Sugar, Spices, Concentrated Lemon Juice and Calcium Disodium EDTA.
Kraft Mayo
Soybean Oil, Water, Eggs, Egg Yolks, Vinegar, Contains Less Than 2% of: Sugar, Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA As A Preservative, Dried Garlic, Dried Onions, Spice, Natural Flavor.
Miracle Whip
Water, Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Sugar, Modified Cornstarch, Eggs, Contains 2% or less of: Salt, Mustard Flour, Paprika, Spice, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk, Dried Garlic.
Veganaise
Organic Expeller-Pressed Soy Oil, Filtered Water, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Organic Mustard, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate.
I bolded the ingredients that are questionable. Aside from the preservatives that are clearly required to make raw egg shelf-stable, my biggest concern is the junky, inflammatory seed oils they all use. Canola and soy oils 
are not healthy in any way, shape or form. They are incredibly high in omega-6 fats and they are chemically unstable. Exposure to light, oxygen and heat will cause them to break down, creating free radicals and wrecking havoc on your tissues. Also, the term spice is a catch all term. The ingredients used are not disclosed. Also, sugar?? What the heck! And cornstarch in the Miracle Whip? They’re so scared of the fat and cholesterol from the egg, that they’ve added cornstarch as a thickener, instead of utilizing the egg. And don’t get me started on that enzyme modified egg yolk business…
It’s a shame, because when made properly, mayo is actually like a fat supplement! A pastured or organic egg brings a whole whack of nutrients to the table. Combine that with a high quality oil and you’ve got yourself a very healthy food! So without further ado, here’s my recipe for:
Homemade Mayo
Combine 1¼ cup avocado oil, 1 raw egg, the juice of ½ a lemon, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of mustard in a jar and let sit for about an hour. Bringing the ingredients to room temperature is critical.
Once at room temperature, place your immersion blender in the bottom of the jar.
Turn it on and slowly pull the immersion blender upwards over the course of 10-15 seconds. If necessary, drop the blender back down to the bottom and repeat once more.
After about 20-30 seconds it will be fully emulsified ie. thick and creamy!
A few notes:
- It lasts at least 7 days in the fridge, likely more.
- It is a fabulous vector for other delicious flavours.
- Add some sriracha for sweet potato fry dip.
- Mix with lime juice and cilantro for a taco or nacho topping.
- Turn into ranch dressing using this fabulous recipe by Melissa Joulwan at The Clothes Make The Girl.
- Play around with oils. This recipe calls for avocado oil, because it’s a neutral taste. Substitute ¼ cup of avocado oil for another oil for a different flavour! Try bacon grease for a wonderfully smoky mayo. Coconut oil makes a thicker, sweeter mayo.
- A handheld immersion blender is really key for this recipe. You can use a food processor, but it really works best with an immersion blender!
UPDATE: 9 times out of 10 this is fool-proof, however every so often you may experience the crushing blow of a broken mayo. This is super disheartening, especially if you feel like you have to throw out all those ingredients! But WAIT! You don’t need to toss the ingredients. Simply follow this amazing trick for repairing broken mayo!
- 1 ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 egg, pastured or organic
- juice of ½ a lemon
- pinch of mustard
- pinch of sea salt
- Combine all ingredients in a jar and let sit for about an hour. Bringing them to room temperature is critical.
- Once at room temperature, place your immersion blender in the bottom of the jar.
- Turn it on and slowly pull the immersion blender upwards over the course of 10-15 seconds.
- Drop the blender back down to the bottom and repeat once more.
- Bacon Mayo = 1 cup avocado oil + ¼ cup bacon grease
- Sweet Mayo = 1 cup avocado oil + ¼ cup melted coconut oil
When people ask what my favourite kitchen tool is, most expect me to say my 
Have you ever thought about how many different variations of flour + dairy + sugar make up our breakfasts in North America? It’s pretty astounding! Whether it’s a bagel & cream cheese, a bowl of cereal, toast with jam, eggo waffles and “maple syrup” (i.e. corn syrup + maple flavour), a muffin and a double double from Tim’s – it’s all the same thing, in a different form. And most importantly, it’s all crap. None of the foods we consider breakfast foods are actually food. They’ve all gone through an incredible amount of processing, and we’re left with nutrient-poor, albeit incredibly tasty, food-like products.
