Healthy Mayonnaise with Egg Yolks, Ready in 5 Minutes

You can make quick, easy, and healthy mayonnaise at home with a handful of wholesome ingredients. In just 5 minutes, you’ll have a creamy, rich, flavorful, and nutritious condiment to elevate your everyday meals.

Is mayonnaise healthy?

Mayonnaise’s creamy, tangy flavor is a beloved staple in numerous dishes. However, store-bought mayonnaise often contains ingredients that don’t suit a health-conscious lifestyle.

Many commercially-produced versions use inexpensive, highly processed vegetable oils like soybean oil, corn, sunflower, or canola oil. These are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which, when overly consumed, may lead to inflammation and are associated with heart disease.

Although omega-6 fatty acids are not inherently harmful, the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (3:1) is crucial for health, and the Western diet, with its highly processed foods, often skews this balance unfavorably.

Typically, the composition of commercial mayonnaise favors oil over eggs, further increasing its unhealthy fat content. Additionally, these products often use conventional eggs, which have lower nutritional quality compared to pasture-raised alternatives.

Preservatives, like calcium disodium EDTA, and additives, like modified food starch, are also added to extend shelf life and maintain texture. Natural flavors added to store-bought mayonnaise often translate to MSGs.

Thankfully, healthier alternatives exist. Brands like Primal Kitchen or Chosen Foods offer avocado mayonnaise, a healthier option made with avocado oil and clean ingredients, which you can find in grocery stores. However, for the freshest and healthiest option, consider making your own mayonnaise at home with high-quality, unprocessed ingredients.

How to make healthy mayonnaise?

A wholesome and healthy condiment is made of carefully selected, best-quality, nutrient-rich ingredients. This is truly a heart healthy mayonnaise.

Freshness plays a crucial role in the quality of mayonnaise, and preparing it at home is the surest way to guarantee this. Here’s what you’ll need to create your own batch of healthy mayonnaise:

• Healthy oils: We use a blend of organic avocado oil, which is high in monounsaturated fats and vitamin E, and quality extra virgin olive oil, celebrated for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. The commercial mayo contains soybean, canola, or other questionable vegetable oil mix, therefore, a high amount of unhealthy polyunsaturated fats.
• Pasture-raised egg yolks: These yolks come from hens that graze freely, resulting in higher nutrient content – including omega-3 fatty acids, and high amounts of choline and vitamin A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, and B12. We exclude raw egg whites due to potential allergenic issues.
• Sugar-free, organic Dijon mustard: Our choice of mustard has no added sugars, preservatives, or artificial flavor enhancers. The purity of its flavor enhances the mayonnaise’s overall taste profile.
• Fresh lemon juice: This ingredient adds a zesty note to our mayonnaise, while also providing vitamin C – a powerful antioxidant beneficial for immunity, heart health, and skin quality.
• Salt and pepper: We use a small quantity of salt and pepper for seasoning. Remember, mustard is already seasoned and quite peppery.

While this homemade mayonnaise is the healthiest option you can get, mindful portion control is still important due to its high-caloric content.

A single tablespoon, prepared using the ingredients outlined in this recipe, contains approximately 98 calories. These calories can quickly accumulate, so use this rich condiment wisely.

Why I don’t use egg whites to make mayonnaise?

Avidin is a glycoprotein found in raw egg whites that has the unique ability to bind strongly to biotin, a vital B vitamin (B7), with an affinity that can inhibit the absorption of biotin from dietary sources, such as egg yolks.

When egg whites are consumed raw, the avidin they contain remains active and can bind to biotin, making it unavailable for absorption by the body.

Cooking egg whites deactivates avidin, thus mitigating this concern, but since mayonnaise is a raw preparation, using only the yolks sidesteps this issue entirely.

Tools do you need for homemade mayo

I have been making mayonnaise using the classic method for over three decades.

As a child, I recall my mother preparing obscene amounts of mayonnaise for holiday feasts. I was delegated the task of emulsifying the mixture with a trusty wooden spoon, stirring persistently in a clockwise direction, while another family member carefully drizzled in the oil. This traditional technique was my mainstay until recently, when I got a high-quality immersion blender.

I had been under the impression that an immersion blender would only work effectively if I used whole eggs in the mayonnaise. However, this is incorrect. If you only use egg yolks, add a small quantity of cold water for it to work.

And if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can still make it. If you’re going the classic route, it might take a bit more time and elbow grease, but I guarantee the quality of the end product will be just as good.

Ingredients to make healthy mayonnaise

• 2 egg yolks from pasture-raised hens
• 1 teaspoon of sugar-free Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of cold water
• 1/2 cup of avocado oil
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

NOTES: You may choose to use only avocado or extra virgin olive oil instead of the oil combination suggested in this recipe. However, please be aware that the flavor profile of your mayonnaise will be affected by this substitution. Avocado oil has a more neutral flavor, while olive oil imparts a more robust flavor to the mayonnaise. Feel free to increase the total quantity of oil used in the recipe to 1 cup for a richer mayonnaise. Adjust the salt and lemon juice as per taste if you do so.

How to make healthy mayonnaise at home

• Gather all the ingredients and a narrow, tall mixing jar (a tall measuring cup works excellently for this purpose).
• Pour all the ingredients into the mixing jar.
• Insert an immersion blender into the bottom of the jar. Blend the ingredients on high speed. Resist moving the blender until the eggs and oils have emulsified from the bottom all the way to the top.
• After achieving the initial emulsification, gently move the blender up and down within the jar until the mixture reaches a creamy mayonnaise consistency.
• Transfer the mayonnaise into a storage jar. The fresh mayonnaise can be stored in the refrigerator and will remain fresh for about 4 days (it can last up to one week but use your judgment).
• Note that this homemade mayonnaise might have a robust flavor at first. However, it will mellow out after resting for a few hours. Combined with other ingredients, this mayo will surely enrich your dishes with its delightful flavor.

In case your mayonnaise breaks, don’t panic. Add one more tablespoon of extra cold water and start the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar again, until it emulsifies.

Variations of healthy mayonnaise

There are countless ways to enhance and diversify your homemade healthy mayonnaise. Here are some exciting variations:

• Citrusy and Smooth: For a burst of flavor, a brighter taste, and a smoother consistency, add some lemon zest, additional Dijon mustard, or extra lemon juice.
• Aioli: Transform your mayonnaise into a flavorful aioli by adding some freshly grated garlic.
• Asian Twist: Infuse your mayonnaise with Asian flavors by incorporating coconut aminos and toasted sesame oil.
• Herb-Infused: Add your favorite soft herbs such as basil, dill, parsley, or chives to create a herby mayonnaise.
• Spicy Kick: Give your mayonnaise a heat boost with a few drops of red Tabasco or Sriracha.
• Remoulade: For a unique remoulade-style sauce, incorporate yogurt or sour cream, grated cabbage, carrots, onions, dill, parsley, mustard, curry powder, and capers.
• Pink Sauce: Combine this healthy mayonnaise with our sugar-free ketchup to craft a delightful sauce. This pink sauce is perfect for burgers, tostones, and seafood.

How to serve this healthy mayonnaise

I have a few favorite ways to incorporate this healthy homemade mayonnaise into my meals. It serves as a flavorful addition to chicken salad, potato salad, as well as shrimp or crab salad, and it effortlessly elevates a simple egg salad.

Beyond salads, I often use it as the base for a remoulade sauce that pairs wonderfully with fish, or I mix it with ketchup to create a tangy pink sauce that makes any burger taste gourmet.

I hope you love this healthy mayonnaise recipe as much as we do!

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.