Whole30 Mayo Recipe: How to Make Whole30 Mayonnaise

When you’re researching great Whole30 recipes to use during your program, you’ll likely discover that many recipes call for Whole30-friendly mayo.

The easiest way to come by Whole30 mayo? Make it yourself! Making Whole30 mayo is simple and very doable at home.

Whole30 Mayo: Quick Picks

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo [Available from Amazon or Thrive Market] This Whole30-approved mayo is made with cage-free organic eggs and vinegar from non-GMO beets!
• Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Avocado Oil Mayo [Available from Amazon or Thrive Market] This avocado oil mayo is similar to Primal Kitchen’s classic offering, but with a bonus kick of chipotle to add some spice to your dishes!

Whole30 Mayo Recipe: What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup of light olive oil (note: olive oil should be light, NOT extra virgin)
• 1 cup of light olive oil (separate from the 1/4)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 1 lemon, juiced

Instructions: Place the egg, 1/4 cup of olive oil, mustard powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, blender, or food processor. Mix thoroughly.

While the food processor or blender is running (or while mixing in a bowl with a stick blender),  slowly drizzle in the remaining cup of olive oil (Note: this is all about speed – pour very slowly as a drizzle).

After you’ve added all the oil and the mixture has emulsified, add lemon juice to taste, stirring gently with a spoon to incorporate.

This video from Thrive Market will show you how it’s done!

Making Whole30 Mayo Tips & Tricks:

• Pour That Olive Oil Slowly. The first chunk of ingredients, including the 1/4 cup of olive oil, can all be dumped and mixed without caution. However, with that other 1 cup of oil that you pour in later, it’s all about speed. You’ll want to pour that additional 1 cup of oil as slowly as possible in a light drizzle. The more slowly you pour, the thicker the mayo will be. Emulsion happens best when you pur a thin stream – too fast and you’ll get something runny and unappetizing.
• Avoid Copper or Aluminum Bowls. The lemon juice can react badly with copper or aluminum mixing bowls and leave a metallic taste, so they’re best avoiding for making mayo. When making Whole30 mayo with a stick blender, you may want to invest in stainless steel mixing bowls with non-skid bottoms, which can allow you to easily mix with one hand (and pour the oil with the other hand) so you don’t need deal with your bowl spinning all over the counter.
• Use Light Olive Oil, Not Extra-Virgin. While extra-virgin olive oil is the most common olive oil staple in households, it won’t due for our Whole30 mayo. EVOO ends up tasting too heavy for the mayo, and you’ll definitely need to go with light olive oil to make this mayo tasty.
• Keep Ingredients At Room Temperature. Another important aspect of the emulsification process, in addition to pouring the olive oil slowly, is to make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature. Since olive oil and spices are usually kept in the panty, this rule applies mostly to eggs and the lemon. Keep your lemon out on the counter and warm up your egg (just place it in a cup of hot water for 3 minutes, or leave it out overnight).
• Use a Stick Blender. By far the easiest way to make Whole30 mayo is by using a stick blender. Stick blenders are much easier to clean up than a blender or food processor. They’re also cordless and generally just easy to navigate with. We suggest grabbing the Cuisinart stick blender for $35 at Amazon. Otherwise, you’re welcome to try a food processor, but don’t try to whisk it by hand, as some recipes suggest. You really won’t be able to whisk the speed required to get that mayo nice and fluffy.
• Lemon Goes Last. Add the lemon juice as a final step, once the mayo has already thickened. Many Whole30 members have found that adding lemon juice earlier on seems to result in more mayo fails, which means it may be messing with the emulsification process. Add more lemon juice at the end if you want, but just be aware that more juice can make the mayo thinner.

Why Did My Mayo Fail?

If your Whole30 mayo didn’t turn out thick and fluffy, and instead looks like a gloopy wet disaster, it’s probably because either:

• The ingredients were too cold and not all room temperature
• The olive oil was poured in too quickly

Don’t despair though – you can still use that failed mayo for a Whole30 salad dressing recipe.

Once You’ve Mastered The Mayo, Experiment!

Once you’ve mastered the art of Whole30 mayo, try experimenting with additional flavors and ingredients.

Try adding:

• Chives
• Basil
• Garlic
• Cayenne Pepper

That basic mayo recipe can also be altered to create some great Whole30 salad dressings, like this caesar dressing from Primal Palate or this ranch dressing recipe from Well Fed.

Whole30 Mayo You Can Buy at the Store

Don’t feel like making your own mayo? No worries, we get it. Luckily there are several varieties of Whole30 mayo you can buy online and in stores.

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo (Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Organic Eggs, Organic Egg Yolks, Organic Vinegar, Sea Salt, Organic Rosemary Extract) [Available from Amazon or Thrive Market]
• Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Avocado Oil Mayo (Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Organic Cage-Free Eggs, Organic Cage-Free Egg Yolks, Organic Vinegar, Water, Sea Salt, Organic Lime Juice Concentrate, Chipotle Powder, Lime Granules, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Rosemary Extract) [Available from Amazon or Thrive Market]

Whole30 Mayo FAQs