Simple Zero Waste Mayonnaise Recipe
It always makes me giggle that mayonnaise is so controversial, it is just a condiment after all! Needless to say, as I am currently writing about it, I am a huge proponent of the spread, but prefer it best when it is home made. While it isn’t something you typically think of as a quick homemade dressing like infused olive oil or vinegar, it is incredibly fast and simple to make even if it can be a bit finicky! And the best part about this particular recipe is that you can make it with ingredients all sourced in bulk- no trash here! It’s a wonderfully zero waste mayonnaise recipe!
While great mayonnaise only should take about ten minutes to make, emulsions can be tricky! Essentially an emulsion is a combination of two ingredients, often liquids, that generally aren’t compatible; in this case the oil and the egg yolk. So, when we need to combine these, the particles are suspended in each other- when we do this too quickly the emulsion can ‘break’ meaning separate and we have two liquids again instead of fluffy mayonnaise. So take your time with this recipe, if you add oil incredibly slowly until you get the hang of the oil you are using and the viscosity of the egg yolk you choose you should be all set- but if you do break your emulsion, no worries! I’ll pop a quick fix below!
Simple Zero Waste Mayonnaise Ingredients
1 Large Egg Yolk
1 1/2 Cups Avocado Oil
1 1/2 Tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tsp White Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tsp Ground Mustard Seed
1/2 Tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
Zero Waste Mayonnaise Instructions
1 Make sure that all of your ingredients are room temperature, including the egg yolk and lemon! This gives all of the ingredients a better shot to combine without ‘breaking.’
2 Prep your ingredients! Make sure that your mustard powder and sea salt are ground very fine, I happen to use a mortar and pestle, and that your lemon juice is strained to remove any seeds or pulp!
3 In a food processor combine egg yolk, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and salt and mix for about thirty seconds until bright yellow and blended.
4 SLOWLY add the oil a drizzle at a time. The first about 1/4 cup of oil should go in DROPS at a time so that the emulsion doesn’t break (meaning that the oils separate from the solids). Then after that you can add the remaining in a slow, thin stream.
5 The mayonnaise should slowly get thicker and thicker until it is at a spreadable consistency and much lighter in color than when you started. Depending on the egg yolks you choose your mayo can look almost white in color. Mine still looks very yellow as my backyard egg yolks are naturally deep orange because of their diet!
6 You can keep this chilled in the refrigerator for up to four days. Enjoy!
Whoops! I broke my emulsion! What to do?
If you happen to accidentally break your emulsion, it happens to the best of us, there are a few options you can use to fix it- the one I use is adding an egg yolk! To use this method, pour your broken emulsion into a bowl and then clean out your food processor. Add the first ingredients, egg yolk, vinegar, and spices, like you did before and then process for 30 seconds to a minute. This time instead of adding straight oil, add your reserved broken mayo back into the mixer like you did with the oil before- drops at a time and then a slow stream! You should be able to mend your emulsion, if you slowly incorporate!
I’d love to know, what are your favorite ways to use mayonnaise? I whipped up this batch to make chicken salad but I’d love to know what your favorite recipes are- let me know over on Instagram!
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