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Which oils to consider for making nourishing homemade mayonnaise and which is best based on taste, consistency and healthy fat content.
Life without mayonnaise? Perish the thought! It is an essential condiment in the kitchen and learning how to make healthy mayo yourself is so simple and easy that once you give it a go, you won’t be settling for anything from the store – including the healthfood store – ever again!
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 are 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?
Sunflower or Sesame?
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. This is fine if one follows whole food, 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, however, a lower omega-6 oil is probably a better choice. This is because processed foods are loaded with rancid omega-6 oils. Too much in your diet encourages inflammation.
Note that including even a few processed foods in the diet can skew that omega-3 to omega-6 balance in a hurry!
If you are concerned about your omega-6 intake, unrefined 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 avocados and olive oil.
Olive Oil
If oleic acid is so fantastic, then why not just use extra virgin olive oil for mayo?
While this can be a good choice for some, many folks find the flavor of olive oil mayonnaise too strong.
Using half olive oil and half sesame oil is an option for a milder taste which is still high in oleic acid.
In addition, some folks find that olive oil really packs the weight.
Oleic acid is a long-chain fatty acid and is more likely to contribute to the buildup of body fat than shorter chain fatty acids found in coconut oil or ghee. Let’s talk about both of those next.
Coconut Oil or Ghee
What about ghee or coconut oil for mayonnaise?
I’ve made mayo with ghee before and it turns out absolutely fabulous. The one drawback is that the mayo turns out too rich in my opinion. It also hardens in the refrigerator and loses consistency when brought to room temperature.
Since I like to use a lot of mayo, using all ghee doesn’t really work for me in most situations. However, half ghee and half sesame oil can work to lighten up the richness factor a bit.
A similar problem happens with coconut oil mayo. It hardens in the fridge and can’t be used quickly for chicken salad and other dishes.
If you choose to make coconut oil mayonnaise, be sure to use expeller-pressed, which is flavorless. Virgin coconut oil results in a coconut flavored mayo, which some people do not enjoy.
Blended Oils
Another option for homemade mayo is to blend fats together to achieve a good taste and consistency.
One I’ve used in the past is 1/2 sunflower or sesame oil and 1/2 expeller pressed coconut oil.
Since coconut oil goes very firm below 76 F/24 C, using half expeller-pressed coconut oil produces a mayo that is very thick and scoopable even after refrigeration.
Another option suggested by the Weston Price Foundation is what’s known as “Mary’s Blend” after the late Dr. Mary Enig, a PhD in lipids. She suggested a blend of 1/3 olive oil, 1/3 sesame oil, and 1/3 coconut oil.
Avocado Oil. My Favorite Fat for Mayo
As you can see, there are numerous options for healthy fats for making mayo.
Judging based on taste, nourishing lipid content, and consistency (both at room temperature and refrigerated), my favorite is avocado oil.
It is mild tasting, has a fatty acid profile similar to olive oil, and the mayo stays creamy in the fridge.
If you must buy, there are a couple of brands now available that are acceptable. This is the brand I use in a pinch. The only downside is that it does not use raw egg yolks, and it is a bit pricey.
Be sure to check my Resources page for a list of brands I trust that supply quality oils for all your mayo-making endeavors!
Here’s a short video of what avocado oil mayo looks like after I made a batch.
I just wanted to add that I slathered my kids’ sandwiches with my homemade mayo the other day (made with EVOO) and they said “Mommy, this is the best bread I’ve ever tasted!” Well, the bread was the same, so it must have been the mayo that I put on the bread that made it taste so good. I lactofermented the mayo with whey so I was a little nervous that they wouldn’t like the flavor (my kids are really picky). I will always make my own mayo from now on because I can really really good about giving it to my kids.
Good Sarah! And you did say last month that you would write about the oils when I asked you about which oils are best before my demo to my WAPF chapter, which went very well. I liked Sally and Mary’s oil combo of part olive, coconut and sesame. The slight coco-nutty taste was actually very nice. Personally, I still like a combo of 3/4 sunflower to 1/4 olive oil. I will try the ghee one soon. Mayo was one of the hugest leaps of faith for me when beginning lacto-fermenting. It just goes so against what we’ve all been told about leaving mayo out. Some in our chapter are still pretty unsure about lacto-fermented foods that have been bubbling away on the counter for days, so I hope your site and vidoes and all of the good info out there puts them at ease and they try these wonderful nourishing foods!
Another vote for Chaffin Family´s late harvest Olive Oil! It´s very mild and the mayo turns out delicious.
Sarah, I´m curious about the expeller expressed coconut oil… How come it doesn´t have the coconut taste? How is it produced in comparision to the Extra Virgin?
Thanks,
Paula
I made mine with olive, sesame, and coconut oil. It’s so complex and delicious!
I’ve experimented a lot with mayo. lately I’ve been using 1/2 walnut oil 1/2 extra virgin olive oil. very good, but I’m going to try adding some coconut oil next time. the walnut oil is also very good for salad dressings. Is this a healthy choice? you don’t mention walnut very often. I know your not supposed to heat it. I’m hoping it’s a good oil used in moderation for mayo and dressings.
I have used roughly 1/3 virgin coconut oil, 1/3 EVOO and 1/3 sesame oil and it’s not bad – hardly any flavor. I haven’t tried ghee yet… that sounds tasty!! Also bacon fat is awesome if you can get enough to make mayo!
You could try adding 1/4 tsp mustard powder and a little honey plus salt and pepper for additional flavor.
Hi, again…I have a question I forgot to ask earlier…I saw that your mayo is creamy white. Mine is a deep yellow-gold. I went to your video-blog to see how close our recipes are, (mine is a variation of Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s). As far as I can tell, other than the sunflower oil, which I plan to use for my next batch, ours are alike EXCEPT I use egg yolks only. My eggs are from my chickens so they’re very fresh and a robust golden/orange. Is that the reason my mayo is so differently colored? I love it, taste-wise and color-wise, but my family is a little put off by the color.
My mayo is not very white is reality. It may look that way on the video but it is actually more a beige color.
I just made some mayo a few days ago, used half EVOO and half virgin coconut oil. Tastes great.
I actually use MCT oil to make mayo. It’s flavorless and pure medium-chain saturated fatty acids. Not exactly unrefined, but no worries about excessive PUFAs.
MCT Oil?
Forgive my ignorance…but what is it?
Medium Chain Triglycerides I think. MCTs are those fats in coconut oil and butter that are used for energy and don’t put on body fat like the longer chain ones (oleic acid) in olive oil and other monounsaturated oils.
Yep, that’s right: medium-chain triglyceride oil. It’s mostly caprylic acid (good stuff–kills candida like crazy!). You can purchase it at most health stores, or online for a better deal.
Tonight Aug. 10 on the radio program Coast to Coast on AM stations Constitutional lawyer specializing in food and drug law, Jonathan Emord will talk about FDS’s raids on Raw Milk Producers and how FDA guidelines will futher erode freedom. WFLA 970, I think carries this show, Coast to Coast is a world wide radio program.