How To Make Homemade Mayonnaise Stay Fresh Up to a Month
Sneak Peek: Find out how to make homemade mayonnaise last longer by adding a small amount of yogurt whey to extend the freshness window from a week to a month.
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You may have a new reason to save the whey you get from draining yogurt. Keep reading to discover how this magical ingredient will help you make homemade fermented mayonnaise that can extend the shelf-life (in your fridge) for up to a month.
Don’t worry. Adding a small amount of whey won’t affect the taste of your mayo.
Does making mayonnaise seem crazy?
In reality, I don’t do it all that often myself. But once in a while, it’s a magical and gratifying experience.
Happy Cooks Speak Up:
“This is excellent… I have tried different recipes and nothing compares to this. I used the avocado oil.. very smooth, mild texture.” — Steph J.
Why make mayonnaise at home?
#1
The convenience factor
If you run out of your usual mayonnaise, making it yourself could save you a last-minute trip to the grocery store. All of the ingredients are likely already in your kitchen.
#2
Customizable
You will get mayonnaise with an incredibly smooth and velvety texture, and you can customize it for your taste or a specific recipe. Add herbs, garlic, and lemon, among other things.
How long does homemade mayonnaise stay fresh?
If you’ve never made mayonnaise before, you may not know that ordinarily, homemade mayonnaise recipes are supposedly only good for a week in the fridge. Of course, commercially-made mayonnaise has preservatives added, so it keeps much longer.
So why make it myself? I don’t know about you, but our mayonnaise usage can be sporadic. I’m afraid I couldn’t use an entire recipe in a week.
How whey extends the freshness of mayo:
As it turns out, adding whey (that yellowish liquid you see collected on top when you first open a container of yogurt) to homemade mayo seems to extend the freshness window up to a month. It’s called Lacto-fermented mayonnaise or fermented mayonnaise.
If you make Greek yogurt at home, save some of the whey you strained from your yogurt.
Not into homemade yogurt? No worries! Pour off the liquid you see on top of commercial yogurt when opening it. You only need a tablespoon. Of course, the yogurt should be unflavored.
Tips for making homemade mayo:
Most recipes use a blender to mix mayonnaise, but a food processor also works. And guess what? A whisk and a bowl will work if you are in the mood for a little exercise.
In reality, what’s most important about making mayonnaise is that your eggs be at room temperature before you start. A bowl of warm water from the faucet will warm your unshelled eggs in just a few minutes if you haven’t planned ahead.
How to make homemade mayonnaise with whey that makes it stay fresh longer:
FAQ about Homemade Mayonnaise with Yogurt Whey:
I’ve heard from some readers that their mayonnaise wasn’t as thick as they would like. I went back to the kitchen and experimented a bit. If you use 2 egg yolks instead of 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk and reduce the vinegar to 1 teaspoon instead of 2, your mayonnaise will be thicker if all other things are equal.
If you have an immersion blender, I encourage you to try making mayonnaise with it. Pour the ingredients into the plastic container that often comes with it, or use a quart glass jar.
This is how you do it: Add all the ingredients (except the pepper) in the order given with the oil last. Plunge the blender to the bottom of the jar or container. Turn on the immersion blender and slowly pull it up through the mixture. It takes about 20 seconds to go from the bottom to the top. Then, pump up and down two or three times. Stir in the pepper by hand. Let the mayonnaise stand at room temperature for eight hours before storing it in the fridge.
If you mix the mayo too long, it will begin to break down. Add one tablespoon of boiling water and mix it with the mayonnaise to make it thick again.
Try it in my Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with Poppy Seeds, Ham Salad, or my sister’s famous Potato Salad with Cooked Dressing.
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Homemade Mayonnaise that Lasts Longer
Ingredients
- 2 large (36 g) egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider, white vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whey – drained from plain yogurt
- pinch sea salt
- 1 cup (198 g) avocado oil – or vegetable oil
- dash of cayenne – red pepper
Instructions
- Combine 2 large (36 g) egg yolks (room temperature), 1 teaspoon apple cider, white vinegar, or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon whey, and a pinch sea salt, in a bowl, a blender, or a medium mixing bowl.
- Drip or barely trickle 1 cup (198 g) avocado oil into the egg mixture with the machine on or while you whisk vigorously by hand.
- Add a dash of cayenne.
- Pour finished mayonnaise into a glass jar and cover. Allow to sit on the kitchen cabinet at room temperature for 8 hours, then refrigerate.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.