Make Your Own Soy-Free Mayonnaise

I started making mayonnaise after the only soy-free brand I could find was taken off the market. We were surprised to find that my homemade mayonnaise had a much better flavor… so much better, in fact, that I would continue to make my own mayonnaise now even if I could find another soy-free commercial brand.

At first I made mayonnaise with a mixer, and it was a lengthy and difficult process. Then I started making it with a stick blender, and although that simplified the process, making mayonnaise still took nearly half an hour. A few months ago I switched to making mayonnaise in my food processor. With the food processor, I can now make a batch of mayonnaise from start to finish in less than ten minutes.

This is the recipe I use:

Ingredients
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice
2 egg yolks or the equivalent in dried eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups canola or safflower oil (I use a light olive oil… a heavy olive oil is too overpowering in mayonnaise)

Start by mixing the vinegar or lemon juice with the salt, mustard, and sugar. Add the eggs. Because I have concerns about fresh eggs and salmonella in this uncooked mayonnaise, I use pasteurized powdered egg yolks that I first reconstitute in a small amount of water, following the directions on the can. I just dump all of these ingredients into the food processor and pulse it several times until everything looks well mixed.

Then I start adding about a teaspoon of the oil at a time, while keeping the processor running. The most important part of making mayonnaise is to add the oil very slowly. If you add too much oil too quickly, the mixture will not emulsify and you will end up with an oily, liquidy mess instead of a creamy, smooth mayonnaise. Continue to add the oil a teaspoon at a time. With a food processor, the mixture will start to thicken and look like mayonnaise in just a couple of minutes, but don’t try to hurry the process… keep adding the oil in small amounts until all the oil has been added. If the mayonnaise becomes too thick, and it probably will, it can be thinned out with small amounts of water, adding a bit at a time and pulsing until the desired consistency has been reached.

That’s all there is to it… and you’ll have a great-tasting mayonnaise! Because this mayonnaise does not contain preservatives, it will keep in the refrigerator for about five days, so make only as much as you know you will use during that time. After all, if you run out, it will only take a few minutes to make more!

This recipe can easily be halved or doubled, and the amount of vinegar or lemon juice can be adjusted to suit your taste preference. If I’m going to be using the mayonnaise immediately, sometimes I pulse in a few cloves of fresh garlic or some other herb. Sometimes I use a spicy brown mustard and honey instead of sugar. It’s a very flexible recipe… have fun with it!

Written by Shirley | Filed Under Cooking & Baking from Scratch, Doing It Ourselves, Frugality & Nutrition series, Living with a Soy Allergy, My Family's Favorite Recipes, My Soy-Free Recipes

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