Make or Buy? Mayonnaise (2024)

Emma Christensen

Emma Christensen

Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories

updated May 2, 2019

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Make or Buy? Mayonnaise (1)

A jar of Hellman’s, or similar squat blue-topped jar, is requisite for all summer picnic tables. Mayonnaise gets slathered on hamburger buns, stirred into potato salad, or made into a quick dip right there on the spot. Do you ever think about setting the jar aside and making mayo yourself?

For purposes of comparison, we’ll use a 30 oz jar of Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise. And for the homemade recipe, we’ll use The Kitchn’s own method. All costs were taken from Peapod Online Grocery unless otherwise noted.

COST BREAKDOWN

Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise
TOTAL: $4.79
PER SERVING (1 Tablespoon): $0.08

Homemade Mayonnaise
Makes about 1/2 cup

1 egg yolk: $0.19
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice: $0.34
1/4 teaspoon salt: $0.01
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard: $0.13*
1/2 cup canola oil: $0.59

TOTAL: $1.26*
PER SERVING (1 Tablespoon): $0.16

* Updated 7/15/11 after a miscalculation of the cost of the mustard

TIME BREAKDOWN

Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise: 0 Minutes
Homemade Mayonnaise: About 5 minutes

CONVENIENCE

Mayo has an undeserved reputation for being finicky, for separating on a whim, and for being generally hard to get right. It’s just one of those things that requires a few trial efforts. Once you get a feel for it, making a batch of mayonnaise is really no harder than whipping up a salad dressing

Making a batch also requires very little forethought and the mayo will keep refrigerated for two weeks. Depending on how much mayo you go through in your house, whipping up a 1/2 cup of mayo could be a daily event or it could last you its entire 2-week shelf life.

I’m going to go ahead and say that mayo is a surprisingly easy and “convenient” condiment to make yourself.

TASTINESS AND HEALTHFULNESS

I love that homemade mayo is just five ingredients. Store-bought mayo is surprisingly un-processed, but it still contains some preservatives and more other ingredients than are necessary (I’m glad it contains real eggs, but sugar?!). With homemade, we know that the eggs are top-quality, we can choose the type of oil being used, and we know it’s fresh.

Homemade mayo wins in taste, as well. The real stuff is creamy and rich, with a natural tanginess. By comparison, store-bought often tastes like a watery imitation.

MAKE OR BUY?

This one is going to depend on how much you use mayo, I think. In our house, we don’t go through mayo very quickly at all and a homemade batch would inevitably go bad before we use it all. It makes more sense for us to keep a jar of store-bought in the fridge for sandwiches and quick batches of tunafish, and then make homemade for special occasions or mayo-intensive recipes like potato salad.

The cost was a big surprise to me. This is one of the few foods in this series where the homemade cost was actually more expensive than the store-bought. Those of you who make your own mayo, is the cost an issue for you?

VERDICT? Make it if your household goes through a lot of mayo; otherwise, save the homemade for special occasions.

What do you think?

(Images: Peapod and Faith Durand)

Make or Buy? Mayonnaise (2024)

FAQs

Make or Buy? Mayonnaise? ›

Store-bought is significantly hardier. Hellmann's mayonnaise can stay safely in your fridge for a year or more (there's a 'best by' date on each jar), whereas homemade mayonnaise (which contains raw egg yolk) should be consumed within a few days.

Is it worth making your own mayonnaise? ›

With homemade, we know that the eggs are top-quality, we can choose the type of oil being used, and we know it's fresh. Homemade mayo wins in taste, as well.

Is it cheaper to buy mayonnaise or make it? ›

Is it cheaper to make your own mayonnaise? Yes, it's more budget-friendly to make your own mayo. Plus, you'll have ingredients on hand to make other delicious foods, like The Best Scrambled Eggs, Mediterranean Grilled Cheese, or Caesar Salad Dressing!

Why is homemade mayo not advisable? ›

Homemade mayonnaise is made with raw eggs that will not be cooked. The United States Department of Agriculture does not recommend eating raw shell eggs that are not cooked or undercooked due to the possibility that Salmonella bacteria may be present.

What is the difference between homemade mayonnaise and commercial mayonnaise? ›

To start with, egg yolks are the main ingredient in the homemade version, which contributes to the naturally yellowish tone. Commercial mayo, meanwhile, can contain up to around 80% oil, which means there's much less egg in the ratio, and more oil, and that makes store-bought mayo more viscous as well as whiter.

How unhealthy is homemade mayonnaise? ›

However, keep in mind that homemade mayonnaise is still very high in calories, so be mindful of your portion sizes. At the end of the day, a bit of homemade mayonnaise with high-quality ingredients is a delicious way to add healthy fats to your diet.

Does homemade mayonnaise taste better than store bought? ›

Homemade mayo is ultra creamy and much more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store. This recipe calls for a simple list of ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make!

Why did just stop making mayo? ›

JUST Mayo's bumpy ride

After consumer backlash, Unilever dropped the lawsuit. JUST Mayo gained popularity and its product line grew to include flavors like wasabi, truffle, and sriracha. In 2019, however, the spread was discontinued when the company shifted its focus to JUST Egg and GOOD Meat.

What mayonnaise do chefs prefer? ›

The Best Store-Bought Mayonnaise, According to Chefs

Earning top ranks for its luscious texture, desirable tangy flavor, and versatility, “All I buy is Duke's Mayo, and I always look for the squeeze bottle because I don't like to dirty up a knife and have to wash it,” Surti says.

How long will homemade mayonnaise last? ›

Homemade mayonnaise has a shelf life of about two weeks, because it doesn't contain any preservatives. That's a long shelf life, and you'll probably go through all of it before then! It's just that fresh and delicious.

How do I thicken my homemade mayo? ›

One option is to use a classic thickener like cornstarch. To do this, combine a little bit of cornstarch with water until it forms a paste and then add it into your runny mayo. Then, whisk the cornstarch together with the mayonnaise to combine and thicken. You can also use arrowroot powder in the same way.

Why did my homemade mayo turn to liquid? ›

the various ingredients used to make the mayonnaise are not room temperature; the ingredients have not been dosed correctly; perhaps you have added too much oil or lemon juice; the ingredients (oil and lemon juice) were not added gradually to the mix.

Why is mayonnaise so unhealthy? ›

There's no doubt that mayonnaise is brimming with fat. One cup contains 1440 calories, 160 grams of fat and 24 grams of saturated fat. It's an excellent source of vitamins E and K, but it also contains almost 50 percent of your daily recommended amount of sodium.

Why should you make your own mayonnaise? ›

Homemade mayonnaise is more flavorful than the storebought stuff, since it's made with fresher ingredients, like egg yolk and just-squeezed lemon juice. Also, there are no preservatives or stabilizers in homemade mayo, so the texture is creamy and velvety, not squelchy and gelatinous.

Are mayo and miracle whip the same? ›

Mayonnaise is made of oil, eggs, and vinegar (or lemon juice). Miracle Whip has the same basic ingredients but with less oil, and the addition of water, sugar, and spices like mustard, paprika, and garlic. Even with these additions, Miracle Whip has almost half the calories of mayo and half the fat.

Is homemade mayo better than Hellmans? ›

Homemade mayo is a nice idea, but if you're using it on sandwiches as most of us do, it doesn't deliver much of an impact for the extra time commitment. Hellmann's will work just fine.

Why is mayonnaise suddenly so expensive? ›

Mayonnaise. The wholesale price of mayonnaise and other salad dressings rose 33% since 2020. The reasons for at least some of that: a record spike in egg prices due to bird flu wiping out flocks of egg-laying hens in recent years and insatiable consumer demand for the cheap protein.

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