Paleo Lemon Mayonnaise

Wow, this Paleo lemon mayonnaise recipe has been a long time in the making.

I have wasted SO much avocado oil on failed batches of mayo. Which is funny, because I previously complained about paying $8+ for a jar of Paleo mayo. The alternative was to settle for the classic crappy-oil varieties, commonly produced with garbage canola oil and sugar. So I kept trying for the perfect mayo.

And finally, at long last, here it is!

I read somewhere (don’t remember where, sorry) that adding a few drops of water to homemade mayonnaise makes all the difference in emulsification. That’s weird, I thought. But what have I got to lose, especially after ruining Cup #3 of avocado oil.

Failed mayo, for the record, looks like you tried to scramble eggs in a blender full of oil. I wish I’d taken a picture, because it’s pretty sad.

Now that I’ve perfected this recipe, I love to use it in chicken or tuna salad, on steamed greens, or paired with dijon mustard as a dip for ham slices (behold, my lazy lunch). I love the lemon flavor, but you could substitute vinegar. Just reduce the amount of vinegar to 1 Tbsp. if you’re going the no-lemon route. I recommend using a blender, as trying to do this with a regular wire whisk will take forever and, depending on how built your arm muscles are, may not work.

The good news is that once you get the hang of mayo, it’s an easy sauce to replicate. You can flavor it with garlic, dijon mustard or herbs. And hey, it’s cheaper than buying it at the store or online! Avocado oil isn’t too expensive, and it’s way healthier than soybean or canola oil (the oils used in most mayonnaise).

If you’re going to double the batch, I would prepare each batch separately to keep the mayo from getting stuck or not emulsifying correctly in the blender. This recipe makes 1.5 cups and will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge—which is enough for me.