Homemade mayonnaise is SO easy to make; There's no need to bother with store-bought, this keto mayo tastes amazing, with no sugar or problematic extra ingredients.
People are always asking what the best mayo is for those on a ketogenic diet. There’s not always a clear answer, especially when the availability of speciality brands can be spotty!.
In general, there are so many mayo brands out there, but most have some degree of questionable ingredients, especially for those on a low carb diet.
The thing is, homemade keto mayonnaise is SUPER easy to make, and tastes much better - richer - than store bought. You can whip up a batch in about 5 minutes!
The best part? Making your own keto mayonnaise is a great way to control some of the good fats that make their way onto your plate.
Making your own mayonnaise means not just accepting mass produced mayo made with the cheapest possible oil, it can be a way to wedge some avocado, coconut, or even MCT oil into your regular diet.
This keto mayo recipe is super general, with a lot of possibilities when it comes to customization - it’s all in the ingredients you choose to use.
Let’s get to it!
Keto Mayo Ingredients
It feels a bit silly to spell out the ingredients as being specifically for keto mayo, as - generally speaking - all homemade mayonnaise is keto.
Added sugar - and other things, like artificial ingredients - are generally reserved for grocery store mayo. So, unless you’re going out of your way to make it NOT low carb mayonnaise ... homemade mayo is keto friendly mayonnaise.
Anyway, this keto mayonnaise recipe has a lot of room for customizing, so most of the main ingredients are actually a range of possible ingredients for that ingredient spot.
Bonus? These simple ingredients are generally all COMMON ingredients, easy to find:
Eggs
While many mayo recipes call for egg yolks, I was taught to make mayo using a whole egg, so that’s what I’m doing here.
Anecdotally, I find that using a whole egg seems to make mayo that’s less likely to break (separate) in the process, but this is a very small data set we’re talking about here.
I generally use an large egg, but feel free to use an extra-large egg. You may want to stream in a little extra oil to thicken it up, if using an extra large egg, though.
In general, you’ll want to use very fresh eggs - the freshest you can get. This recipe uses raw eggs, so freshness and quality are important - it’s a safe recipe, as long as you start with clean, fresh eggs.
Still, pregnant women and immunocompromised people may be uncomfortable with consuming raw eggs. Pasteurized eggs are an even safer option, yet!
Acid
Generally speaking, I’ll use either spple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice when making homemade keto mayo, as I like the hint of flavour they bring.
White vinegar is another good option, with a fairly neutral flavour.
Mustard
Mustard is in here more for aiding in emulsification, than for flavour. You’ll get a bit of bite from it - so use something you like - but it’s definitely more about helping the other ingredients come together.
In general, I’ll use a pretty basic Dijon mustard for this recipe.
Salt
Regular table salt or a fine sea salt are great base options.
You use SO little salt in this, that anything fancier / more specialized won’t really come through as much.
Oil
You can use your choice of oil, but it’s good to know some basics.
In general, you’ll want to use a type of oil with a light or neutral flavour. Avocado oil is what I usually use, it’s a very neutral oil, taste-wise.
Canola oil is a popular option, and liquid coconut oil is a great option for those looking to increase the health fats in their diet.
If you want to use extra virgin olive oil, just know that it can impart a LOT of flavour on the finished mayonnaise, and can be overpowering. Use light olive oil - or extra light.
Another option would be to cut some olive oil with a more neutral olive oil, so you get SOME olive oil flavour, without it overpowering the mayo. Try half olive oil, half avocado oil if you’d like. Swap a portion of those oils out for MCT oil, if you like. It’s all good!
Equipment for Making Mayonnaise
You’ll only need one actual piece of equipment for this (beyond measuring!), but it’s an important piece of equipment. Here are your options:
Mini Food Processor
I used a mini food processor, and I believe this to be the best choice - assuming yours is set up to allow for streaming into it while it’s running.
Not only is a mini food processor a nice convenient size for making smaller batches of items - like the cup or so of keto mayonnaise here - it’s also a matter of being ABLE to.
If you try making something like this mayo, toum, or anything else that requires hardcore emulsification, you need to use a vessel that keeps the ingredients confined to a relatively small space.
Trying to make this in a full size blender would have the ingredients far too spread out for it to actually come together. By “mini”, you’ll want one that’s 3 cups big at BEST - 2 or 2.5 cups is even better.
Immersion Blender
Immersion blender mayo is another possibility, with a couple of caveats:
1. You’ll want to make it in a jar or blending vessel that is a relatively tight fit to the stick blender itself.
2. Hold the stick blender firmly against the base. Don’t stop blending and don’t move your stick blender at all until the mayo actually starts to come together and LOOK like mayo.
How to Make Keto Mayo
Actual recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. This is a pictorial walk through, with additional tips and info:
Before starting
Take your egg out of the fridge, and allow it to warm up to room temperature.
This is good insurance against your mayo “breaking”, or just not coming together in the first place. You don’t want to do anything to “shock” the mixture.
In the small bowl of a food processor - or in the cup for a stick blender - blitz the egg for 10 seconds or so.
Add the vinegar, mustard, and salt, blitz again to combine.
With the food processor running, very slowly stream the oil in - as in drops at a time. If you think you may be heavy-handed, you can use an eye dropper for it!
Once the mixture thickens and starts to look like mayo, you can stream it in a little faster, just be sure not to overwhelm it.
Once all the oil is used up, turn the food processor off and scrape the sides down, stirring it into the mayo as you go.
Blitz for a few more seconds, for food measure.
Taste it, add more salt and/or vinegar if you’d like.
Use immediately, or transfer to a small wide mouth mason jar and store in the fridge.
Notes
1. Check the expiration date on your eggs. That is the expiration date of your homemade mayo, assuming it’s kept in the fridge.
2. Nutritional information provided is for the entire batch, this recipe makes a little more than 1 cup of mayonnaise.
Keto Mayonnaise Variations
Beyond the options available to you when selecting your base ingredients, you can flavour your easy keto mayonnaise, either as you’re making it, or once it’s come together. A few ideas for the best ways to customize your homemade mayo:
- Fresh or dried herbs can be added in the beginning or end. I’ll usually add them at the end if I’m feeling cautious that day, or in the beginning if I want the herbs completely dispersed through it.
- Sriracha can be added at the end, to make a low carb spicy mayo. Use it with Keto Cauliflower Sushi Rice to make keto spicy sushi rolls!
- Roasted or grilled red pepper is great when chopped up and added in the end.
- Roasted garlic can be added in the beginning, or at the end. Use room temperature roasted garlic, if adding at the beginning.
- Got a smoker? Try cold smoking your oil before making the mayo, for a smoky mayo. Delicious!
Pro Tip: if you press or mince some fresh garlic into the food processor in the first step, you’ll end up with homemade aioli. Aioli is really just mayonnaise with garlic added to it in the process.
More Keto Condiment Recipes
Looking for more recipes for homemade, low carb condiments? I’ve got a few different recipes for you!
Note: Some of these links go to naturally low carb recipes on my other websites - though the other recipes on those sites generally aren't low carb!
Basil Pesto
Cilantro Mint Chutney
How to Make Compound Butters
Furikake Seasoning
Keto Marinara Sauce
Mediterranean Seasoning for Wings
Olive Salad
Pistachio Dukkah
Raita (Indian Cucumber Condiment)
Roasted Garlic
Homemade Seasoned Salt
Keto Salsa
Smoked Mayonnaise
Smoky Dry Rub for Wings
Thai Cilantro Pesto
Toum (Lebanese Garlic Dip)
Tzatziki
Homemade Vanilla Extract
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Keto Mayo
Equipment
- mini food processor
Ingredients
- 1 Large egg
- 2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar or Fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Neutral flavored oil like avocado
Instructions
- In the small bowl of a food processor - or in the cup for a stick blender - blitz the egg for 10 seconds or so.
- Add the vinegar, mustard, and salt, blitz again to combine.
- With the food processor running, very slowly stream the oil in - as in drops at a time. If you think you may be heavy handed, you can use a eye dropper for it!
- Once the mixture thickens and starts to look like mayo, you can stream it in a little faster, just be sure not to overwhelm it.
- Once all the oil is used up, turn the food processor off and scrape the sides down, stirring it into the mayo as you go.
- Blitz for a few more seconds, for food measure.
- Taste it, add more salt and/or vinegar if you’d like.
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