I did a lot of experimenting to determine which oils provide the best-tasting mayonnaise, whilst providing excellent nutrition – I think this recipe is my fifth variation and I’m finally happy with it! My never-ending thanks to Nourishing Traditions cookbook for providing the lacto-fermentation method whereby the mayonnaise keeps for 3-4 months, rather than a couple of weeks, and results in yet another source of beneficial, food-based probiotics.
When you have a high nutrient mayonnaise composed of good, bio-available fats, you’ll start using it everywhere – dips, dressings, sauces, sandwiches, salads, etc. Remember, healthy fats are not used to make your body fat! They are used for crucial body functions like hormonal pathways and production, healthy hair, skin and nails. The cell membrane is 40% fat – so you need to eat a LOT of good fats to keep your body in optimum health.
Jini’s Homemade Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise Recipe
Hand-held Blender Method:
Find a glass, ceramic or metal mixing container that fits fairly closely around your hand-held blender when it is at the bottom of the container (I use a metal milkshake cup).
1. Add these ingredients, in this order to the container:
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. raw liquid honey
1/4 tsp mustard powder (or 1 tsp fresh mustard)
1 tbsp. fresh liquid whey*
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
3 organic egg yolks
Add above ingredients to the blender container, run hot water around the outside of the container until ingredients are warmed to room temperature and then puree on low speed until liquid.
2. Then add to the container*:
1/4 cup Italian extra-virgin organic olive oil at room temperature
1/4 cup cold-pressed organic sesame oil at room temperature
1/2 cup cold-pressed organic avocado oil at room temperature
Add oils, all at once to the container. Immerse the blender stick in the mixture and whip on LOW, holding the blender at the bottom of the container for 12 seconds, then you can move the blender wand up and down until mayo thickens.
3. Pour the mayonnaise into a glass jar, screw the lid on and let it sit on the counter (at room temperature) for 7 hours – the whey in your mayonnaise will now lacto-ferment your mayonnaise.
4. Then place it in the fridge and mayonnaise will now keep for several months (due to the protective bacteria created by lacto-fermenting the mayonnaise with the fresh liquid whey).
*Important: Oils MUST be at room temperature or your mayo will not thicken. So measure out your oils into one glass jar. Leave them sitting on the counter until they reach room temperature OR run hot water over the outside of the jar to warm your oils. Make sure all these oils are brand new, or have been refrigerated immediately after opening. Do not use oil that has been sitting on the counter for a day or more after opening, since cold-pressed oils go rancid quickly and you will not get a good-tasting mayonnaise.
Dairy-Free Version
*If you wish, you can omit the whey and refrigerate immediately after making – this mayonnaise will then keep for about 2 weeks. The taste and texture (a bit firmer) are better if you use the whey to lacto-ferment it. But I’ve made it both ways and both are great!
You can also use 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup olive oil instead of the blend I suggest, if you prefer.
Blender Method
You can use a traditional blender and the same recipe. But at Step 2, you need to add the oils very slowly, in the thinnest stream you can imagine, whilst the blender is running, in order to have the mayonnaise thicken. If you add the oils too quickly, you will end up with liquid mayonnaise and the ingredients will separate out.
About The Oils
Sesame oil lowers LDL cholesterol, is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and has been used in numerous clinical trials to inhibit the growth of melanoma and colon cancer cells.
Olive oil exerts anti-inflamatory, antithrombotic, antihypertensive as well as vasodilatory effects both in animals and in humans
Avocado oil is high in lutein (for eye health) and vitamin E and studies have shown it benefits arthritis and diabetes.
Egg yolks are an excellent food source of vitamins K2, B6, B12, D3 and DHA – this chart contains the full listing of all the fabulous nutrients in egg yolks:
Original post January 2012. Most recently updated March 2024.
JINI
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert on natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s Disease and has remained drug and surgery-free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcast, TV, and radio shows throughout the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, giving people hope and vision for how they can heal their Colitis, Crohn’s, Diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), using entirely natural methods. Her books on natural healing for digestive diseases have sold worldwide in over 80 countries.
By JINI|2024-03-05T22:02:13-08:00June 22nd, 2020|
27 Comments
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DaisyFebruary 4, 2012 at 9:01 am - Reply
I know that Hellman’s mayo is junk… but that is the taste my family prefers. We’ve managed to change to healthier options in nearly all of the rest of our food, but the Hellman’s is one of our last “ugly secrets”. I keep trying to find a healthy mayo recipe that would be similar in flavor, but so far, no luck! How does this mayo compare to store-bought mayos?
JINIFebruary 7, 2012 at 12:22 am - Reply
DAISY – Hmmm, so much of a mayonnaise is the taste of the oil and Hellman’s is using canola oil or soybean oil. So, when you want to train your tastebuds to something new (and healthier) the trick is to go slowly.
So I would use this same recipe, but replace the oils with canola oil. That way it won’t be so big of a change and yes, I think the flavor will be quite similar.
THEN once you all have adjusted to that, begin replacing the canola oil with the healthier oils, so start by just switching out 1/4 cup of the canola for the avocado oil. Then add in the olive oil and wait to adjust, then add in (switch out for canola) the sesame oil.
The other trick that works – especially with kids, is when you make the first batch, put it in an actual Hellman’s jar. If they comment that it tastes different, agree with them and wonder, “Gee, I wonder if they’ve tweaked their recipe?”
Good luck! And let us know if you get anywhere with it….
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[…] • No margarine or butter substitutes – often treated with chemical solvents and bleaches, resulting in deformed, highly toxic, trans-fatty acids. Even the cold-pressed margarines are not good as your body doesn’t need so much of those oils, and they prevent you from using butter – which your body needs a lot of. Use real butter (preferably made from raw, organic milk), cold-pressed virgin olive oil, or unrefined coconut oil instead. Do not use regular mayonnaise either – only mayonnaise made from cold-pressed oils. […]
HenryFebruary 8, 2013 at 9:29 am - Reply
Hi, I just used this recipe but the safflower oil gave it a horrible bitter taste. It’s going in the bin i’m afraid. I’m going to try it without safflower and use more olive oil I think.
JINIFebruary 8, 2013 at 3:49 pm - Reply
Hi Henry, Did you use organic, COLD-PRESSED sunflower oil? And did you either use a fresh bottle, or refrigerate immediately after opening? Go ahead and taste your bottle of safflower oil – whatever taste it currently has is the taste your mayo is going to have. I use Napa Valley Naturals brand safflower oil and it has a completely neutral taste.
I tried this recipe with both all and more olive oil, but didn’t like it nearly as much.
MarciMarch 28, 2014 at 7:31 am - Reply
I’ve tried many homemade mayo recipes (none lacto fermented YET but might try this one!) but the mayo is always YELLOW. I tried making it with ONE egg yolk instead of two or three, using less mustard, etc., but it is still yellow. Store brands list eggs in the ingredients but the mayo isn’t yellow. I’m afraid to wonder how they manage that.
JustinMarch 31, 2014 at 2:15 pm - Reply
Hi Marci,
The oil content (and type of oil) relative to the amount of yolk can have a big effect on the color as can how vigorously the mixture is whipped. I’ve never done it myself but some say adding hot water at some point late in the process can also turn it bright white. Thanks for posting!
Kind regards,
Justin
Customer Care
JessicaFebruary 26, 2015 at 12:20 pm - Reply
Hello, Marci,
having spent a fair bit of time in France, Spain, and Italy – the countries that invented mayonnaise and its various culinary cousins -, may I assure you that yellow is the correct and natural colour of the best and most healthy mayonnaise, the Real Deal stuff.
White, or close to white, is the unnatural colour we have come to associate with cheap mayonnaise with too high a proportion of oil, or, worse still, with white flour or other additives which produce an unhealthy, fake version which puts huge profits in the producers’ pockets but robs the client of both money and nutrition, and may even literally make them sick (that would be ‘ill’ in Britain).
Unfortunately, those of us who have for so long been used to buying Hellman’s and other similar brands of “mayonnaise” have come to trust them because of their packaging and convenience, and because we are deluded into thinking that their having been produced in a factory, and being government-approved for sale, means that we can trust them.
We are all gradually learning otherwise, so I am very happy to see that Jini has been sharing her experiments, inspired by that invaluable Nourishing Traditions books (my cookery Bible!) by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig (based on the work of Dr. Weston A. Price).
One other thing worth considering: unhealthy, unhappy chickens (fed processed feed with insufficient Omega 3 and 6 fats, and not able to be outdoors in the fresh air) produce unhealthy, unhappy, pale egg yolks, whilst healthy, happy chickens produce eggs with yolks that are dark yellow to orange. That is why the best mayonnaise (which should be home-made) is yellow and even slightly orange in colour. You would be surprised how easy chickens are to keep, but, if that is not possible for you due to local bylaws, then I encourage you to seek out the best local organically produced eggs available, and then experiment away with variations on Jini’s recipe.
Her idea of slowly changing the taste profile by gradually replacing less healthy oils with better ones is brilliant, especially for children (and, dare I say it, husbands resistant to change!). : )
Sorry for the length of this, but mayonnaise is, as Jini pointed out, such an adaptable way of getting vital fats into our bodies, that I think this subject is more important than we perhaps realize.
Jini, thanks again for your thoroughness, enthusiasm, and continuing willingness to share with us all. You are such an encouragement!
JessicaFebruary 26, 2015 at 12:36 pm - Reply
Sorry, me again: I forgot to say that I remember my mother making a home-made mayonnaise that included one egg white per 4 egg yolks. This not only meant that one needed to feel slightly less guilty about failing to use the leftover egg whites for meringues, but also that the mayonnaise was of a runnier texture, which some people preferred. It was also noticeably whiter in colour, which others thought looked unhealthily pale: so much is in the eye of the beholder, and their associations!
I seem to remember that she also blended in a clove of garlic, freshly crushed, and sometimes a blade or two of fresh tarragon, which was delicious. This went particularly well with chicken, and a sprinkling of paprika countered the pale look of the mayonnaise.
JINIFebruary 27, 2015 at 8:15 pm - Reply
JESSICA – Wow!! Thanks for all your fabulous comments! Could you share your favorite mayonnaise recipe with us?
MartaMarch 20, 2015 at 4:32 pm - Reply
So excited to try your lacto-fermented mayo recipe! I make my own mayo, and am happy to find it will keep longer by fermentation.
However, I normally add granulated onion and granulated garlic to my mayo. Will this be safe for the fermentation process?
JINIMarch 24, 2015 at 10:20 pm - Reply
Hi Marta – yes they should be fine, although I’ve never tried it. I don’t think the whey culture will alter the taste, but you never know for sure until you try it! Please let us know…
ChavaJuly 31, 2015 at 4:40 pm - Reply
I’m having fits about my hand immersion blender….after looking closely at the inner shaft. It’s gunky, filthy, and undoubtedly full of baaaad stuff. I’ve been washing and cleaning it every time it’s used, but I can see how food rolls right up into the tube that holds that shaft.
Do you have a brand you prefer?JINIAugust 3, 2015 at 9:44 am - Reply
Yes, I noticed that with the first one I bought too! So then I bought this stainless steel Cuisinart one, where the entire mixing part detaches and can be washed in the dishwasher – watch the 2nd video on this page and she’ll show you everything:
ReneeDecember 31, 2015 at 8:09 am - Reply
Hi Jini, many thanks for providing this recipe! Do you think I could use raw apple cider vinigar instead of the white or would that be in competition with the whey since they are both live? Kind regards, Renee
JINIJanuary 6, 2016 at 2:35 pm - Reply
Absolutely you can use ACV! The only consideration is the taste is stronger than white vinegar, so picky kids will notice the difference. 🙂
ReneeJanuary 8, 2016 at 2:51 pm - Reply
Or a picky husband! The mayo was great. Next time I will try ACV. Thanks a bunch!
DianeJanuary 18, 2016 at 7:31 am - Reply
Where does one get the whey for this recipie?
JINIJanuary 18, 2016 at 1:53 pm - Reply
Hi Diane – Sorry, I did not make it clear in this recipe that you need to use fresh, liquid whey! I have fixed that now and also added the link for the instructions of how to drain yoghurt to harvest the liquid whey from it:
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/how-to-make-whey-and-yogurt-cream-cheese/
Thanks!
Gina Francesca EdwardsJune 23, 2020 at 10:14 am - Reply
Hi Jini, I am new to your site and information. I am reaching out as I have a son who was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 12, had a severe complication, strictures ileum, was removed in 2016 as he couldn’t eat anything and was underweight. Since the surgery he was placed on Remicade. Now, at age 15, he is off it and we are attempting to heal with natural protocols. Viewing your list of practitioners, I was wondering who you would suggest for him? Now that he his off the remicade, his symptoms have progressed rapidly to rheumatoid arthritis. Wanting to get him help sooner than later and started on your supplements. Any suggestions with which ones to start with?
LTYG Team - SavannahJune 23, 2020 at 8:09 pm - Reply
Hi Gina! Welcome – I’m happy you reached out. I would recommend Jini’s own doctor, whom her family has also had sessions with, Dr. Juliet Ghodsian.
Dr. Juliet has read Jini’s books, is very fluent in her protocols, and has also healed herself of Crohn’s disease. She offers private and group sessions: https://listentoyourgut.com/dr-juliet/
And here is a complete list of practitioners Jini recommends: https://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/private-health-consults/
Best to you and your son. =)
Debbie HJuly 4, 2022 at 4:05 pm - Reply
I’ve been using Avocado oil for its neutral taste, and it works so well with your recipe. I use about 3/4 – a cup of avocado oil.
LTYG Team - LinsyJuly 5, 2022 at 5:02 am - Reply
Hi Debbie!
That is fantastic! I am also a fan of Avocado oil for so much of my cooking! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
-Linsy
