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Mayonnaise and aioli from scratch
Intermediate Sauces and stocks
Mayonnaise and aioli from scratch is a thick, cold sauce made by whisking oil drop by drop into egg yolk and acid; aioli adds garlic.
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How do you do it?
- Whisk 1 room-temperature yolk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon mustard and a pinch of salt.
- Add 3/4 cup neutral oil a few drops at a time, whisking hard, until it thickens and looks like loose pudding.
- Once it's thick, pour the rest in a thin stream. Thin with a few drops of water if it gets too stiff.
- For aioli, stir in 1 finely grated garlic clove. Refrigerate and use within about 4 days.
Why does it work?
Oil and water don't mix, but yolk lecithin and mustard act as emulsifiers, wrapping each oil droplet so it stays suspended. Adding oil slowly at first gives the emulsifiers time to coat it; once enough droplets crowd together, the sauce turns thick. A broken mayo can be rescued by whisking it slowly into a fresh yolk.
What are the common mistakes?
- Adding oil too fast at the start — it never thickens and stays runny.
- Using strong extra-virgin olive oil only — it can taste bitter; blend it with neutral oil.
- Leaving it out — raw yolk is perishable; use pasteurized eggs for anyone vulnerable.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
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