Name: Make-Ahead Homemade Mayonnaise
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons water; 2 large egg yolks; 4 teaspoons lemon juice; 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil , divided; 3/4 teaspoon table salt; 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Why This Recipe Works

Our homemade mayo can be stored for one month because it's made with pasteurized egg yolks. Pasteurizing is as simple as heating the yolks to 160 degrees. Mixing the yolks with water and lemon juice kept the base of our mayo fluid even though it had been heated. Immediately whisking oil into that base cooled it and prevented it from thickening. At the same time, whisking broke the oil into tiny droplets, the critical starting point for any mayo. With those droplets in place, we transferred the mixture to a food processor and slowly poured in the rest of the oil to create a dense, creamy mayo.

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Before You Begin

Since the oil is a major part of this recipe, use a freshly opened bottle for the best results. This recipe was designed for a food processor; we don't recommend substituting other appliances. Having trouble? Check out How to Fix Failed Mayo.

Instructions

Gently stir water, egg yolks, and lemon juice in bowl until no streaks of yolk remain. Microwave, stirring gently every 10 seconds, until mixture thickens slightly and registers 160 to 165 degrees, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately add ¼ cup oil, salt, mustard, and sugar; whisk to combine. (Tiny droplets of oil will float to top of mixture.)

Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl of food processor. With processor running, slowly drizzle in remaining 1¼ cups oil in thin stream, about 2 minutes. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and process 5 seconds longer. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 month.