Lacto-Fermented (Probiotic) Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a staple in most American refrigerators, including ours.  Not many people consider which ingredients are in even these most basic of ingredients themselves though.  As I do with homemade product recipes, I also love breaking down each little component of cooking items to ensure our family is eating cleanly and efficiently.  It is also very satisfying to rely less and less on store-bought products.

When you buy mayonnaise, you are likely buying genetically-modified and highly-processed oils, like canola and soybean oils.  Even “Real” mayo is not quite what it seems with “natural flavors”, plus we must wonder what are the eggs/chickens fed??  GMOs are so prevalent in our environment and food supply, and their effects are often debated.  To me, the increased usage of GMO crops correlates right along with the sudden rise in many health issues that plague our world, and I wonder about their long-term effects down the road.  I personally just don’t see any good coming from synthetic foods and try to avoid them as much as possible.

This mayonnaise is simple to make, delicious, AND has probiotic benefits if you add the whey!  The whey is two-fold in that it makes it lacto-fermented (probiotic: able to repopulate good gut bacteria) as well as extends its shelf-life as a natural preservative.  You can make it totally make it without the whey however, but it will simply not be probiotic and will not keep as long.  I make my own whey by making yogurt in the crock pot overnight (recipe here if you missed it); see how it all works so well together when you get into the natural lifestyle?!

*This recipe contains affiliate links to ingredients, so if you cart/buy from them it helps me be able to continue blogging from home as a mom… thank you for this or even just for reading!)

You will need:

• 3 egg yolks from local pastured hens, room temperature (Great information here about why pastured and not “free-range”, “cage-free”, etc.  I will not use store-bought eggs in this recipe since mayo has raw eggs; I only trust pastured)
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1-1/2 cups olive oil (real, unadulterated if you’re crazy like me)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard (I like Dijon and whole-grain mustards; can also a smaller amount of ground mustard) – OPTIONAL
• 1-3 tablespoons whey (from making your own yogurt or kefir, or buy a starter)
• Food processor or blender
• Mason jar or other airtight container

Directions:

1. Once three eggs are room temperature (cold eggs won’t emulsify properly), separate and add the yolks only to the processor.
2. Add the ACV (or lemon juice), salt, and mustard (optional for tangy taste) and mix/pulse less than a minute.
3. SLOWLY is key here, to add the olive oil a drop at a time or a VERY thin stream.  This is important to making it emulsify, or else it will be a runny mayo (still good though). You can add it a little faster after the majority of the olive oil is in and it becomes thicker. Add more lemon juice or ACV if too thick.
4. Pulse or stir in the whey.
5. Spoon it into a mason jar, seal the lid, and allow to ferment/sit on the counter or room-temperature cover for about 7 hours.
6. Then place in fridge to use for several months if you used whey.  A couple of weeks without whey.

This recipe is a delicious way to get probiotic benefit every time you make a sandwich, tuna salad, deviled eggs, etc.  It is a great base for being creative too by making flavored mayos like honey mustard, horseradish, black pepper, sun-dried tomato, chive, or other herb.

Finding local, pastured hens that are allowed to eat bugs and grass instead of being fed salt, sugar, soy, and GMOs feed is one of the best switches we could do for our health (along with bone broth).  I like to think if can spend $4-5 on one cup of fancy coffee, I can surely devote $4-5 to a dozen of eggs for the week (and maybe even cheaper)!  Still have backyard chickens on my vision board…

Why make homemade mayo? Mostly because I’m a control freak.  I admit it.  Not in every facet of my life, but I do like to take charge of the aspects that are within my power…namely my health and that of my family.  I also admit my trust issues when it comes to the powers that be in our world, like our medical and food industries.  Food also simple tastes better when made with nourishing ingredients and passion.

Have you made your own mayonnaise, or would you like to?  I’d love to hear from you that you’ve checked out this page!

 Also posted at: Mom2Mom Monday,

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