My husband abhors mayonnaise with a passion. Despite this, both of our boys ended up being fans of mayonnaise just like their mom. If you find yourself on the pro-mayonnaise side, and want to avoid inflammatory oils, this recipe for Basic Paleo Mayonnaise is for you.
Why Make Your Own Paleo Mayonnaise at Home?
One of the main reasons I like to make my own mayo is it is almost impossible to find a brand in the grocery store that is not made with soybean oil (yuck!). And any food made with soybean oil is, by definition, a low quality food. And it’s not just soybean oil we should try to avoid, it’s any highly (high temperature and pressure) processed vegetable or seed oil. Sadly, these oils are in virtually all commercial mayonnaise and salad dressing products.
What Type of Oil Should Be Used in Paleo Mayonnaise?
Rather than soybean, canola or grapeseed, using extra virgin olive oil is a much more healthful choice. The challenge with olive oil (besides making sure it really IS olive oil!) is the flavor can sometimes be too strong to work well in mayonnaise. My recipe recommends you use regular olive oil, sometimes called “light” or “extra light” olive oil, instead of the usual Extra Virgin Olive Oils.
Here’s the one I used this time.
Another option is to use something like avocado oil which has a mild to neutral flavor but, unfortunately, without the same level of health benefits as good olive oil.
What are Some of the Challenges with Making Mayo at Home?
One of the fears people have in making their own mayo is the use of raw eggs*. In reality, the risk of getting salmonella is fairly low. The risk is even lower if you use farm fresh eggs and, as it says on the carton, you CAN taste the difference.
Check out these beautiful, farm fresh eggs from one of my neighbors.