Almost every single time I make it, my homemade mayonnaise comes out great and I love the taste. Even more, I love that there are none of the scary ingredients that you find in store-bought mayo. I attribute my successes to the tricks in myhomemade mayo recipe, which by the way, is so simple and takes less than 5 minutes–I even prove it in a video that shows how I make homemade mayo FAST:
BUT even when I faithfully follow that recipe, every once in a great while I've still had the mayonnaise not set up, thicken, emulsify, whatever you want to call it, and it really makes me crazy. When using quality ingredients that are not cheap, wasting them is even more frustrating, right?
The exact steps for fixing your mayo are below, and these steps work for me! But I thought I'd also share something I just read in this fantastic book by Samin Nosrat, “Salt Fat Acid Heat”. In the forward by Michael Pollan he describes Samin's instructions for how to repair a broken mayonnaise: “Add a few drops of water and then ‘whisk with the urgency of a swimmer escaping a shark'.” I haven't tried that, but if you do, report back!
However as I said, the following steps I have used successfully many times to fix my mayo that wouldn't set…
Steps for How to Thicken Mayo:
Set aside the mayo that won't set up. Try not to cry or swear at it like I do.
In another jar just like the first one, with an opening that just fits your immersion blender, put in one more egg yolk, and set the jar in warm water for a few minutes to warm. (Or if you use your blender–I love my Bosch for this–just pour what you already have made into another bowl, and add another yolk to the blender.)
Once the yolk iswarmed up a little, blend well.
Add another squirt of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I don't measure, just a little).
Add another little squirt of mustard.
Slowly drip in the first batch of failed/runny mayo and keep blending.
When you get about half-way, you'll see and feel that it's getting thicker, and then you can pour the rest in a littlefaster, but until you feel that pull like it's working, keep dripping slowly. (If you're using a blender, you'll know it's “working” when it starts sort of smacking against the sides in spurts.)
***What you're doing is basically making a new, but smaller, batch of mayo, and then instead of adding more oil, you'll use the failed batch as your “new” oil to pour in.
That trick for how to thicken mayo works for me, but I've learned that once in a great while, mayo is just weird and unpredictable.
In all the batches I've made over the years, and this is since I was done experimenting and had my recipe figured out, so we're talking about dozens and dozens and dozens of batches, I've only had it totally and completely bomb where I couldn't get it back ONE time. That one time I don't know how many eggs I went through and wasted, but there was no bringing it back. When that happens, if you don't want to keep going, try mixing some sour cream into it and herbs for a homemade ranch dip or ranch salad dressing.
Usually, though, if you follow the tips in the homemade mayo recipe post, it will work every time, and if not, this method for fixing it really works!
But don't beat yourself up if you chance upon that very rare occasion where the mayo wins!
In that case, just throw up your hands and use this mayo. I keep it on hand just in case and that's the only not-homemade kind of mayo that I'll buy in a pinch.
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Has this ever happened to you, or is it something I should share in myFriday Food Flops? 🙂
On the contrary, if your mayonnaise is too runny or doesn't set because you've added cold ingredients, simply add another egg yolk, strictly at room temperature.
One option is to use a classic thickener like cornstarch. To do this, combine a little bit of cornstarch with water until it forms a paste and then add it into your runny mayo. Then, whisk the cornstarch together with the mayonnaise to combine and thicken. You can also use arrowroot powder in the same way.
In a new container or bowl, crack an egg and mix with an immersion blender or whisk.
While blending or whisking, slowly add the broken mayo. Do this step VERY slowly! Once it starts to thicken, you can start adding more at once. Blend until all is incorporated.
Thickeners. A wide range of water-based gelling and thickening agents are used in mayonnaise products with the most common being modified starch, xanthan gum, and combinations of these. Guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, and gelatin are also applied.
So, if you have added too much oil, the remedy is simple: place a small amount of your broken mayonnaise in a clean bowl and add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar. As the mixture improves, gradually add the rest of the broken mayonnaise and alternate with a few drops of liquid, until your mayonnaise looks better.
Solution: Quickly whisk in 5 to 10 ml (1 to 2 teaspoons) of water, vinegar or lemon juice. The mayonnaise will thin out a bit and lose it's oily appareance.
You can do this by placing a teaspoon of lemon juice (or water) in a clean bowl and adding a small amount of the broken emulsion, whisking to form another, stable emulsion. Once that emulsion forms, drizzle in the rest of the broken sauce, whisking constantly.
This emulsifying capability is mainly related to its content of lecithin, typically lying around 1.2 percent. Pasteurised whole eggs or whole egg powder may also be used as emulsifiers as long as there is sufficient egg yolk content to create and maintain a stable emulsion.
This is because mayonnaise is an emulsion that requires a specific balance of ingredients for it to work. If you don't get your measurements right, or add an ingredient too quickly, your mayo may end up runny. If this happens to you, don't throw the mixture out quite yet — there is a simple solution: egg yolk.
Why is my Mayonnaise watery (Hellmanns Separation) Sometimes when jars or bottles have not been used for a while there may be some liquid that appears on the surface of the product. If this does happen, please shake your bottle well, or stir your mayonnaise well before using.
Add More Oil: The primary ingredients in mayonnaise are oil and egg yolks. If your mayonnaise is too thin, gradually add more oil while continuing to whisk or blend. This will increase the fat content and thicken the mixture. Be patient and add the oil slowly to avoid over-thickening.
Of course, you want to make sure to not add too much lemon juice or mustard as it will change the flavor of your mayonnaise. Once your delicious homemade mayo is ready, make sure to put it in the fridge where it will thicken up a bit further and stay preserved.
Whether you've whisked your mayonnaise together by hand or are using a blender or food processor, keep blending and add the water a teaspoon at a time until you've reached your desired consistency. You might be tempted to continue adding oil to thin it, but don't.
“Without any added water, mayonnaise can be like petroleum jelly,” Mr. Bunch said. “Water gives you that nice, light texture.” Another reason to add water is that it dilutes the yolk and opens up the complex matrix of lecithin and proteins it contains, said Richard D.
Important: If mayonnaise doesn't thicken: 1- Start the process by using a small amount of the thin or broken mayonnaise and emulsify with the remaining oil. 2- Add alternately the remaining mixture that has not thicken and oil. 3- Use more oil than the recipe calls for if necessary.
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