Full GAPS Immersion-Blender Mayonnaise

This Full GAPS mayonnaise starts thickening at the bottom of a glass jar. Three raw yolks, cold-pressed avocado oil, mustard, vinegar or lemon, salt, and a little honey come together with an immersion blender. Keep the blade low until you see the pale emulsion forming, then lift slowly through the remaining oil.

This mayonnaise uses three raw yolks, one cup of avocado oil, and a bottom-first immersion-blender method. The order in the jar matters. Add the yolks, salt, mustard, vinegar or lemon, honey, and oil in that sequence so the emulsion begins around the blade before the oil is drawn in.

Yield: One batch, made with one cup of oil and three yolks
Prep time: About five minutes, with the ingredients ready
Total time: About five minutes

We are a family of eight, and most of my cooking happens before I leave for second shift. I want directions to explain what to look for while the food comes together. Here, that cue is the pale, thick mayonnaise forming around the blade before the last oil blends in.

You can blend and store this mayonnaise in the same jar. Have the ingredients measured and the blender ready before you begin. When a meal needs half a cup of mayonnaise, finish the emulsion first and measure that portion from the jar.

Ingredients

• 3 raw egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon mineral salt
• 1 teaspoon pure mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon raw apple-cider vinegar with the mother or fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons raw honey
• 1 cup cold-pressed avocado oil

Olive Oil And Coconut Oil Option: Replace the cup of avocado oil with half a cup of cold-pressed olive oil and half a cup of melted coconut oil. Melt only the coconut oil, then let it cool while still liquid before combining it with the olive oil.

Prepared Mustard Option: The same one-teaspoon measure of prepared mustard can replace the powder. Choose mustard made from mustard seed, an allowed vinegar or dry wine, and salt, without sugar, starch, or other additives.

Each ingredient has a job in the emulsion. The yolks are the base. They hold the oil and water together, so they go in first and meet the blade first. Mustard helps the emulsion hold and adds its sharp flavor. The vinegar or lemon juice brings the tang that makes mayo taste like mayo. Choose raw apple-cider vinegar for a rounder flavor or lemon for a brighter one. The honey is only 2 teaspoons across a full cup of oil, so it softens the acid more than it sweetens.

The oil is most of the jar, so its flavor carries through the mayonnaise. Use fresh cold-pressed avocado oil for this version. The olive oil and coconut oil option has its own flavor and can become firmer after refrigeration because coconut oil sets when cold.

Equipment

• Wide-mouth quart mason jar
• Immersion blender that fits flat against the bottom of the jar

The jar and the blender have to fit each other. The blade guard should sit flat on the bottom of the jar with only a little room around it. If the jar is too wide, the yolks spread out and the blade cannot reach them. A wide-mouth quart glass jar also means you blend, store and serve from the same container.

Method

1. Put the three room-temperature egg yolks in the bottom of the jar.
2. Add the mineral salt, then the mustard powder, vinegar or lemon juice, and raw honey. Keep this order.
3. Carefully pour the avocado oil over the other ingredients and let it remain as the top layer.
4. Lower the immersion blender until its blade sits flat against the bottom of the jar over the yolks.
5. Pulse a few times without lifting the blender. A pale, thick emulsion should begin forming around the blade.
6. Keep the blender running and raise it slowly through the oil, then move it gently up and down until the mayonnaise is completely emulsified with no separate oil remaining.
7. Cover the finished mayonnaise and refrigerate it.

Why The Order Works

The yolks need to meet the blender blade first. Salt and mustard follow them, then the acid and honey. The full cup of oil stays above that base until the first pulses build an emulsion.

Keep the blender at the bottom until the mixture around the blade has visibly thickened. Raising it too soon pulls oil into the yolks faster than the base can hold it. Once the pale layer forms, move upward slowly and give any remaining oil time to blend in.

Start with room-temperature yolks and eggs from a source you trust. Have the yolks and measured seasonings ready before adding the oil so you can move through the blending steps without stopping to find an ingredient.

Look at the jar from the side after step 3. The yolks and seasonings should sit in a small layer at the bottom, with the oil above them. In steps 4 and 5, a pale, creamy layer begins around the blade. Give it time to thicken before moving the blender higher.

In step 6, raise the blender slowly as the thick emulsion forms from the bottom upward. Continue until the mayonnaise is thick and creamy with no clear oil remaining in the jar.

The Full GAPS Ingredient Forms

Dr. Natasha’s 2020 book includes avocado oil and describes cold-pressed oils as foods to use raw. It also includes eggs, homemade mayonnaise, and pure mustard powder or prepared mustard made without non-allowed ingredients. The oil stays unheated in this mayonnaise.

Avocado oil remains raw in this recipe. The oil alternative also keeps the cold-pressed olive oil raw; melt only the coconut oil, then combine the two measured oils before pouring them into the jar.

This avocado-oil mayonnaise is a Full GAPS condiment after its ingredients have been introduced. It contains eggs, with no dairy or nuts added. Keep the raw oil and the measured yolks in this version when using it as an ingredient in another Full GAPS recipe.

If The Mayonnaise Looks Thin

Look at the jar before calling the mixing finished. If there is still clear oil above the creamy layer, the emulsion has not reached all of the oil. Keep the blender low while the base thickens, then move upward gradually so the remaining oil is drawn into it.

A watery or oily-looking mixture is different from thick mayonnaise with a glossy surface. The finished condiment should be evenly creamy, without a separate oil layer. This recipe does not need flour, starch, or gum to thicken.

Storage And Use

Cover and refrigerate the finished mayonnaise in its glass jar. Spoon out the amount needed for a recipe, then return the covered jar to the refrigerator.

When another recipe calls for homemade GAPS mayonnaise, finish this emulsion first and then measure the required amount. For example, a recipe calling for one-half cup mayonnaise needs one-half cup of the completed condiment, not half of every ingredient listed here.

Use a clean spoon for each portion and return the covered jar to the refrigerator afterward. A date label helps you tell batches apart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Prepared Mustard?

Yes. One teaspoon of prepared brown mustard can replace the powder. The linked jar lists mustard seed, apple-cider vinegar, water, and sea salt. Pure mustard powder is the default in this mayonnaise.

Can I Replace The Avocado Oil?

Use half a cup of cold-pressed olive oil and half a cup of melted coconut oil. Keep the total oil at one cup. Melt only the coconut oil, and let it cool while still liquid before combining the oils.

Why Use Room-Temperature Yolks?

Room-temperature yolks help this bottom-first mixing method come together consistently. Have them ready before you begin, because the five-minute estimate starts with prepared ingredients.

Why Is There Still Oil At The Top?

During blending, wait for the pale emulsion to form at the bottom before raising the blender. Clear oil left above that layer still needs to be incorporated. Move through it slowly rather than lifting the blender straight to the surface at the start.

Why Is My Mayonnaise Firmer After A Night In The Fridge?

Coconut oil firms when cold, so the olive oil and coconut oil option can have a firmer texture after refrigeration. Stir the portion you plan to use. The avocado-oil version and the oil blend do not have identical chilled textures.

What Can I Make With It?

Measure a portion into cumin and paprika deviled eggs or classic egg salad with homemade mayonnaise. Follow each recipe’s own amounts. A finished condiment is one ingredient in those dishes, so you can prepare this jar separately.

Do I Need a Special Jar?

You need a jar the blender head fits into with its guard flat on the bottom. A wide-mouth quart glass jar is what the method is written for. A narrow jar may not let the blender reach the bottom, and a very wide container spreads the yolks too thin for the blade to catch.

More Ways To Use Homemade Mayo

The Mediterranean chicken salad with cilantro and lemon gives you a chicken-based meal to make with finished mayonnaise. For a chopped-egg dish, use the separate classic egg salad. Each has its own amounts and mixing directions.

The planned Sauces, Dressings & Condiments Cookbook will bring more homemade mayonnaise, dressings, and gravies together. Watch the WFLI shop for its release if you are building up a set of homemade condiments for your kitchen.