Easy Homemade Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise That Never Fails

This easy homemade lacto-fermented mayonnaise recipe never fails, lasts longer and tastes better than any store bought mayo you’ll ever buy. Its the real mayo.

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Clean easy homemade lacto-fermented mayonnaise can be made at home.

I found years ago that if I cut out food dyes and additives I had less migraines. I avoid anything that isn’t an ingredient I would put into food myself. When you start reading labels you find weird things in mayo. Things like soybean oil, canola oil or vegetable oil and additives like Calcium Disodium EDTA. Why would I want Calcium Disodium EDTA in my mayonnaise? Avocado mayo is better but expensive and you still have to read the ingredients carefully. When I found out how easy it was to make my own mayonnaise I was hooked! I’ll give you the full information how to do it yourself a bit later. With this recipe made with fresh eggs and a few other key ingredients, I could finally control what was in my mayo! And the cost was so much better. The problem with homemade mayo need is it s to be eaten within a week. We don’t eat that much mayo in a week, even with 5 girls at home.

Making mayo safe at home that will last longer than a week.

The USDA advises to use pasteurized eggs because of the risk of Salmonella. According to the CDC, the occurrence of Salmonella in eggs is considered very low. Estimates suggest that only about 1 in every 20,000 eggs can be contaminated with Salmonella, that’s only a 0.005% chance of salmonella. I can’t find pasteurized eggs easily so, I use organic free range eggs. Often from my sisters happy chickens. I’ll explain further why I feel comfortable doing so.

Enter lacto-fermented mayonnaise.

So in my research I found that acetic acid and citric acid make an environment not very hospitable to bacteria. Acetic acid is contained in ferments and vinegar, while citric acid is in lemon juice. Both are in my recipe. I learned that by using some brine from a traditional ferment like real sauerkraut or using some whey from yogurt my mayo could lacto-ferment, preventing bacteria from forming in my mayo recipe. This fermentation process makes mayo higher in acetic acid which helps it last so much longer, up to a few months! I didn’t have to waste mayo or make it every week any more.

Let me explain lacto-fermentation a bit more

Lacto-fermentation is the preservation method that creates real sauerkraut, traditional pickles (you know the salty ones not the sour or sweet ones), kimchi, and fermented vegetables. Our ancestors used lacto-fermentation to help preserve food for longer periods of time. It is NOT called lacto-fermentation because it contains lactose which is dairy sugars, it is called lacto-fermentation because of the Lactobacillus bacteria. Latctobacillus bacteria is a helpful bacteria that is used to ferment food and preserve them for longer.

Different kinds of lacto-fermentation exist

Fruits or vegetables can be lacto-fermented by putting them in a salt brine. The fruits or vegetables are then pushed below the brine. A weight or something similar is used to keep the vegetables fully submerged so they don’t get exposed to air and mold. Then its allowed to ferment for a period of time.

In yogurt or kefir, dairy is lacto -fermented with a starter instead of salt. Beer, wine and kombucha use a different fermentation process involving yeast so don’t get them confused. Also its not the yogurt you would use to help ferment your mayo it would be the whey as an alternative to the ferment brine. See my yogurt recipe to find out how to get your own homemade whey.

The old fashioned way of making mayo

The original way of making mayonnaise was slowly drizzle oil with egg yolks while beating the ingredients with a whisk. It is a slow process I tried once upon a time and did not succeed. The newer slightly better option is slowly pouring a steady stream of oil into a food processor or high speed blender. No offense to those who do either method… actually my hat is off to you… that’s some skill. I just don’t have the time or patience to do that. I found my results were not as consistent as a stick blender and a jar as explained next. With my method I have yet to make a mayonnaise that didn’t turn out like mayonnaise with the immersion blender method.

How do I successfully make my easy homemade lacto-fermented mayonnaise?

The magic formula to make this mayo recipe emulsify, is to use the right ingredients, including whole eggs, the brine, a good immersion blender and a jar. A hand blender that fits well in the jar is very important. Follow that important info with ensuring you wait for the oil to separate from the other ingredients after putting the immersion blender to the bottom of the jar. The blenders fit inside the jar and the oil raising above the blender head is key to getting your mayonnaise to emulsify.

By using the brine from one of these ferments or using some whey as a starter, I can make my this super easy mayo reipe a lacto-ferment. This extends the life of my mayo from a week to a few months, hallelujah!

Is there a best oil for my lacto-fermented mayo?

A mild flavored oil is best. Extra-virgin olive oil can make your mayo taste bitter, so I wouldn’t suggest it. You could use light olive oil but I don’t keep it in my kitchen. I prefer avocado oil and sometimes butter or bacon grease or a combination. Bacon grease makes a slightly bacon flavored mayo that is more of a spread from the refrigerator. A little avocado with the bacon loosens it up. I never use vegetable or canola oils in any of my cooking as they require a chemical process to extract them. More processing to me is just a not okay.

How To Make Your Own Easy Homemade Lacto-fermented Mayonnaise Start To Finish

To get started on this easy homemade mayonnaise recipe you will gather the following:

• 1 wide mouth pint jar
  • I use an old Adams peanut butter jar it’s the right size
  • You won’t be able to I’m use a regular mouth as the blender won’t fit, it has to be wide mouth mason jar
• An immersion blender
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup oil
  • Avocado is the most neutral-flavored oil
  • Bacon grease will be thick like a spread but gives a slight bacon flavor
  • Butter or ghee is an option also but will also make a thicker spread .
• Mustard
• A ferment brine such as sauerkraut juice or whey

Once you’ve gathered your stuff get ready to make your mayo

• Crack the egg and place it in the jar.
• Allow the egg to come closer to room temperature for a few minutes.
• Measure your remaining ingredients including your ferment juice or whey, mustard,lemon juice, salt and oil into the jar.
• Grab your stick blender and put it to the bottom of the jar.
• Let the blender rest at the very bottom of the jar. This is an important step to assist in making sure the ingredients emulsify. Wait for the oil to raise to the top.
• Keeping the blender on the bottom of the jar turn it on. You will slowly pull the blender up through the ingredients watching the oil slowly blend into the egg. Make sure to pull up very slowly keeping the blender under the oil until you get to the top.
• Ta-da you now have some amazing Mayo!

Place the jar on the counter for 6 hours or overnight to make this a fermented mayonnaise. The fermentation process is what will help the mayo last longer. Lacto-fermentation is a great preservation method for food. You can take this basic recipe and swap out lemon juice for vinegar.

Now I can go and make some tarter sauce, aioli, egg salad, ranch dressing.or maybe some fry sauce!