My Dad’s Homemade French Mayonnaise Recipe (sort of)
A good homemade French mayonnaise recipe is all you need to dress up the simplest of ingredients. Whether it be vegetables, eggs or leftover cold steak, this sauce will immediately make it more fancy!
Homemade French Mayonnaise Takes Me Back
My Mom has always done most of the cooking in my parents’ household, but my Dad was the go-to guy for a handful of recipes like béchamel (with steamed cauliflower), crepes (filled with jam and dusted with powdered sugar), and homemade French mayonnaise!
Whenever there was leftover steak, we knew Dad was going to mix up a batch. We’d enjoy sliced cold steak dipped in his homemade mayo — usually with some French bread and a simple salad. It’s one of those recipes that immediately brings me back to my childhood.
There are many approaches and “rules” to making French mayonnaise: whisk vs. fork, mix by hand or use a blender/food processor, which oil is best…yada yada yada. But I’m sharing the way I learned it by watching my pop make it, and he learned it from my Great Grand-Mère. In her French kitchen.
(BTW, my Dad always uses a spoon to make his mayo!)
My version very closely resembles my Dad’s except that I add lemon juice at the beginning (and a bit more than he does), a dash of sweet paprika at the end (just for the little specks of color), and I use a whisk.
Why not just use the store-bought version? There’s just something about making this by hand that is really satisfying. And, you control all the ingredients!
Related video: watch how to make French mayonnaise in this Instagram Reel!
Serving Suggestions + Helpful Tips
In addition to spreading on sandwiches or using it to bind your seafood or chicken salad, you can enjoy it as a dip for crudité, fries, and steak (or other cold meats) and use it to dress salads and boiled eggs.
Mayonnaise is the base for many other sauces, too. Here are a few simple combos:
- Aioli = mayo + garlic
- Tartar = mayo + relish
- Classic or Cajun Remoulade = mayo + cornichons + capers OR mayo + hot sauce
Homemade French Mayonnaise is really quite easy to make. Start with great ingredients and exercise just a bit of patience. Here are some tips for a successful mayo:
- Start your ingredients at the same temp (so take the egg out of the fridge at least an hour ahead).
- Use good quality oil. I use a combo of extra virgin olive oil and cold-pressed avocado oil.
- Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously. OR, add the oil 1 tablespoon at a time and whisk until fully incorporated before adding more (this is how I do it).
Other Sauces For You to Try…
- Marsala Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce
- Chili Crisp Dipping Sauce for Dumplings
- My Mom’s Nuoc Mam Recipe (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)
Homemade French Mayonnaise Recipe
Equipment
- bowl
- tablespoon
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 large egg yolk, preferably pasture-raised
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a heaping spoonful
- pinch kosher or sea salt
- pinch fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or white wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil*
- ½ cup cold-pressed avocado oil*
- dash paprika
Instructions
- Add egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, salt + pepper to a bowl and whisk to emulsify.
- Add one tablespoon of oil and mix until it's completely incorporated. Repeat until you've added all the oil. Alternatively, add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.
- Season with paprika. Taste for additional salt or pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for later ~ Recipe for Homemade French Mayonnaise
I love how you grew up with amazing cooks who made things from scratch. This mayo sounds so delicious!
I grew up making mayonnaise in France and how easy we forget to make it again. Thank you for the wonderful reminder.
Cannot wait to make your recipe.
Some things are just better made at home.
This mayonnaise sounds delicious. I definitely need to try making it!
I love this mayo, that brings me memories from the time I lived in France
Lucky you! I’ve only visited!
Mom always made mayonnaise at home, and I remember she taught me how to when I was 11. Patience with the oil was the harder thing to learn:)) Even today, I use the same recipe, very similar to yours. Amazing how some things remain with you for life. Education starts at home – mom always said, and boy, was she right!
I love this! Education and tradition!
So thank you for breaking down aoili – i had no idea how to make it! Super simple! This recipe looks SO GOOD!!!!!!!!
Very easy! I hope you give it a try and enjoy!
I love that your dad had signature dishes that the family counted on him to make. For my dad, it was a warm butterscotch pudding, but my mom was the clear cook in the family.
This recipe looks delicious!
Can’t wait to try this. I always love the homemade mayonnaise that my friend in France made. How long does this keep?
Tana, Excited for you to try it! It’ll keep in an air tight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks — depending on the freshness of the egg you used. Hope that helps!
I love how your dad had his specialities!
Me, too! At least he wasn’t afraid of the kitchen!
This looks like such a great recipe. I love making sauces and dressings from scratch but actually haven’t made homemade mayo before. That stops now! Going to try this very soon. Thanks
Yummy! I’m a huge fan of mayo. As I’ve watched more and more cooking shows, it became obvious that mayo isn’t that hard to make, it’s just taking the time to do it. The more homemade items that I consume the better! Thanks for this recipe!