Steps for How to Thicken Mayo:
- Set aside the mayo that wont 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 is warmed up a little, blend well.
- Add another squirt of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I dont 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, youll see and feel that its getting thicker, and then you can pour the rest in a little faster, but until you feel that pull like its working, keep dripping slowly. (If youre using a blender, youll know its “working” when it starts sort of smacking against the sides in spurts.)
***What youre doing is basically making a new, but smaller, batch of mayo, and then instead of adding more oil, youll use the failed batch as your “new” oil to pour in.
How to Thicken Mayo:
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 my homemade 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 Ive 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?
But now Ive figured out how to fix it…
The exact steps for fixing your mayo are below, and these steps work for me! But I thought Id 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 Samins 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 havent 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 wouldnt set…
How to Fix a Broken Mayonnaise
Why is my Mayo not thickening?
Mayonnaise is a beloved condiment that can be used as a dip, spread or dressing. One of the most common issues people face when making their own mayo is that it fails to thicken. One of the reasons this might happen is due to incorrect ingredient ratio. Mayonnaise has four main ingredients – egg yolks, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and mustard.
Can mayonnaise be used instead of eggs?
Yes, you can replace eggs with mayonnaise in recipes. You can use 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise for each egg. Mayonnaise is a good substitute for adding moisture to your brownies or other baked goods, as it is made of eggs and oil, which make them soft and moist.
Why is my mayonnaise thin?
An expired or spoiled egg may also result in thin mayonnaise. Lastly, adding too much acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, can cause the mixture to thin out. Mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil and egg yolks (or other emulsifiers) that are whisked together to create a smooth and creamy texture.
Why does mayonnaise not set?
the ingredients (oil and lemon juice) were not added gradually to the mix. To sum up, if mayonnaise doesn’t set or is too runny, there are two main reasons: the ingredients haven’t been properly dosed or cold ingredients have been used. Either way, no need to worry: it’s not too late to save your sauce.