I’d never made my own mayonnaise before, but we go through a fair bit of it in this large, hungry family. It was as I was reaching for a jar of olive oil-based mayo at the grocery store that the idea of making it with walnut hit me. If olive oil mayonnaise is a healthy step up from regular, then surely walnut oil mayo is even better? But having never made mayonnaise from scratch, I had no idea if it would work. I didn’t know if there would be something about walnut oil that would keep it from emulsifying properly with the egg yolk, or if it would taste a little strange. I knew it was worth a shot, though. I am always trying to find ways to get more Omega 3 fatty acids into my family’s diet.
I found two recipes that I liked the look of, one from Epicurious and one from Alton Brown, and in the end, I made something of a mix between the two of them. Except, of course, with walnut oil. Both of these recipes had you whisking the ingredients by hand. I could probably have saved myself some time by doing it with the whisk attachment on my stand mixer, but I thought it was kind of fun to do it the old fashioned way. Plus it was a fabulous arm workout. The only problem being that I used my right arm the whole time because my left hand is not so coordinated and can’t whisk very well. But my right bicep is now all nice and toned!
The Results: Making your own mayonnaise is so remarkably easy, it’s a wonder anyone buys the storebought kind. Granted, it would have been far easier in my stand mixer, but it was actually pretty cool to do it by hand and watch it all come together with the constant whisking. As for the taste, it turned out perfectly. It tastes just like mayonnaise, but with just a bare hint of that toasted walnut flavour. I used it in some tuna salad for my kids and they didn’t know the difference for a second! They devoured it and asked for more.
*Note: for anyone worried about consuming raw eggs, this is a perfect use for Safest Choice Pasteurized shell eggs.
Walnut Oil Mayonnaise
1 large egg yolk*
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup toasted walnut oil
In a medium bowl, combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard powder and salt. Whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Whisking constantly, add walnut oil a few drops at a time using a 1/4 teaspoon measure. Keep whisking and adding slowly until you’ve added about 1/4 cup of the walnut oil and mixture is noticeably lighter in colour. Very slowly, add the remaining 1/2 cup oil in a thin stream until mayonnaise is thick and a creamy light yellow.
Cover and keep chilled. Use within a week.
Makes approximately
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i love walnuts AND I love mayonnaise. My daughter loves mayonnaise, too. She thinks it should be its own food group! I can't wait to try this. 🙂
What an interesting twist in a regular mayonnaise! 🙂 Lovely idea, my mom, who swears walnuts are the world's tastiest food, would love this especially.
what a great idea!
I may just have to make some of this and throw away my store bought mayonnaise!
I cringe when I buy mayo at the grocery store because most of it is made with soybean oil or canola oil, which are industrial oils our great-grandparents never ate. This is cool, making a mayo with a non-industrialized oil.
This sounds so interesting! I make my own mayo often, but this sounds so much better! My husband and I love walnuts and I bet we would love this too… Thanks, Carolyn!
What a terrific idea! I love shopping for specialty items at Home Goods and TJ Maxx too!
How cool is this! I'm definitely going to try this soon.
How cool is this! I'm definitely going to try this soon.
I still buy the store bought ones .. not sure why i never tried making mayo at home! This sounds lovely 🙂
I hve to try this, love it.
My family love nuts especially walnuts and almonds. We not only eat them raw but also add them to our vegetable dishes. making your own mayo with walnut oil is a very good idea. I have to check with GALLOWAY if they carry toasted walnut oil.
My family love nuts especially walnuts and almonds. We not only eat them raw but also add them to our vegetable dishes. making your own mayo with walnut oil is a very good idea. I have to check with GALLOWAY if they carry toasted walnut oil.
I love walnut oil…I went on a big walnut out kick awhile back and seem to have forgotten about it lately. This makes me want to dig it out of the back of the fridge again! Your mayo sounds wonderful…the hint of walnut must be perfect!
What a great idea Carolyn! I just love it! Great photos and recipe too! I adore nuts and I have to try this one of these days!
I've never made my own mayo either but I am totally in love with the idea of using walnut oil.
I've never made my own mayo either but I am totally in love with the idea of using walnut oil.
This sounds so good, Carolyn! I love homemade condiments so much more than store-bought!
This is a brilliant idea! I adore mayo and can imagine the flavor of almonds makes it that much better. You are going to have some buff arms if you keep beating by hand! 😉
At last! I found a healthier mayonnaise. Thank you very much for sharing =)