Mayonnaise is a hugely popular sauce in many countries around the globe, including the United States. It's well known for having a silky texture and creamy mouthfeel that instantly improve the taste of many dishes.
If you're looking for a good substitute for mayonnaise, then check out the list below of some excellent alternatives. If the problem is that you don't have any mayo in the cupboard, then we've included a great recipe to make mayonnaise at home.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Although it's commonly used in salads and on sandwiches, mayonnaise has many other uses. You can substitute the butter used in baked foods like muffins and biscuits. Add it to a potato salad with some rosemary for an appetizing side dish. Dips and deviled eggs are also popular uses for this condiment.
The fact that mayonnaise even exists is interesting. Egg yolks and oil wouldn't normally combine. Try it if you like; add them to a bowl and mix to see what happens. They end up a separated mess. If you want to successfully combine the two ingredients, you'll need to very slowly add the oil to the yolks and whisk furiously. Doing this will disperse the oil droplets into the yolks and create an emulsion.
Recommended mayonnaise substitutes
- Hummus
- Greek yoghurt
- Cottage cheese
- Almond butter
- Soy mayonnaise
- Avocado
- Pesto
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Mayonnaise Recipe
There are many recipes online and in recipe books for mayonnaise; however, there doesn't seem to be much agreement on the best oil to use. We recommend vegetables or canola because its flavor isn't overwhelming. Olive oil can be a little strong for some, but if you enjoy the taste, then go for it.
Makes: 2 pints. Prep time: 5 minutes.
Ingredients
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 ½ pints canola oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
Method
- Add the egg yolks to a large bowl, and stir in the salt and mustard with a spoon until combined.
- Slowly add half of the oil to the yolks while whisking as fast as you can. If you have a helper, it makes the job a lot easier to concentrate just on the whisking part.
- Add the lemon juice and the remaining oil and whisk in.
Tips to improve your mayonnaise
- Make sure your eggs and oil are at the same temperature. They should either both be at room temperature or both be taken from the fridge.
- Place your bowl on a damp cloth to stop it from sliding out of your grasp as you whisk.
- If your mayonnaise starts to separate and you see runny liquid, you can still save it. Focus whisking on the non-runny part of the bowl and the liquid will slowly get whisked in.
Can mayonnaise be made in a blender?
The short answer is yes. Absolutely. And the best part is that you'll save your arm a lot of whisking action.
Even though the blender works at a much higher speed than your arm can, you still need to add the oil very slowly. For the first half cup of oil, only add 1-2 teaspoons at a time.
Once you have emulsified all the oil into the yolks, don't continue blending, as there's a good chance it'll separate.
Spice up your mayo with these ingredients
- onions
- capers
- horseradish
- garlic
- capers
- herbs
5 sauces to make from mayonnaise
1. Tartar Sauce
A popular sauce of French origin, tartar sauce is often a creamy white condiment. It has a slight sour tang thanks to the addition of capers and pickles. This makes it an excellent accompaniment to fish and roast beef.
To make tartar sauce, take a cup of mayonnaise and add the juice of half a lemon, 6 tablespoons of chopped pickles, and one tablespoon of chopped capers. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cocktail Sauce
Cocktail sauce is also known as Thousand Island dressing and has a characteristic orange/red color.
It is served cold and generally accompanies seafood. In the 1980's, seafood cocktails were hugely popular. They consisted of shrimp served on a bed of lettuce in a cocktail glass. Cocktail sauce was the preferred sauce for this dish.
To make cocktail sauce, you'll simply whisk 4 tablespoons of ketchup, 2 teaspoons of horseradish, and the juice of a small orange into one cup of mayonnaise. Once it's smooth, season with salt, pepper, and a large pinch of cayenne pepper.
3. Aioli
Aioli originates from the Mediterranean and is basically mayonnaise seasoned with garlic. It is delicious served with fish, shellfish, or as a dipping sauce with bread sticks and vegetables.
Aioli can be made by taking one cup of mayo, then whisking in four cloves of crushed garlic, the juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of salt. It is best to make this sauce at least an hour before serving to give it time to rest. You'll get a better-tasting aioli as the garlic distributes throughout the sauce.
4. Remoulade
Remoulade is a sauce that originated in France and is quite similar to tartar sauce. It makes a great salad dressing, served on potatoes, on hotdogs, or as a dipping sauce for fried fish bites.
To make remoulade, take one cup of mayonnaise and add three finely diced pickles, one tablespoon of finely diced capers, 4 chopped anchovies, one tablespoon of mixed herbs, one teaspoon of hot mustard, and some salt and pepper to taste.
5. Dill Mustard Sauce
Dill mustard sauce has a unique flavor that is spicy and full of flavor, thanks to the addition of hot mustard and dill.
It combines very well with salmon and also makes for an excellent dipping sauce or slathered over roasted potatoes, beef, or even chicken.
To make dill mustard sauce, combine a cup of mayonnaise with two tablespoons of finely chopped dill leaves, 6 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of hot mustard, and some salt and pepper to taste.
It's important to remember that all the recipes mentioned on this page use egg yolks, so never leave your sauces out of the fridge for a prolonged period of time. Raw egg yolks are considered a high-risk food, and salmonella is a possible outcome when left at room temperature.
Check out these surprising uses for Mayo
Some of these are brilliant, but a mayo and banana sandwich? The jury is out on that one.
Final words
Mayonnaise is a versatile sauce that can be whipped up at home in minutes. Once you try homemade mayo for the first time, you'll discover that the flavor is much better than anything sold in a store. An added benefit of making it at home is that you're in control of the ingredients—so no more preservatives and stabilizers!
If you're looking for a substitute for mayonnaise, then you're bound to have one of the options we've provided above.
Alternatively, if you don't have any mayonnaise on hand but still want to use it, make your own! Once you've made your first batch of mayonnaise, you can start to get creative with flavors. The recipes listed above are all very simple, but they'll add a whole new dimension to your cooking.
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