The One Thing To Keep In Mind When Making Paleo Mayo At Home

For followers of the Paleo diet, adjusting your standard assortment of foods and changing recipes based on suggested ingredients is a given. While the parameters of a Paleo diet can be hard to measure, in the most general sense, foods that didn't exist 10,000 years ago are off-limits. You can eat your heart out when it comes to meat, eggs, nuts, and fresh produce, but you might have to say goodbye to some of the packaged snacks and condiments you've grown accustomed to over the years. Believe it or not, though, mayonnaise isn't one of them — all you need is a bit of avocado oil.

Luckily, for health-conscious foodies who can't get enough mayonnaise, there's a way to make this beloved condiment Paleo-friendly. Traditional mayonnaise is often made with egg, mustard, garlic, lemon, salt, and oil. Vegetable or soybean oil is usually the suggested oil for this popular condiment due to its neutral flavor and low price point. In fact, in 2022, Statista found soybean oil to be the most consumed oil in the U.S. Unfortunately, for Paleo followers, vegetable oil is off-limits; this variety tends to be heavily processed and contains high levels of omega-6, ultimately throwing off the body's consumption of fatty acids. 

If you're determined to make a homemade mayonnaise that works with your dietary restrictions, you can make mayonnaise at home by swapping out vegetable oil for a Paleo-approved variety.

To transform your next batch of homemade mayonnaise into a Paleo-approved condiment, all you need to do is swap out the suggested vegetable oil for a less processed variety. To preserve the flavor balance of this simple condiment, you're better off picking a variety with a more delicate flavor. While olive oil and flaxseed oil are Paleo-friendly, depending on the varieties considered, these oils can impart distinct floral and/or nutty undertones that may overpower the final product. Coconut oil and walnut oil are also options — however, these choices have definitive flavor profiles as well.

To create homemade mayonnaise that tastes comparable to your favorite store-bought variety, use avocado oil. Avocado oil is high in the antioxidant lutein, which supports eye health. It's also a great source of oleic acid, a beneficial omega-9 fatty acid. Next to the health benefits, avocado oil has a delicate flavor. Its light, silky texture makes it the perfect oil to use when hand-crafting Paleo-approved mayonnaise. 

The resulting texture of mayonnaise when using avocado oil is smooth and spreadable when compared to safflower oil or olive oil, which can leave your homemade mayonnaise a tad thicker than expected.

Before adding your newly made Paleo-approved mayo to some roasted potatoes or lathered on your nightly oven-baked chicken breast recipe, you'll first want to make sure the quality of your avocado oil is up to par. Judging the range of avocado oils available on Amazon, this neutral plant-derived oil doesn't come cheap, but that doesn't mean all varieties are created equal. Based on one 2023 study measuring the purity of private-label avocado oils, cheaper varieties are more likely to be altered in some way. A pricier well-known brand with a solid reputation may be a better buy.

Now that you know the quality of your avocado oil is an important factor to remember, you may be hoping to preserve this pricier oil as much as possible. Therefore, when making avocado oil mayonnaise, start with only ½ cup of oil first and gradually increase the amount as needed. 

Beyond keeping the quality of your avocado oil in mind, when making this Paleo-friendly condiment in a Mason jar, make sure to give the suggested ingredients a handful of minutes to rest before using your immersion blender. Start with ½ cup of oil and then add any additional oil in 1 tablespoon increments until you're satisfied with the resulting texture. With a simple bottle of avocado oil, you're one step closer to making Paleo-approved mayonnaise in no time.