There’s something wonderfully satisfying about making your own sauces from scratch.
Exercising your right to choose the ingredients our families consume is the ultimate in power and control – or so it seems in the kitchen!
Naturally, the flavor of homemade sauces is head and shoulders above that of processed and preserved spreads from the grocery shelf.
Like made-from-scratch mayonnaise.
Tart and bright with a splash of fresh lemon, the rich, velvety texture and taste is so marvelous you’ll never want to settle for a mass-produced product again.
But beware: Wonderfully easy to make with just a few basic ingredients, homemade mayonnaise can rebel if you don’t give it the attention it deserves.
You can create a “quick mayonnaise” using whole eggs and a food processor or electric blender, but the results are usually thinner than a traditional batch.
For a classic thick version like our recipe, use a hand whisk for stiff, creamy results.
No matter how you make it, when a batch of this delicious sauce goes sideways, those feelings of satisfaction can quickly turn to despair!
So… what to do?
Patience Pays
As with so many of the good things in life, a successful batch of mayo requires two essential, but non-material ingredients – patience and TLC.
Whip it up too fast, or forget to admire how it all comes together, and your luscious homemade spread can break when your back is turned.
A humbling experience, “broken” mayonnaise happens when the ingredients weren’t emulsified properly during the initial blending. The oil needs to be whisked in oh-so-slowly, adding it in a very light stream that allows the yolk and oil to bond and emulsify.
When it breaks, those delicately emulsified ingredients have become undone. The bond breaks, ingredients separate, and your airy custard looks more like curdled cottage cheese!
But fear not, intrepid sauce-makers – a broken batch is easy to fix.
We have two solutions for you to try, depending on how you plan to use your sauce.
If you want a thinner mixture for making a salad dressing or to add to another sauce, use the water cure. For a thicker batch to use for a sandwich spread, deviled eggs, and so on, the addition of another egg yolk is the best solution.
Fix #1 – The Water Cure
If your mayonnaise remains a bit thin after the initial whisking, or if it’s broken and separated, whisk in two teaspoons of boiling water.
The hot water will help the yolks to set and re-emulsify with the oil, bonding the ingredients back together again.
If it doesn’t thicken right away, add another teaspoon or two of hot water and continue whisking.
This will result in a thinner but creamier sauce that’s good for dressings, or as an addition to other sauces. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Fix # 2 – Add Another Yolk
If you want your spread to have a thicker consistency, put a fresh egg yolk into a clean bowl, then slowly whisk the thin or broken batch into the new yolk.
The extra yolk will re-emulsify the ingredients, making it smooth and light once again.
For this process, make sure to whisk the broken sauce slowly into the egg, just one small dollop at a time.
Once it begins to thicken, you can add the remaining broken batch in a steady stream, whisking constantly as you add it to the fresh yolk.
Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Once it reaches the desired consistency, use it immediately or store covered in a clean dish in the fridge for a day or two.
A Slow Hand Does It
And that’s it! Two easy solutions to restore your homemade spread to creamy perfection.
Remember, a successful batch of mayo needs to develop slowly – take your time and give the ingredients a chance to bond and thicken. When you do, you’ll be richly rewarded with superb flavor and texture!
And what about you readers – any tips for reconstituting broken mayonnaise? Let us know in the comments below.
Photos by Felicia Lim, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Lorna Kring
Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. A bit daft about the garden, she’s particularly obsessed with organic tomatoes and herbs, and delights in breaking bread with family and friends.
If it is a vegetarian mayonnaise using heavy cream (instead of eggs), how can we fix it? I was whisking it so long with hand beater but it didn’t thicken. I intermittently froze it thinking ingredients are not chilled enough but that didn’t work too. Please advise.
Thanks for your question, Suraksha! I haven’t tried an eggless mayo made with cream personally, but we have made it successfully with aquafaba (see or recipe on the site- chickpea water makes an excellent egg substitute!).
Thickening any type of mayo can be difficult if the oil is added too quickly. Rather than being temperature dependent like a meringue, you’re aiming to create a uniform emulsion. The oil really needs to be added as slowly as possible, in a VERY thin drizzle, or just a few drops at a time, combining thoroughly between each addition. Trying a high-speed blender or food processor instead of the hand beater may help as well. Good luck!
let me say that I always have trouble with this but found a pretty solid “fix” — take your mixture and put in the microwave and go 10 seconds, give it a mix, then 8 seconds and mix, then 5 seconds and so on. After the third micro and mix it will probably be good but don’t go too far because that mayo will continue to cool (and thicken) outside the microwave. I didn’t read this solution, I just figured how we can “cheat” with the microwave. Mine came out great.
This worked for me! Thank you, Bob.
Not my day!! Not only didn’t it work for me, but I then decided to make scambled eggs, which obviously didn’t work out too well seeing there was so much oil! Started making toast, which burnt because I was watching in utter horror as the oily eggs spilt all over my cooker. There’s oily eggs all over the kitchen, which I now have to mop up.
I’d intended to make a whole bunch of things as it’s Saturday and I’ve got bugger-all else to do (this pandemic has certainly put a spanner in one’s social life), but I think I’ll give it a miss, grudgingly clean the kitchen and then sulk for the rest of the day! Thanks for sharing your experience anyway!
I am glad I am not the only kitchen klutz out there. I am usually pretty competent, but tried a new “easy” recipe using a hand blender – spectacular fail on the mayo, and the blender tipped the container over, getting eggy goodness ALL OVER EVERYTHING. Big fun. I’ll be sulking with you with a glass of wine. Who needs aioli anyway?
You made my day!! I laughed so hard I forgot how mad I was as this didn’t work for me and I was about to do the same as you did. Thank you for deterring me from ruining the rest of my day!!
are you ok?
Thanks Bob, hate that I just threw out 2 whole batches before I read this… but GTK!
Thank you so much! Worked for me too!!!! Yaay!
Thanks Bob! I tried it and mine was awesome!
Had thin mayo. Tried both methods above but nothing working. Blended arrowroot n powder in but still nothing. In desperation I tried microwaving mixture for 30 seconds which left me with broken mayo. I then poured mayo through a fine mesh strainer separating curds from liquid. Blended curds then slowly readded the liquid portion. Ended up with prefect mayo! I think making sure your eggs are at room temperature before you start is essential!
Best remedy for my broken mayo turned out to be the reblending of curds and then slowly readding the oil. Had tried many fix methods shown on youtube but it just turned stubborn. This one worked! Thanks so much, Jacqué
Tried this my mayo came out perfectly. I didnt have to microwave it anymore though, just allowed the curds to settle, seprated the curds from the oil and added back the oil slowly while blending.
Thanks for the tip.
thanks Jacque you saved me when all other methods failed
If my mayo didn’t set, it’s because the egg was cold.
Yes!
Tried adding a bit of hot water to my super thin attempt at making simple mayonnaise but that changed nothing. But the idea mentioned, heat thickening the egg made me try just heating the entire mixture. Why not add a little corn starch too, just for good measure? Ok, it got thick as the egg started to cook and the corn starch thickened it too. But it was a little like scrambled eggs and a bit curdled looking. I dumped the whole mix into a blender and viola, pretty good mayonnaise. It may not be exactly what it’s supposed to be but I surely wasn’t going to get anything usable out of the soup I started with.
I have made eggless mayonnaise with milk and oil but it’s not getting thick… please suggest something to fix it.
Hi Lalita,
Milk mayonnaise can be tricky, since it’s easier to get eggs to emulsify with oil than milk. Was this full-fat milk? And what kind of equipment are you using- a food processor, immersion blender, high-speed blender? A combination of cold ingredients and whipping at high speed should help.
Be sure to add the oil VERY gradually, just a few drops at a time, in a very thin stream. Try refrigerating what you’ve already made for an hour or two, then adding 1-2 teaspoons of oil as slowly as you can, and blending constantly at high speed. This should help to get your mixture to the thickness that you’re looking for.
Good luck!
Yep. Didnt work. I am sick of mayo breaking at the halfway point. Fixes dont work.
Make sure to use an egg at room temperature for mayo. Not refrigerated.
Can it be previously refrigerated?? Does the agree on it matter?
I’ve been making homemade avocado oil mayonnaise for over a year using the stick blender and it’s worked every time, but today it broke, I made another batch and that broke too. I think it’s because I used a different container that was too large at the bottom. I tried to fix it with an addition of a new egg yolk on one of the batches, but that is runny too, so now my question is what do I do with all this product that is not mayonnaise? Is there a recipe I can use for all this avocado oil and now 2 eggs and an egg yolk?. I’m going to try the boiling water on the other batch, I hope that works to emulsify it, we’ll see. Any thoughts would be helpful.
The broken mayo struggle is real! If it still isn’t cooperating, I’d try using it as a substitute ingredient in savory baked goods that call for egg and oil/butter, like our recipe for Sue’s Savory Muffins.
I wonder if old eggs could be the problem? Sometimes the yolk of an old egg doesn’t “stand up”.
Hi,
I see you posted this over a year ago. I recently had the same problem of watery mayo using my favorite oil, avocado oil. I tried adding an egg yolk. Didn’t fix it but I was still going to use it for my mayo salmon recipe and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before needing it. I thought pouring it over the salmon and baking it would be fine but still didn’t like the consistency so for a last effort I used my stick blender since the oil had separated some while refrigerated. In a couple of seconds I had it looking like the most beautiful, thick white mayo I had ever made (of my two times!) and it tasted as wonderful as it looked (I made it with a pinch of garlic and onion powder and had used Dijon mustard and lemon juice.)
I wondered if chilling it for a couple of hours then trying to reblend it in the smaller chilled bowl did it.
Hello,
I see you posted this about a year ago as well. Did this trick work for the rest of the life of the mayo?
We usually make mayo with Safflower or Grapeseed, but tried with Avocado this time. It separated a week or so after we made it (and summer weather arrived).
Thanks
Yes, refrigeration worked for me too! I was so surprised! I put the broken liquid in the refrigerator because I was tired of messing with it after several attempts to save it. I was going to try the microwave trick but I thought I should give it a little whirl with the stick blender first, and miraculously it turned immediately into beautiful delicious mayonnaise.
Same thing happened to me today. I’ve been using my grandmother’s recipe for blender mayo for years, and never had a problem. Today, though, I couldn’t get it to thicken at all, twice. I tried whisking into another egg yolk, and all I got was yellower liquid. I’m going to try one more time later today, but man, this is frustrating. I’ve made this recipe probably 20 times, and it’s been perfect every time, but not today.
Same!!! Could it be the weather???
I tried an old trick that Julia Childs uses and it works every time. She simply renames it salad dressing and that fixes it! And Paul is non the wiser as a result.
Brilliant. Far too much fussing over nothing. So your mayo has not worked out. Big deal. Buy some from a shop. It is only mayo.
Part of the fun is in the challenge of making your own, and troubleshooting to get the results you’re looking for!
I just made a delicious batch of creamy Italian dressing out of my recipe that wouldn’t thicken. I had about 3/4 c of runny mayo and added 1/4 t of basil and oregano and garlic salt. mix well and enjoy on your next salad!
I realize now that I forgot to have a room temperature egg. thanks for the tips!
I tried twice today making mayo for the first time with an immersion blender. I thought I was going slow at the bottom but it turned out to be a liquid mess and I threw it out. Second time, I got a start of it, but it started to break. I stopped to search for a fix and found your site. I put the extra yolk in a mixing bowl and slowly added my curdled mix to it, just a drop at a time whisking it in, and it worked. But I have a very eggy mayo.
I might try the other suggestion someone here said where they separated the curds from the liquid and slowly add the liquid back if it happens when I might try to make mayo again.
Not so sure about the immersion blender working well for me in this, though.
Thanks for helping me save my mayo for today.
you are a genius! Thanks . first I added the hot water didn’t work. Then tried the 2nd method. And again destroyed one yolk. But by the grace of Allah(God), the third egg yolk did it. Thanks again
You’re welcome, Tahera!
Hi, my name is krunal thakar.
I had try to made by mixing amul milk , peanut oil, salt , sugar, lime juice , mustard and pepper powder. In a mixer cup grinder. But it didn’t work.
My mayonnaise was too thin and I want veg mayonnaise.
Check out our recipe for aquafaba mayo for a vegan version that’s made without eggs!
My mayo was too thin. Will try adding 1-2 tablespoons of boiling water after refrigerating for an hour or two. Already added 1 egg yolk but didn’t work. Need it for tuna salad during social distancing. Didn’t use room temperature eggs and didn’t have any kind of beater bc I had none. Is that why my mayo was too runny?
Temperature of the eggs is actually very important, and the emulsion won’t form properly if they are too cold or too warm. It’s also important to beat them thoroughly, whipping air into the mixture. What are you using instead of a beater?
I have the exact same problem, and reason to use. I’m going to try refrigerating it for a while I think, but I’m still skeptical about how thin my mix is. I keep wondering if more oil would help, but don’t want it to be too oily either. Let us know if you found a solution?
Try your second method by starting with a new yolk and beat it slowly, and it WORKED!! Apparently my mistakes were (1) using hand-blender with whisk attachment at max speed, (2) trying to save the thin broken mayo by using a blender at max speed, (3) trying to save the still thin broken mayo with a new egg but still beating it and incorporating the oil too fast.
So I took out another yolk, used hand-blender with whisk attachment at medium speed, added couple drops of that old broken mayo mess, WAITED UNTIL EMULSIFICATION STARTED, then add rest of the broken mayo bit by bit. You’ve saved my mayo!
You saved my mayo, thank you! It took two yolks, in separate additions, and a lot of hand mixing to save the Blender Mayo recipe I tried to make the first time from Joy of Cooking, but it definitely worked. Don’t know what I did wrong exactly, but I blended it up and it stayed super thin, and continuing to blend it just broke the emulsion. After adding one yolk and pouring the mess slowly out of the blender carafe, it seemingly stayed broken, but after mixing half of the emulsion into the bowl, I dumped it back into the carafe, put another egg yolk in the bowl, and drizzled the mixture back in, it started looking good immediately, and became as thick as store mayo and it made me smile that it worked!
I followed the direction starting with the yolk and slowly adding the broken batch. I used a whisk this time, although I used a food processor earlier which caused the broken batch. Is this fixable? I used olive oil, so this has been an expensive mistake. 🙁
You can add one more yolk Eileen.
This time, try whipping it up with an immersion or hand blender on medium speed, then add the broken batch a couple of drops at a time – very, very slowly, allowing all the ingredients to emulsify and bind before adding a couple of more drops.
It’s a slow process, but it usually works! Thanks for asking, and let us know how you make out.
I think the eggs I bought are why the mayo is runny. I should stick to the brand I usually buy, never had a runny mayo. The yolk wasn’t as deep golden yellow so I should try again with the brand of eggs that works.
This actually shouldn’t have an effect, June, though the temperature of the eggs could affect the texture of your mayo. The color of the yolks is related to the nutrients that the hens consumed in their diet. You can read more about egg shell and yolk color here.
Thank you all for your comments on broken mayo… you’ve renewed my confidence to try again.
I try to make everything rather than buy it. Wanted to make my own mayo so I could use good oil. I have tried this recipe along with the “save” methods several times & it just doesn’t work. So unless you want to throw good ingredients down the drain & be very disappointed I’ll have to keep buying my expensive organic mayo from the store. ????
I’m curious to know how to avoid thin runny mayonnaise. Especially because I’ve made it successfully in an immersion (stick) blender for years. Now, all of a sudden, the past three out of four attempts have failed. I checked and double checked the recipe so that’s not the issue. I also bring the egg and lemon juice to room temp. I hate throwing away a good egg and a cup of avocado oil. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong! Any other thoughts? ????
Hey Andryea, a few thoughts to help thicken your next batch…
It could be that you’re adding the oil too quickly. The oil droplets need to separate to bond with the emulsifiers properly, so try adding just a few drops at a time and fully incorporate them before adding more oil.
And because blenders rotate so rapidly, they can generate some heat, which can also prevent thickening. Ensure your blender is on the lowest setting, or use a rhythmic pulse with your stick blender to prevent overheating.
Also, the next time you make a batch, reserve the egg white. If your batch isn’t thickening, add the white – it too has emulsifiers that can help bond the molecules for a thick, creamy sauce.
Hope that helps, and thanks for asking!
HELLO! I reallly need help. I made a huge batch of mayonnaise with a hand blender at max speed with 16 eggs and oil. With vinegar. But the mixture is way toooo runny. Can you suggest a way to fix it? I need a fix for the whole huge bowl of mayonnaise I made.
Please help! I don’t know how much boiling water I should use and I already used too many eggs… My mayonnaise is excessively runny.
Wow, that is a very large batch! You might find the beaters on your hand mixer simply can’t handle such a large batch all at once, so I would suggest switching to a large balloon whisk if you have one, and dividing what you’ve made into much smaller portions. Work with about a cup at a time and a tiny bit of water to emulsify the mixture and get the texture you are looking for.
Good luck!
Here is my suggestion how to use a broken or running mayonnaise.
Add a cup of yogurt mixed with 1/4 tea spoon baking soda. Add feta cheese {Bulgarian goat feta is the best} Add casava fl for gluten free or regular one to make a very thick mixture. Bake. Enjoy
Oh I love the sound of that, what is it called? Genius idea and GF, love it.
Thanks Lorna, this was my first attempt at mayonnaise as I found I had run out. Well, yes, it split and – yay! – the extra egg yolk fix worked a treat. Lots of great advice through the comments.
What if I did just what you describe in adding the oil by the drop or a very thin stream at best, but my mayo is still broken? It typically takes me a good 20 minutes to get the 3/4 cup oil drizzled into the egg while the blender is running. The only reason I can think of is if my egg is too small such that there isn’t enough yolk to accommodate all of the oil(?) I buy eggs from a local farmer so egg size can vary a good bit, and as the variation seems to be more in the amount of white than the size of the yolk I use the smaller eggs. Is there a “standard” yolk/egg size for a given amount of oil?
Rather than attempting to whip in all of the oil, your best option is to keep a close eye on the mixture and stop adding oil when it reaches the desired texture without breaking.
Egg yolk helps to emulsify the mixture, and you are correct that variation in the yolk size can affect the results. A standard large yolk weighs about 16 grams whereas small yolks typically weigh several grams less. A large yolk can only accommodate about 3/4 cup of oil max, and we use two large yolks per cup of oil in our homemade mayo recipe.
If you are working with smaller eggs and you have a kitchen scale, you could also measure out the amount that’s suitable for the recipe that you’re working with. It can take quite a bit of time to slowly combine the oil into the mixture, allowing it to emulsify without breaking. I’m not sure what type of blender you’re working with, but a high-speed option like a Vitamix can also help to speed up this process.
adding milk fixes it for me.
I tried both of your solutions. Neither worked. I’ve made mayo a zillion times and always do it the same way. No idea why it didn’t make this time.
Sorry to hear it, Amber! Were your eggs and other ingredients room temperature when you started? Temperature changes can effect emulsification, particularly if the eggs are too cold or if the kitchen is too warm in the summertime.
Help, how can i fix mine ? first time this has happened to me, the mixture just went so runny i tried both methods to no avail, after doing the hot water method my mixture just frothed up and doubled in size dont know what to do ?
Thanks
Hi Lucy, sorry to hear about your frothy batch…
There are a few factors to watch for the next time you try.
1. The yolks and/or other ingredients were too cold – ensure the yolks, lemon juice, and oil are all at room temperature before whisking.
2. The eggs were past their prime – unfortunately, eggs that are too old can be problematic for thickening.
3. Adding too much oil or lemon juice can also prevent thickening – ensure measurements are accurate when mixing.
4. Reversing the whisking action can also prevent the ingredients from cohesing – always whisk in one direction.
Hope that helps, thanks for asking!
I am so thankful I found this! I wasted beautiful eggs and expensive oil attempting Mayo with a stick blender–twice. In an attempt to save the second batch, I tried another yolk and whisking the broken Mayo in by hand tiny bits at a time. It worked perfectly. The only issue is I initially followed a recipe using two yolks so now I have 3-yolk Mayo, but at least now I can plan to make the Mayo by hand next time. No real need for the immersion blender when it’s so simple to do whisking by hand.
Thank you! I used the egg yolk method and it worked for me, I added more of the other ingredients in my recipe and “diluted” it out. I ended up with a bit more mayo but that is completely fine with me. Thanks again!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your feedback, Mocca.
I can cook just abut anything… except mayo. This is about my 50th attempt at mayo and it’s been as runny as milk everytime. I have tried, another egg, hot water, more oil, more vinegar, more lemon juice… what is the problem? Every recipe on lines starts with “easy!”
Plus, none yu you say how long to whisk, you all say “until it thickens;” ok, so I have been whisking for 45 mins… it could be it just hasn’t thicken and I need to keep goin, or it couls be it didn’t work and I need to fix it, but I wouldn’t know because no recipe gicves you an idea of how long it should take.At least once I went through an entire carton of eggs ending up with ahuge bacth of mayo liquid.
Any SPECIFIC help on thickening a mayo would be great.
I made mayo a few weeks ago…no problem and it was tasty and good. Tonight I made 3 batches of yellow liquid. Tried add a whisked yolk…nope, tried adding hot water…nope…tried starting from scratch…nope…I tried the blender and then the food processor…nope…I poured it all into a container and put it in the refrigerator. Then I read all the comments. I am betting on the egg yolk not being room temperature. I will take the refrigerated liquid and try some of the successful posts above. What else can I make with the liquid besides salad dressing?