When you make my wealthy and opulent Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie Mayo) recipe from scratch, you’ll by no means return to bottled. This healthful unfold is savory, tangy, and candy with a thicker and creamier consistency than common mayo.

Japanese mayonnaise (マヨネーズ) is a pantry staple in nearly each Japanese family, and for good cause. Higher often known as Kewpie mayo, it’s nicely liked for its wealthy taste and umami goodness. This foodie favourite is definitely fairly simple to make from scratch. At the moment, I’ll train you tips on how to make Japanese mayonnaise at house utilizing healthful elements for a scrumptious, better-than-bottled model!

Have you ever tried making Japanese condiments? Strive my Home made Tonkatsu Sauce, Home made Eel Sauce, and Home made Ponzu Sauce recipes subsequent!

What’s Kewpie Mayo?

Luxurious Japanese mayo was invented in 1924 by Toichiro Nakashima, who first found American mayonnaise whereas visiting the US and determined to create his personal model. He used simply the egg yolks for a thick, custard-like consistency and added rice vinegar for a candy and subdued tang. With its signature squeeze plastic bottle, pink cap, and Kewpie doll emblem, Nakamura’s Kewpie mayonnaise model is now synonymous with Japanese mayonnaise.

Why I Love This Recipe

• Makes use of healthful elements – My recipe makes use of acquainted elements out of your pantry and fridge. I like that I can management the standard and know precisely what I’m feeding to my household.
• A flexible condiment – We apply it to sandwiches, Okonomiyaki savory pancakes, rice bowls, onigiri, salad dressings, fusion sushi, and even pizza. After I was rising up, we even ate our salad with a dollop of Kewpie mayo!
• It’s a winner amongst mayo skeptics! – Many JOC readers who aren’t keen on American mayo have advised me that they like Kewpie mayo. They be aware its barely tangy and umami taste and wealthy, creamy texture.

Components for Japanese Mayonnaise

• Pasteurized egg yolks – at room temperature
• Impartial oil
• Dashi powder
• Dijon mustard
• Rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• Contemporary lemon juice
• Sugar and kosher salt

Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.

Bounce to Recipe

Substitutions

• Pasteurized egg yolks – You’ll discover these eggs bought at many Japanese and native markets. For those who can’t discover them, you’ll be able to pasteurize them at house with an immersion blender (see my recipe suggestions under). Alternatively, you can use very contemporary, native natural eggs.
• Impartial oil – I like to recommend a neutral-flavored oil like vegetable, safflower, grapeseed, or canola oil. Please don’t use oils with a robust taste, like further virgin olive oil. Additionally, please use contemporary oil, as outdated oil might develop an off-taste.
• Dashi powder – This handy ingredient boosts the umami issue. Dashi powder is bought at Japanese grocery shops, and you’ll usually discover additive-free variations. For those who can’t discover it, you can substitute monosodium glutamate (MSG) that’s utilized in store-bought Kewpie mayo. Ajinomoto is a well-known Japanese model of MSG.
• Rice vinegar – You should utilize Champagne vinegar, which is constituted of fermented champagne.

Key Kitchen Tools

• Small meals processor or blender – I used a 3-cup meals processor for one batch.

Find out how to Make Japanese Mayonnaise

Step 1 – Course of the egg yolks and mustard. Be certain the egg yolks are at room temperature. Add them and the Dijon mustard to the bowl of a small meals processor or blender and course of for 20 seconds.

Step 2 – Slowly drizzle in some oil. With the meals processor working on the Stir setting, SLOWLY add about one-third of the impartial oil in a skinny, regular stream. The combination will start to thicken and emulsify.

Step 3 – Add the dry seasonings and extra oil. Add the kosher salt, sugar, and dashi powder and provides the whole lot a whirl once more. Then, drizzle in one other one-third of the oil in a skinny, regular stream.

Step 4 – Add the rice vinegar, lemon juice, and remaining oil. Course of for an additional 10 seconds, simply till the elements are mixed and emulsified.

Step 5 – Style and serve. Style the mayonnaise and alter with salt, sugar, or lemon juice to your liking.

Nami’s Recipe Ideas

• Use pasteurized or very contemporary egg yolks – Utilizing pasteurized eggs can scale back or remove the danger of salmonella bacterial an infection. (Roughly one egg out of each 20,000 eggs will comprise salmonella.) For those who can’t discover them, you’ll be able to pasteurize eggs your self with an immersion circulator; see Find out how to Pasteurize Eggs at Residence to be taught extra. The egg high quality makes a distinction, so use the freshest native natural eggs, if attainable.
• Be certain the egg yolks are at room temperature – Proteins and lecithin within the egg yolk function emulsifiers. These molecules in chilly yolks separate simply, which makes them much less preferrred for making a suspension.
• Use mustard – The Dijon mustard serves two necessary functions. It provides a vital taste and additional stabilizes the emulsion, because it comprises small quantities of lecithin. This helps scale back the danger of the mayo breaking.
• Add dashi powder for umami – Retailer-bought Kewpie mayo makes use of the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG). I take advantage of dashi powder as a substitute for the same enhance of umami due to the powder’s kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). You’ll find additive-free dashi powder at many Japanese markets.
• Use neutral-flavored oil – Vegetable, safflower, grapeseed, or canola oil work nicely to emulsify with the egg yolk and vinegar. Since oil and water usually don’t mixed simply, we have to slowly add the oil whereas mixing the elements quickly. This disperses and suspends tiny droplets of oil to create the mayo. By no means use outdated oil or further virgin olive oil, because it gained’t emulsify nicely.
• Use a blender, mixer, or meals processor – The important thing to creating mayonnaise is how small you may get the oil molecules. Utilizing a blender, mixer, or small meals processor helps churn your mayo sooner, simpler, and extra constantly than hand whisking. Retailer-bought mayonnaise could also be lighter since business machines are extra highly effective, but it surely nonetheless works to make use of the small home equipment in your kitchen.
• Gently drizzle the oil in a skinny, regular stream – To create an emulsion, you wish to pour the oil as slowly as attainable whereas quickly mixing or whisking the remainder of the elements. Including the oil too rapidly will preserve the 2 liquids from combining (emulsifying), and your mayo will break.
• Mix simply till emulsion – Don’t whisk it for too lengthy, as home made mayonnaise comes collectively fairly rapidly within the meals processor or blender. Overprocessing or overheating can break the emulsion that introduced the unfold collectively within the first place.

Variations and Customizations

• Add extra seasoning. Be at liberty to tailor the flavour to your liking. I personally added 2 extra teaspoons of sugar for a complete of 4 teaspoons for one batch.
• Make my shortcut model. Not everybody has the time to make mayonnaise from scratch. On this case, I recommend a shortcut for making Japanese mayo that’s not as wealthy and opulent however one to make use of in a pinch. For 1 cup of American mayo, I whisk in 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sugar. For 1 tablespoon of American mayo, whisk collectively ½ tablespoon rice vinegar and ⅛ tablespoon sugar.
• Make it spicy. Mixing in sriracha sauce and lime juice makes a killer sauce. I apply it to fusion sushi, sandwiches, rice bowls, and tacos for an additional kick of warmth. Try my tremendous simple Home made Spicy Mayo Recipe that’s so good in lobster rolls and sushi rolls like dragon rolls.

Completely different Methods to Use Japanese Mayo

With an irresistible taste that’s rounded and full of umami, it’s no surprise that Japanese mayo is a must have ingredient in lots of iconic Japanese dishes! I recommend making an attempt these common Japanese recipes that use this scrumptious unfold.

• In sandwiches – It’s the important thing taste aspect that makes Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando) so particular!
• In salads – Kewpie mayo boosts the tangy and wealthy taste of traditional Japanese Potato Salad.
• In sushi – Combine it into the tasty crab filling to your home made California Roll.
• As a topping – Drizzle it onto your okonomiyaki or Takoyaki for an iconic presentation and style.
• As a dip – I like dipping crispy and juicy Karaage (Japanese Fried Rooster) into Kewpie mayo sprinkled with shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice).

Storage Ideas

To retailer: You possibly can preserve the mayonnaise in an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge for about 4 days.

Continuously Requested Questions

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Whole Time: 10 minutes minutes

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you’d like substitutes for Japanese condiments and elements, click on right here.

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• Earlier than You Begin: This recipe requires pasteurized egg yolks. For those who can not discover them, use the most effective, freshest eggs you’ll find. You may as well pasteurize them your self with an immersion circulator; see my tutorial Find out how to Pasteurize Eggs at Residence to learn the way.

• Collect all of the elements. Tip: For those who scale back the ingredient quantities, there gained’t be sufficient quantity for the meals processor or blender to do its work, so you might want at hand whisk the elements (or use a hand mixer or immersion blender).

• Be certain the egg yolks are at room temperature. Put 2 pasteurized egg yolks and 2 tsp Dijon mustard into the bowl of a small meals processor or a blender; I used a 3-cup meals processor for one batch (yields 2 cups) of this recipe. Course of for 20 seconds. Tip: Mustard provides taste and helps to emulsify the combination, decreasing the danger of the mayonnaise breaking.

• With the meals processor working, SLOWLY drizzle about one-third of the 1½ cups impartial oil in a skinny, regular stream—about ½ cup oil for one batch of this recipe. The combination will start to thicken and are available collectively. Tip: For those who add the oil too quick, it gained’t emulsify.

• Add 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 2 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp dashi powder and provides the whole lot a whirl once more.

• Proceed to slowly drizzle in one other one-third of the oil in a skinny, regular stream. I take advantage of the Stir setting whereas including the oil.

• Lastly, add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) and 4 tsp contemporary lemon juice, and slowly drizzle within the remaining one-third of the oil and course of for an additional 10 seconds, simply till the elements are mixed and emulsified. Tip: Don’t mix it for too lengthy, as home made mayonnaise comes collectively fairly rapidly within the meals processor or blender. When blended too lengthy, the emulsion that introduced the unfold collectively is extra prone to break, both from overprocessing or overheating.

• Style the mayonnaise and alter with salt, sugar, or lemon juice to your liking. I personally added 2 extra teaspoons of sugar for a complete of 4 teaspoons for one batch. Switch the mayonnaise to an hermetic container.

Serving: 1 cup · Energy: 1495 kcal · Carbohydrates: 6 g · Protein: 3 g · Fats: 169 g · Saturated Fats: 135 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 21 g · Ldl cholesterol: 195 mg · Sodium: 695 mg · Potassium: 37 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 264 IU · Vitamin C: 4 mg · Calcium: 28 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Creator: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Condiments

Delicacies: Japanese

Key phrase: home made, japanese mayonnaise

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Editor’s Word: This publish was initially printed on December 5, 2017. It was republished with extra useful content material on April 1, 2025.