I love store-bought Kewpie Mayonnaise, but I've really got into making my own mayonnaise over the past couple of years and it just tastes so good! So, here's how to make my Homemade Kewpie Mayo, aka, Japanese mayonnaise.
This recipe was purely based on taste and looking up the ingredients that KEWPIE put in their special mayonnaise. But, as you can imagine, the majority of the ingredients aren't open to the public, so I chose to work ingredients that are accessible to most! It doesn't taste exactly the same, obviously, but this homemade kewpie mayo is delicious, regardless. I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to add a bit of garlic if you want to make it aioli style.
One of my other favourite condiments to make is my homemade Vietnamese-inspired chilli oil with lemongrass, it's such a flavour bomb and goes with everything!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick: Mayonnaise is one of the quickest condiments to make from scratch. It takes less than 5 minutes and results in a gorgeous sauce to pair with myriad dishes.
Homemade: Don't get me wrong, I love a store-bought mayonnaise, but there's something special about making this kewpie mayo from scratch. You can adjust the flavour of the kewpie mayo recipe however you like it. More salt, more sugar, more rice wine vinegar...go for it to suit your taste!
Storage: I keep my homemade kewpie mayo in a jar for up to 4 days and it's usually devoured before it's best before date!!
I love serving it in my chicken salad recipe or as a dip for my spicy rice paper dumplings!
Ingredients
Egg: As with most mayonnaise recipes (excluding vegan recipes), you'll need an egg yolk. It creates a creamy and rich final product for our homemade kewpie mayo recipe.
Vegetable/neutral oil: Any neutral oil will do, I always use sunflower oil because it's my favourite, but you could use olive oil for a more peppery flavour.
Dijon mustard: For that spicy element, you'll need fine dijon mustard.
Flaky salt: I like using flaky salt but if you only have table salt, use half my recommended quantity and then add in more if you feel like it needs it.
Sugar: Kewpie mayo is known to be a quite sweet mayonnaise, so we've added in a bit of sugar.
Rice wine vinegar: Kewpie mayo originates from Japan, so there are ingredients such as rice wine vinegar that make it unique. Hence, why it's one of our main ingredients.
MSG: Elevates any dish if you ask me! Feel free to omit if you don't have it!
Lemon juice: For a tangy element, it's a great ingredient to balance out the flavours within this kewpie mayo recipe.
Recipe Variations
Spicy: To make this spicy, you could add in 2 teaspoons of chilli oil to your mayonnaise once it's formed.
Aioli: If you like things garlicky, I'd recommend adding some grated garlic into the final kewpie mayo product. It's great with crushed potatoes or in a sandwich!
Double it! If you're hosting a party or you want to make some as a gift for multiple people, then simply increase the ingredients based on the quantity you want to make and go for it!
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
STEP 1: Place your egg yolk into a medium sized bowl. Whisking constantly, add a small drop of your vegetable oil and whisk until completely combined, then add another drop and continue a drop at a time until the yolks and oil combine and start to thicken (this is important so don't rush it).
STEP 2: Once you’re confident the oil and eggs are coming together you can add the oil a bit more at a time, but be patient, as adding the oil too quickly will cause the mayonnaise to split and curdle.
STEP 3: Once you have used up all of your oil, add in the rest of your ingredients. Give it a good whisk, taste it and adjust the seasonings based on your preference.
STEP 4: Place it in a glass container, store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, and enjoy!
FAQs
The main difference is the fact that regular mayonnaise is generally made from egg yolk and olive oil, with the additional seasonings of salt and occasional pepper. Kewpie mayonnaise is Japanese and has an array of additional ingredients from rice wine vinegar to mustard.
Yes! Just add a little bit of sugar, rice wine vinegar, dijon mustard and MSG.
Regular mayonnaise is a great substitute, you can then just add in a splash of rice wine vinegar, dijon mustard, MSG, and sugar to make it taste similar.
A lot of large supermarkets will sell kewpie mayonnaise now, but if you want to increase your chances of getting it, go to a local Asian supermarket or buy it online!
Other related recipes you might enjoy!
If you tried this Homemade Kewpie Mayo recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Homemade Kewpie Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk
- 175ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon MSG (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Place your egg yolk into a medium sized bowl. Whisking constantly, add a small drop of your vegetable oil and whisk until completely combined, then add another drop and continue a drop at a time until the yolks and oil combine and start to thicken (this is important so don't rush it). Once you’re confident the oil and eggs are coming together you can add the oil a bit more at a time, but be patient, as adding the oil too quickly will cause the mayonnaise to split and curdle.
- Once you have used up all of your oil, add in the rest of your ingredients. Give it a good whisk, taste and adjust the seasonings based on your preference. Then place it in a glass container, store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, and enjoy!
Bw
I look forward to making this. I looked at the ingredients for store-bought kewpie mayo and found that it had vegetable oil which is absolutely horrible for our bodies. I noticed that you include vegetable oil in this recipe, so I’m going to make it with avocado oil instead. Hope this turns out!
Emily Roz
Thank you for your comment! You can absolutely make it with avocado oil if you prefer! 🙂