This is one of those recipes that require quotation marks, not out of affectation, but because it’s not a true mayonnaise. It contains no egg yolks or mustard. It’s nothing more than an emulsion of milk and oil. More Brazilian than Portuguese, it’s just now beginning to be used on the Continent. The taste is lighter and cleaner than that of egg-based mayonnaise, allowing other flavors to come through.
☞ Read the Article: The Secret Behind Milk Mayonnaise
Since I was given the recipe, I haven’t stopped finding ways to cook with it. The master recipe is only a canvas for additions. Besides the uses in this book, I’ve smeared the variations on grilled meats and fish, used them as dips and in dressings, spread them on sandwiches, and stirred them into potato salads, much as I do with actual mayonnaise.
Why Isn’t my Mayonnaise Emulsifying?
Like all emulsions, this recipe can be a bit finicky. But adding the oil in a thin stream and stopping when the right consistency is reached is the key. For almost foolproof results, a handheld blender is best, but a small canister blender with a narrow base will do (tall and narrow is best here). Don’t do as some of us did and assume that a stand mixer or food processor will work—it just won’t. If you’re working with a less-than-powerful immersion blender, the consistency of the mayonnaise may turn out thinner than you’d expect. You can help it along by slowly adding 2 more tablespoons of oil to the milk mayonnaise as you continue to blend and it will thicken nicely.
Milk Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup very cold milk
- ¾ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- About ¾ cup vegetable oil, or 1/2 cup (118 ml) vegetable oil plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Using a handheld blender (or a blender), buzz on high for 30 seconds until frothy.
- With the motor running on high, slowly pour in the oil a few drops at a time, and gradually increase this to a fine thread, moving the blender up and down, until the mixture thickens lusciously and resembles a soft mayonnaise. You may need more or less oil.
- Season with salt to taste. The mayonnaise will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Notes
Milk mayonnaise variations
Clockwise from top right: cilantro-ginger, curry, anchovy, sun-dried tomato.
Cilantro and Ginger Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Coentros e Gengibre
Add 1 loosely packed cup of well-dried fresh cilantro leaves and tendril-soft stems and a 1 1/2-inch peeled and grated thumb of ginger to the cup along with the milk, 1 3/4 teaspoons of lemon juice, and the pepper. Omit the garlic. Whir in the oil as directed above. Stir in 1 scallion cut into thin slices on the diagonal.Anchovy Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Anchovas
Add 6 anchovy fillets (generous 1 tablespoon) packed in oil to the cup along with the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Whir in the oil as directed above. Omit the salt.Curry Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Caril
Add 2 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder to the cup along with the milk, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Whir in the oil as directed above. Before using, let this sit for an hour or so in the fridge to bloom.Tomato Milk Mayonnaise | Maionese de Leite com Tomate
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of double-concentrate tomato paste to the cup along with the milk, garlic, and pepper. Omit the lemon juice. Whir in the oil as directed above. Stir in 1 tablespoon minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Highly recommend the podcast to any readers who enjoyed this post!
Heard your podcast on The Splendid Table and really appreciated how the ingredients in this mayo could be flexed to meet the needs of dairy as well as egg allergies. The name is misleading because it’s easy to assume it can only be made with cow’s milk. This sounded worth sharing so I wrote a post about it for my special needs blog.
Thanks for the recommendation, Anara. Much appreciated. I think the word “milk” is actually perfect for the recipe, as that’s what the original calls for: cow’s milk. That being said, there are all types of milks: soy, almond, cashew, goat, skim, etc. It’s a marvelously embracing term. BTW, I really enjoyed your post.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen this before now! Where have I been? Dunno.
This is just the kind of curiosity, from my culinary perspective anyway, that I’d usually be all over. Thanks for finding this and ironing, whipping?, out the kinks for us home cooks. It looks lovely, and soon enough I will know if it tastes as delightful as it looks.
Hey Ruthie, sounds like you found us just in time! Do try it and let us know how you like it…this one is really a hit. And you know LC is always happy to whip things into shape for our readers.
How about a little hot pimenton and an addition of smooshed anchovies, maybe some finely chopped jalapenos and use it to top a nice fish taco — the kind made with some shredded veggies and chiffonade cabbage to go with the fish? Maybe let the pimenton infuse into the oil for a bit before making the mayo???
I was just looking at a recipe for the fish tacos and, when they described the dressing, it just sounded like it needed to be made with milk mayo. 😉
Ruthie, they all sound like excellent candidates for milk mayo variations. BTW, did you hear my segment about milk mayonnaise on The Splendid Table?
Nope, but I will now. 😉
BTW, that should have been infused with the milk, not oil!
Well, I learned a couple things from that. I can make this with almond milk, one of my new best friends. And how to pronounce your last name. I’d been, in my head, saying things like lay-tay, or lye-tay (but never lah-tay), making it entirely too difficult. A little knowledge of language can be a dangerous thing.
Thanks for pointing us in that direction.
Hi ruthie, so glad that you picked up a few things via this recipe. Especially using almond milk.
BTW, my name is pronounced “leet,” which is the American pronunciation. In Portuguese, it’s pronounced “late,” which means milk. And that is why I was called “the milkman’s son” when I was growing up.
Well, I’ve been married for 16 years and my husband has anaphylaxis allergies to eggs so he has never had a potato salad with mayo. His grandmother was German so she would make the German style but I love a good mayo based potato salad with Carolina style BBQ. So I made a potato salad with this recipe using rosemary, sea salt, and vinegar. That was pretty awesome. And he has never had a chicken salad sandwich. So I made a tarragon, mustard one that was pretty darn good, too. And then I made a Sriracha one for our banh mi that he loved too. But I only make those in single dish quantities. The plain sandwich one I quadruple to keep on hand for every other purpose. I used to buy the veganaise and this is so much less expensive and I honestly think it tastes better.
My dearest Tonya, I’m going to your house. You’ve dreamed up combos I’ve never thought of. I love the Sriracha idea. Excellent. Thanks for adding to the canon of variations.