It’s not that I recommend eating a lot of mayonnaise, but sometimes a little creamy yet low fat mayonnaise is just what you need to satisfy your taste buds. There’s simply something decadent about a luscious creamy dressing hitting your tongue, even if it is lower in fat.

So on my quest for a good, tasty low fat mayonnaise recipe I scoured the net for ideas and went testing in the kitchen. And voila – here’s how to enjoy it without breaking the diet. But please note this recipe does rely heavily on potion control too. How can it not with the main ingredient being oil? A serving is less than a 10th of this recipe, it’s a garnish, an enhancer – so don’t eat the whole batch in one sitting!

Now if you’ve never tried a homemade low fat mayonnaise recipe, you might be surprised to read it’s much tastier than most shop-bought brands. Mostly because it’s made fresh and doesn’t need to sit on a shelf! And it’s so easy to make in a a food processor or Thermomox (if you happen to have one!).

Tasty, fresh and diet-approved (in moderation) – who could ask for more?

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/4 teaspoon Splenda (or Stevia to taste)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup (218ml) olive oil

6 tablespoons (120g) fat-free Greek yoghurt or light sour cream

Method:

1. Ensure your blender, hand blender or Thermomix is off, add the ingredients to the bowl in this exact order to form layers: egg, vinegar or lemon juice, salt, mustard, sweetener and pepper.

2. If using a hand blender, add the oil and let the ingredients sit for one minute so the egg yolk can settle to the bottom. then Slowly pulse the mixture – you will see the mayo begin to form in just a few seconds and the whole process should not take any longer than a minute.

3. If using an automated blender, food processor or Thermomix, then with it running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream through the open tube on the lid (about 60 seconds).

4. Add the yoghurt or sour cream (and any other variations) and mix again briefly.

5. Scrape low fat mayonnaise into a container, cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to one week.

Makes just over a cup of low fat mayonnaise which should provide 20 serves.

Variations:

Want a delicious twist to your low fat mayonnaise recipe? Try adding these to step 4 above.

Dijonnaise – add 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

Garlic Mayo – add 2 teaspoons of crushed or minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of dry mustard

Indian Chutney Mayo – add a cup of mango pieces and 1 teaspoon each of curry powder and lime juice

Mango Mayo – add up to 2 cups of mango pieces

Pesto Mayo – add 3 tablespoons of your favourite pesto (calorie alert!)

Sun-Dried Tomato Mayo – add 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Tahini Mayo – add 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice and tahini

Wasabi Mayo – add 1 teaspoon of powdered wasabi, or wasabi paste

 

Nutritional Information

1 original low fat mayonnaise recipe contains:

1240 Calories

132.5g fat (of which 30.3g is saturated)

7.8g protein

6.0g carbohydrate (of which 5.8g are sugars)

0g fibre

Serves 20