How to Make Herb Mayo (Seed Oil Free) for Nourishing Holiday Meals

The holidays are often filled with rich food, full tables, and beautiful chaos. Between travel, hosting, and everything in between, it’s easy for meals to become rushed or heavy – leaving us feeling more depleted than nourished. Over the years, I’ve found that when I bring a slower rhythm into my kitchen, even the simplest recipes begin to hold deeper meaning.

One of my favorite ways to bring ease and nourishment to the season is through homemade condiments – especially a creamy, seed oil free herb mayo made with fresh parsley and dill. It’s a simple recipe that transforms holiday spreads, supports gut and hormone health, and helps me stay grounded in the busyness of the season.

Why Make Your Own Herb Mayo?

Store-bought mayonnaise often contains seed oils like soybean, canola, or sunflower – all of which are highly processed and can create an inflammatory burden in the body. During the holidays, when we’re often enjoying extra sweets, later nights, and more indulgent meals, those hidden oils can quietly add to the overwhelm.

By making your own seed oil free mayo, you’re choosing ingredients that truly nourish. Olive oil provides healthy fats that support hormone balance and steady energy. Egg yolk and lemon juice offer choline, vitamin C, and digestive support. And when you add herbs like parsley and dill, you bring in chlorophyll, minerals, and antioxidants that help the body gently detoxify.

For me, this is more than just swapping ingredients – it’s about slowing down and creating calm through small acts of care. Taking five quiet minutes to whisk together real ingredients becomes a way to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the joy of cooking.

The Heart Behind This Recipe

In busy seasons, I like to focus on small, meaningful gestures rather than trying to make everything perfect. When I light a candle and prepare something from scratch – even something as simple as mayo, I feel that shift. My toddler might hand me the whisk or stir the herbs, and suddenly we’re not rushing. We’re creating something together.

This herb mayo has become one of those calm anchors for me. It’s quick to make, but it adds so much life to a meal. A dollop on roasted vegetables, a spoonful in potato salad, or a spread across freshly baked bread – it brings flavor and nourishment to everything it touches.

How to Make Seed Oil free Herb Mayo

Here’s how I make it step by step – no stress, no rushing, just a gentle rhythm that fits into everyday family life.

I start by gathering my ingredients: one fresh egg yolk, a small spoonful of Dijon mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice. I place them all into a clean glass jar that fits my immersion blender snugly. Then I drizzle in just a splash of avocado and begin blending slowly, moving the blender slightly up and down to help everything emulsify.

As the mixture starts to thicken, I continue adding avocado oil – little by little – until it turns into a smooth, creamy mayo. NB: This is the safe way to make mayo that ensures it blends together – I actually tend to just dump everything in the jar and blend in one go and hope it doesn’t split (you choose how risky you want to be here). There’s always a moment where it looks too thin, but with patience and steady blending, it comes together beautifully.

Once the base mayo is ready, I season with a pinch of sea salt, then fold in a handful of freshly chopped parsley and dill and a chopped garlic clove. I give it one final blitz. The herbs bring a burst of freshness and color, turning a simple condiment into something vibrant and alive. Find the base mayo recipe with full recipe card here.

When I taste it, it’s bright and tangy with a gentle herby flavor that feels both comforting and fresh. It’s the kind of recipe that makes you want to slow down and enjoy the small details – like the swirl of green in the jar or the scent of lemon and herbs on your hands.

A Nourishing Twist for the Holidays: Seed Oil free Herb Mayo

This seed oil free herb mayo isn’t just a healthier choice – it’s one that fits beautifully into holiday meals. You can spoon it alongside roasted potatoes or seasonal vegetables, serve it as a dip with fresh bread, or spread it over leftover turkey sandwiches for an easy, nourishing lunch the next day.

I love that it only takes minutes to make, yet feels thoughtful and homemade. It reminds me that keeping meals nourishing and calm doesn’t mean making everything from scratch or following a strict plan – it’s about those few intentional swaps that support our wellbeing.

Avocado or olive oil instead of seed oils. Fresh herbs instead of additives. A few moments of presence instead of rushing. These small things add up – in our bodies, our rhythms, and our family meals.

Supporting Gut and Hormone Health Naturally

Every ingredient in this recipe plays a small part in supporting balance.

• Avocado oil provides gentle, anti-inflammatory fats that are easy on digestion and deeply supportive for hormone balance. Its monounsaturated fats help stabilize blood sugar, reduce gut irritation, and give the body steady building blocks for hormone production – a nourishing swap that keeps meals calm and balanced.
• Olive oil provides monounsaturated fats that are gentle on digestion and supportive for hormone production.
• Egg yolk is rich in choline, a nutrient vital for liver health and hormone metabolism.
• Lemon juice aids digestion, helping to break down fats and reduce heaviness after rich meals.
• Parsley and dill are naturally cleansing and high in minerals, supporting detox pathways that often become sluggish during stressful or indulgent times.

By layering these small choices, your meals begin to work with your body – rather than against it. And that’s really what this season is about: creating nourishment that gives back.

Bringing Calm to the Holiday Table

When I think about what I want my family to remember from the holidays, it’s not the elaborate dishes or perfectly set tables – it’s the sense of warmth and connection.

Recipes like this help me hold onto that. They’re simple, grounding, and nourishing in every sense. Whether you’re preparing a feast or sharing a quiet meal, this seed oil free herb mayo brings a touch of calm and intention to the table. For other seed oil free condiments for the holidays check out my post here!

So light a candle, blend slowly, and enjoy the quiet rhythm of making something good.

Take the Next Step: Seed Oil Free Kitchen Starter Guide

If you’re beginning to swap out seed oils and bring more real food into your kitchen, I’ve created something to help – a free “Seed Oil Free Kitchen Starter Guide” PDF.

It walks you through the best oils to use (and which to avoid), easy ingredient swaps, and how to start building a pantry that truly supports your health.

It’s a gentle next step toward a calmer, more nourishing kitchen – one choice at a time.

Here’s to Happy Holidays

Making herb mayo (seed oil free) might seem like a small thing, but it’s often the smallest choices that change the feel of a meal. This recipe captures everything I love about slow, intentional cooking: simple ingredients, mindful preparation, and a sense of calm that carries through the whole day.

Here’s to keeping holiday meals nourishing, grounded, and full of life.

If you’d like to see how this seed oil free herb mayo comes together in real time – and how I weave it into our calm, nourishing holiday meals – you can watch the full video here.

I share step-by-step footage of the blending process, how I bring rhythm into cooking with my little one, and a few simple ways to make holiday meals feel grounded and joyful again.

If you enjoy these kinds of slow, nourishing recipes, make sure to join my newsletter. Each week I share gentle ways to bring more rhythm, flow, and real food into your family life – one simple recipe at a time.