This vegan mayo recipe is made with just six ingredients and is ready in five minutes. Make your own egg-free mayo with this simple recipe and check out some store-bought brands while you’re here!
By now, many of us are familiar with the wonders of aquafaba, the versatile chickpea brine that became a star in the vegan culinary scene years ago. It’s remarkable how this once-overlooked ingredient has transformed the way we approach plant-based cooking.
As a passionate home cook, it’s been fun to experiment with this simple and versatile ingredient. The result? A mayonnaise for vegans that balances the art of traditional mayo-making with a plant-based twist.
This recipe is a nod to the classic, infused with personal touches that elevate the flavors and textures. I’m excited to guide you through crafting a batch of your own creamy, luscious vegan mayo at home … that tastes just like what you would find in a store-bought brand.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I found myself reaching for this homemade vegan mayo recipe time and again, especially on those days when I reached for it from my fridge and realized I was out of store-bought mayo. It’s become my go-to solution, turning a moment of “oops” into a delightful opportunity to whip up something fresh and tasty. This recipe perfectly blends ease and convenience, proving that sometimes the simplest solutions are the most satisfying.
This recipe is:
- egg-free
- soy-free
- uses 7 simple ingredients
- can be made in 5 minutes
- tastes just like store-bought vegan mayo
- great as part of weekly weekly meal prep
- environmentally friendly: by utilizing a by-product, aquafaba, it reduces food waste
Key Ingredients
These seven simple ingredients are blended together to make this mayonnaise without soy or eggs. This is not only a mayonnaise for vegans—it’s a mayo for anyone!
White Wine Vinegar: Adds a bright, tangy flavor crucial for balancing the richness of the oils. White wine vinegar also helps to stabilize the emulsion, ensuring the mayo comes together nicely
Dijon Mustard: Acts as an emulsifier, helping oil and aquafaba blend seamlessly. It also imparts a subtle, sharp flavor that complements the creamy texture of the mayo.
Aquafaba: The star ingredient, aquafaba (chickpea brine), is rich in proteins and starches, making it an excellent egg substitute. It provides the necessary viscosity and helps create a stable emulsion, resulting in the perfect mayo consistency.
Chickpeas: A few whole chickpeas add a little extra protein, body, and texture to the mayo. Their mild flavor doesn’t overpower, while their starchy composition contributes to the overall creaminess.
Vegetable or Canola Oil: The main fat source, this oil is neutral in taste and complements the other flavors without dominating. Its light texture helps in forming a smooth, creamy mayo.
Olive Oil: Adds a hint of rich, fruity flavor, elevating the taste profile of the mayo. Olive oil also contributes to the silky texture and can enhance the nutritional value.
Salt: A key seasoning, salt enhances all the flavors in the mayo. It balances the acidity of the vinegar and the richness of the oils, bringing out the best in each ingredient.
How to Make This Vegan Mayo Recipe
Making this aquafaba mayo recipe is so easy! Just follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to mayo heaven!
Blend the Base Ingredients: Start by placing the white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, aquafaba, and chickpeas in a deep, narrow container. Use an immersion blender to blend these ingredients until a smooth mixture forms. This is the foundation of your mayo, so make sure everything is well combined.
Emulsify with Oil: With the immersion blender running, slowly begin to drizzle in the vegetable or canola oil. It’s important to add the oil gradually – a steady, thin stream works best. (There’s more on the why behind that below.)
As you continue to blend, you’ll notice the mixture starting to thicken and turn white. This is your mayo coming together, or emulsifying.
Add Olive Oil and Season: Once you’ve achieved the desired thickness, transfer the mayo to a bowl. Now, gently whisk in the olive oil by hand. This step adds a layer of flavor and helps fine-tune the texture of your mayo. Finally, season with salt to taste. Remember, a little goes a long way, so add a few pinches, taste, and adjust as needed.
Your homemade vegan mayo is now ready! It’s perfect for sandwiches, dressings, or any recipe that calls for a creamy, flavorful spread. You can use it to make this garlicky-dill mayo, sriracha-mayo, in vegan sushi, vegan tartar sauce, vegan bang bang sauce, and the list goes on! Add some garlic confit for a vegan aioli.
What Is An Emulsion?
At its core, an emulsion is a mixture of two liquids that typically don’t mix, like oil and water. Though it might seem unlikely, with the right technique, these opposites can be united. In culinary terms, creating an emulsion often involves blending oil with a water-based liquid to achieve a smooth and consistent mixture.
In this vegan mayo recipe, a successful emulsion is achieved by gradually mixing oil into aquafaba. Aquafaba, which is rich in proteins and starches, acts as a stabilizing agent, helping to bridge the gap between the oil and water.
During blending, the aquafaba encapsulates the oil droplets, breaking them into smaller particles and evenly dispersing them throughout the liquid. This process, known as emulsification, transforms the separate ingredients into a creamy, homogeneous sauce—this delightful vegan mayo.
The slow addition of oil is crucial in this process. By drizzling the oil in gradually, the aquafaba can more effectively surround and suspend each droplet of oil. Imagine it as a gentle introduction, allowing the different components to gradually acclimate to each other. This careful, balanced approach is what imparts the vegan mayo with its smooth texture and rich flavor. The end result is a stable, velvety mixture where oil and water-based elements are perfectly combined.
How To Store And Serve This Recipe
Once this mayo is whipped up, transfer the contents to a sealed jar and keep it for up to a week. As far as how to use it, the possibilities are endless! Here are some great ideas:
- vegan sandwiches and wraps
- salad dressings
- creamy poblano sauce
- vegan burgers
- bang bang sauce
- dips and sauces
- potato salad
- lime mayo
- coleslaw
- sambal mayo
- aioli variations
- chipotle mayo
- sushi rolls
- roasted vegetable toppings
- pasta salads
- sambal-horseradish mayo
- tofu scrambles
- grilled veggie paninis
- garlicky-dill mayo
- veggie burgers
- vegan tacos
- vegan tartar sauce
- baked potato toppings
Best Vegan Mayo Brands
We’re really lucky to have such an amazing array of delicious vegan mayo choices available to purchase. If you’re considering buying instead of making your own, here are some fantastic brands that nail the creamy texture and delicious taste of traditional mayo. These are some of the best vegan mayo brands available!
Follow Your Heart
Follow Your Heart is a pioneering brand in the vegan market, known for its exceptional range of plant-based products, including its standout Vegenaise. This vegan mayo is celebrated for its rich, creamy texture and authentic flavor that rivals traditional mayonnaise. It’s made with high-quality, non-GMO ingredients. They have many varieties, including original, avocado oil, soy-free, grapeseed oil, reduced fat, organic, and chipotle.
Sir Kensington’s
Sir Kensington’s offers a remarkable vegan mayo. What sets it apart is its innovative use of aquafaba, the liquid from cooked chickpeas, which replicates the creamy texture of traditional mayo. This brand prides itself on using non-GMO, high-quality ingredients, ensuring a rich and satisfying taste. Choose from their special sauce, classic, chipotle, and avocado oil varieties.
Hellman’s
Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo extends the renowned quality of a classic condiment brand to the vegan market. Designed to emulate the rich, creamy texture and taste of its traditional mayonnaise, it has become a popular choice for both vegans and non-vegans alike.
FAQs
Yes, traditional mayonnaise is dairy-free, being made primarily from oil, egg yolks, and either vinegar or lemon juice. To ensure a dairy-free product, especially for those with dietary restrictions, selecting a vegan mayo is a reliable choice, as it is guaranteed to be free from dairy and egg ingredients. Remember to always check labels for added ingredients, particularly with commercial brands.
Vegan mayonnaise is typically made from a combination of plant-based oils, such as soybean or sunflower, and an emulsifying agent like aquafaba or soy protein, often flavored with vinegar or lemon juice and various seasonings. An egg-free alternative replicates the creamy texture and taste of traditional mayonnaise while being entirely plant-based.
The best vegan mayo brands are Follow Your Heart, Sir Kensington’s, and Hellman’s, although there are many others to choose from!
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Aquafaba Mayo (Egg-Free)
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1/2 cup
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan mayo recipe is so smooth, rich, and creamy! It’s made from aquafaba and a few chickpeas sprinkled in to add protein. This version is heavily adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup aquafaba (leftover liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 12 chickpeas
- 3/4 to 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- a few pinches of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Using an immersion blender, blend the first 4 ingredients until very smooth.
- Scrape the mixture into a large bowl with a spatula. Grab a whisk.
- If you have two sets of hands, you can keep using the immersion blender; otherwise, follow the next step on your own.
- Now, drizzle the oil very slowly (like drop by drop) while whisking vigorously. Do this for the next few minutes. If your arm isn’t starting to tire out, you’re not doing it right! 🙂
- After a few minutes very slowly drizzle in more oil. It’s super important that you do this slowly and do not rush the process; otherwise, your mayo will not thicken.
- Stop adding oil once your desired thickness is achieved.
- Add a few pinches of salt, to taste.
- Transfer to the refrigerator. The mayo will thicken up even more once chilled.
Notes
- Store the vegan mayo in a sealed container in the fridge. This is best used within a week.
- If any separation occurs, simply give it a quick stir before use.
- A blender will not work here. An immersion blender will work, but you need two sets of hands for this!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Spread
- Method: Emulsified
- Cuisine: French
