My home-made tofu-free veganaise (vegan mayo) is so much better than store-bought. It's rich, creamy, and silky, really easy to make, and is deliciously more-ish! It's fantastic on burgers, with sausages, in sandwiches, on potato salad. And of course, with fries or wedges!
Veganaise
Aah, veganaise*, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
Okay, okay, I'm not going to get all Shakespearean on you; however, I really can't help enthusing about how I never cease to be impressed with this deliciously creamy condiment.
*Not to be confused with Vegenaise (which is pronounced veggie-naise, not vegan-aise).
It's not just because my veganaise so easy to make; it's not just because it's ready in a jiffy; it's not even because it uses an ingredient that most people just tip down the sink (yes, aquafaba, I'm looking at you).
It's actually because this is miles better than anything I've ever bought in the shops (and that includes egg-based mayo, too). Frankly, it knocks store-bought vegan mayo into a cocked hat. I'm not exaggerating. (Well, I might be - I've never tried the American brands.)
Just because you may not consume animal products, I see no reason to give up some of your favourite things. And guess what? Generally, you don't have to. Also, amato mio, who was never much of a mayo fan to begin with, actually loves my veganaise!
Mayonnaise
I'm the first one to admit that I was a bit late to the party with mayo. It's not my fault; I grew up in a household where the height of sophistication was a mushroom vol-au-vent, and the only salad dressing in existence was Heinz Salad Cream.
Unless my Gran was making a prawn cocktail, in which case, she'd mix ketchup (also Heinz, of course) with some Salad Cream, add a few defrosted prawns, and dump the whole lot into a lettuce leaf-lined Babycham glass.
Aah, sixties and seventies Britain... how classy we were!
But here's the thing, it was pretty much the same for my chums too. But that all changed when one of them started dating an American guy, and he introduced us to mayonnaise. From then on, it was burgers with mayo. Fries with mayo. Tuna and mayo sandwiches. I couldn't get enough of it!
Making vegan mayo
This really is so easy to make, and there's no mess either, especially if you use a stick blender, such as a Braun Multiquick.
(I've been using the same MR300 for almost two decades, taking it with me all over the world, and it's a fantastic piece of kit. It's getting a bit slow now, so I'll need to upgrade soon, but it's perfectly sufficient for making this mayo.)
Unlike when making mayo with eggs, with veganaise, you don't have to be overly particular about adding the oil in a slow drizzle. Slowish is fine. In fact, if I'm feeling less than patient, I'll dump a quarter of the oil into the beaker, blitz it, dump another quarter in, blitz. Rinse and repeat. This is a very forgiving recipe.
You can even play around with adding extra flavourings, such as sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, extra lemon juice, lime juice, chilli, Sriracha, Tabasco, fresh coriander (cilantro), basil. All the things!
And it behaves like its eggy counterpart too, so it's great with all the usual suspects. In salads, in sandwiches, on top of chilli (yeah, I didn't think so either, until my friend, Chrissy, said I should try it), with fries or wedges. The latter especially when mixed with Thai sweet chilli sauce.
Tofu-free veganaise recipe
I could wax lyrical for ages about my veganaise but why not make some, and see for yourself? If you're anything like me, once you've made it at home, you won't buy vegan mayo from the shops again... not least because it's so cheap to make at home.
Ingredients
- aquafaba
- lemon juice
- nutritional yeast flakes
- mustard powder
- apple cider vinegar
- sugar & salt
- sunflower oil
How to make veganaise
- Place all of the ingredients, except the oil, into a large jar or beaker, and blitz well for a few seconds with an immersion blender, until the mixture thickens and turns white.
- With the blender still going, slowly add the oil, and keep blitzing until you have a thick and creamy mayo.
- Taste, and add a little more salt if desired.
- Once the mayo is ready, decant into a sterilised screw-top jar, cap, and keep in the 'fridge for a couple of weeks.
Tips
- My favourite aquafaba (AF) is from butterbeans; they yield a lovely viscous liquid. White haricots produce a really good thick AF too.
- If you're using AF from a can of beans or chickpeas, and it's a bit on the thin side, you can reduce it by simmering in a pan over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. It doesn't have to be super-thick... just a bit thicker than water.
- Do make sure your AF and oil are cold; if the mayo gets too warm, the emulsion will break, and you'll have to put it in the fridge for an hour or so, to cool off, then blend again, adding a little more oil.
- Using a high-speed blender may generate too much heat, warm your mayo, and break the emulsion. If this happens, as above, place the mayo in the fridge until it's cold, then use a stick blender.
- Cheap, low-powered stick blenders are great for making vegan mayo.
- I find the beaker that came with my blender to be perfect, as it enables me to move the blender around a bit as I'm blitzing the ingredients. A tall jug works well, too.
- It's okay to add a little oil, blitz, add a little more, blitz, and so on. It's unlikely that you'll break the emulsion by doing this.
- Depending on your oil, and the AF you use, you may only need to use around 180ml (¾ cup). As soon as the veganaise has reached your desired thickness, you can stop adding oil!
- Nutritional information assumes that a 240ml (1 cup) of oil has been used.
Why not check out these condiment recipes, while you're here?
📖 Recipe
How To Make Tofu-Free Veganaise
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon aquafaba chilled
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- dash sugar
- dash sea salt
- 240 ml sunflower oil chilled (you may need less)
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients, except the oil, into a large jar or beaker, and blitz well for a few seconds with an immersion (stick) blender, until the mixture thickens and turns white.
- With the blender still going, slowly add the oil, and keep blending until you have a thick and creamy mayo.
- Taste, and add a little more salt if desired (I find a very small pinch is plenty though).
- Once the mayo is ready, decant into a sterilised screw-top jar, cap, and keep in the 'fridge for a couple of weeks.
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
Dusk
Nico, can you use a different oil other than the sunflower? Avocado or Macadamia oil?
Thanks, Dusk
Nico
Hi Dusk!
Honestly, I haven't tried. I have used olive, and it gave a the mayo a flavour that I wasn't keen on. I also tried with pumpkin oil... don't do that, ha ha! The reason I use sunflower is because it's neutral-tasting. I've never actually used avocado or macadamia oils for anything, so I don't know whether they'd impart any flavour. I'm really sorry I can't be more help! xx
David Charles
Hi Nico!
Thanks so much for this excellent recipe. It was really quick to make and pretty delicious (far better than my disastrous attempt at egg mayonnaise a few years ago!).
The only thing for my tastes is that it's a little acidic. Is there any way I could tone that down or do we need all that vinegar and lemon juice? I already used the full 240ml of sunflower oil.
Many thanks!
David
Nico
Hi David,
I am so happy you like my mayo! Yes, you could add a little less acid - try halving the amounts, and see how it tastes. If you feel it needs a little more, you can always add it! xx
David Charles
Thanks for your reply Nico! Sadly, this recipe proved to be a one off fluke for me and my blender. I don't know if it's too high-powered, but I tried to make the recipe a few more times and every time I got a revolting oily mess 🤣 Such a shame because that first time was sooo delicious!
Nico
Oh no, David, that's rotten luck. It quite possibly is your blender because the higher the power/speed, the more heat it generates. I've tried making this mayo in two Froothies, a Sage, and a Vitamix, and I discovered that unless they are on the very lowest setting, the heat generated by these blenders can break the emulsion, so I had to place the gloop in the fridge for a while, and get it really cool, before re-doing it with the stick blender.
Cold, low, and slow is the key. If you have a stick blender, I recommend using that! xx
David Charles
Thanks Nico! I would like to try again when I have an immersion blender 😀
Nico
I admire your tenacity, David! Let me know how you get on! xx
Laura
Very tasty
Nico
Thank you! xx
Annie
I'm really impressed with this recipe! So easy and soooo good. Thank you!
Nico
Thanks so much Annie - really glad you like it! xx
Amanda
Hi, really happy to have found your blog, your sausage recipe brought me here, I am going to make it once I've bought a few ingredients. I've just made your veganaise which has worked better than my past attempts with aquafaba! I added the tiniest pinch of Kala namak (black salt) to give it a tiny hint of eggyness. Upping the Kala namak with the addition of soft tofu scramble makes a great egg mayo sarnie!
Nico
That's such great news, Amanda, and I am so happy you've been enjoying the veganaise... although I must admit that never having been a fan of eggs, the idea of a vegan 'egg' mayo sammie makes me shudder! Ha ha! I can tell you however, that sausage sammies with veganaise are amazeballs! I hope you love the sausages too, when you make them. Do let me know what you think! xx
Jennie
Ok.. I tired this tonight and it came out beautifully!! At first it would not get thick or go white so I decided to add some oil. That did it! I now have the best, whited "mayo" . Now I am thinking hmmmm..... what can I add to make other types of dressings!
Thank you for putting this out there. I love it.
Jennie
Nico
That's so cool - I'm really pleased that you're so happy with the recipe! Have you tried mixing in sriracha? It's so yum! xx
S
Amazing took three attempts but well worth it very new to vegan eating so lookin for recipes that provide me with the things I will really miss mayo sausages cheese...mayo tick cheese maturing just got things delivered so next stop sausages ....oooh Wen that cheese matures sausage cheese n mayo sandwich ???
Nico
Oh, you are a woman after my own heart... I'll be round for lunch! xx
ML
I'd love to try this but only have a Vitamix, have you ever tried in a blender instead of with an immersion blender?
Nico
Hiya! So sorry for the delay in replying but I wanted to try it out in a Vitamix, which I don't have at home, so I had to wait until I could borrow one from a client! I can confirm that it works on the very lowest setting, drizzling the oil in in a constant stream until the mayo was thick enough. The whole process took around 3 mins from start to finish. Hope that helps! xx
Ruth C Wallace
Nico help! mine was going so well it turned to an emulsion when i got about halfway through adding in the oil, by then it thickened so much, the blender couldn't cut through it, and i got scared and added all the rest of the oil at once. Now it's just a thin oily runny fluid and my stick blender has overheated from my trying to thicken it. I added 1.5tbsp now aquafaba in a panic but nothing has happened. Is there any way i can save it? I've just refrigerated it in despair...
Nico
Oh no!
Given that I usually dump the last quarter or so of oil into the jug, and the mayo always turns out exactly like the pics above, I'd say your emulsion broke because your blender, when it overheated, made the mayo warm too.
To fix it, you could try removing the mayo from the fridge, bringing it to room temp, giving it a quick blast with the stick blender again, and then drizzle in another couple of tablespoons of oil; however, TBH, I'd just start again. If it's really thick before you've added all the oil, that's fine - you can leave it right there, and forget the rest of the oil. It could be that your oil is more pure, or your aquafaba has more protein, and that's why yours thickened before you'd used up all of the oil.
I'm so sorry you've had problems with it but I promise you that when you get it right (which will be next time!), you're going to love it! Do let me know how you get on. xx
Ruth C Wallace
Thank you so much for your reply!
I will defo try again, and as confident as you that it will be awesome.
Just one question: you use sunflower oil in your recipe. Could you use any other oil? And if so, it there any oil you would NOT recommend?
Thanks in advance!
Nico
Hi Ruth,
So glad you're going to try again - I'm sure it will be great! I wouldn't use any strongly-flavoured oils (eg argan, olive), and none that solidify (eg coconut). As long as it's neutral (sunflower, canola, peanut, rice bran, corn, soya, etc) you'll be fine. Even bog-standard vegetable oil will work.
Good luck... not that you'll need it! xx
Ruth C Wallace
OMG!!! I took your advice and brought 'fail' to room temperature, then whipped again. Bingo!!! It was so delicious it won over my non vegan husband who thinks veganism is a step too far. So impressed i whipped up another batch with rapeseed oil that i seasoned with garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika and some cayenne pepper for a smoky bite. It was delicious. It's already nearly finished!!! Thank you!!!
Nico
Oh, Ruth I am so happy for you! And how cool that your husband loved it too. I am so trying your customisation - it sounds amazing! Thank you so much for letting me know of your success, I really appreciate it, and it's helpful for other readers too. Have a wonderful week! xx
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Just the way I need it! No soy here but I am all about the "bean juice" 😉
Nico
Gotta love aquafaba, eh, Rebecca? 😉 xx
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
This looks so perfect! I LOVE mayonnaise. I really need to experiment with aquafaba!
Nico
Oh, you should, Becca - it's so versatile. This mayo is beyond easy to make - it's practically foolproof, and really is better than the stuff you can buy in the shops. And far more economical too! xx
Sharon @ Bit of the Good Stuff
Who thought that photos of mayo could be turned into works of art? But you've done it Nico, and they are absolutely stunning! ❤️
I am a huge fan of Vegenaise but I've been meaning to try making my own ever since the aquafaba mayo recipes started popping up online. I find it amazing that something so white and creamy can be achieved with such simple ingredients. I actually used a can of butter beans yesterday and I've saved the liquid. Excited to give your recipe a try 😀
Nico
Ha ha, not sure I'd call them works of art but thank you for saying so, Sharon - you're too kind! xx
I'm so with you re. the whiteness of the AF; I'm guessing it's the protein(s) because it's the same with egg whites, isn't it? Both AF and egg whites start out as a yellowy-beige colour but when you whip them, they become snowy white. Cool sciency stuffs FTW!
Do let me know how you get on with making the veganaise - I'd love your feedback, especially as we all have different tastes, so while I may think this is perfectly-flavoured, you might think it needs more mustard or vinegar, or maybe less.
Since perfecting my recipe, I've looked at others online, and some people add loads more nooch. Some add a whole tablespoon of vinegar. I've seen one recipe with a tablespoon of dried mustard powder - I can only imagine how much that would burn my throat. The quarter teaspoon I use gives it more than enough of a kick for me!
Choclette
Forgot to say, I love it best with chips - mixed with my homemade chilli sauce 🙂
Nico
You are a woman after my own heart! xx
Choclette
This looks astonishingly like mayonnaise. It sounds mighty good too, so I think I'll have to give it a try. Growing up at the same sort of time as you, I didn't have mayonnaise until I went off to University, but I didn't have salad cream either. My mother was a purist - only wholesome goodness for me, with the odd lapse into a mars bar from time to time.
Homemade mayonnaise is so much nicer than shop bought, so I can quite see that this would be too.
Nico
Wow, you were allowed to have Mars Bars? In our house they were 'grown ups' sweets - I didn't get to have one until I had a babysitting job at 14, and was able to buy my own! Until then, I could have penny sweets, and at weekends, a quarter of... usually sweet peanuts or cola cubes!
Do let me know your thoughts on the mayo if make it, I'd love to have some feedback! xx
Cathy @ Planet Veggie
I love making my own vegan mayo but haven't made any for a while. I'm going to give your recipe a go. Your potato wedges look sensational, by the way 🙂
Nico
Thanks, Cathy - I'm rather too fond of them, I have to admit! xx