Vegan Mayonnaise: So Quick, So Easy, So Useful

Marvellous miracle mayo. Yes really. This recipe for simple vegan mayonnaise uses standard store cupboard ingredients and is really easy to prepare. It’s also exceptionally quick to make. We’re talking seconds, not minutes.

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Mayonnaise is such a useful ingredient. It’s just what you need for coleslaw and potato salad. It’s also great for enhancing sandwiches. Years ago, I assumed vegans just had to live without it. Then when I attended the Vegetarian Society’s vegan toolkit workshop a few years ago, we made vegan mayo. It was a revelation.

It wasn’t, however, until I took up the Veganuary challenge for the first time last year that I really took it seriously. Suddenly, I needed vegan mayonnaise.

Shop bought vegan mayo can be expensive. It’s also often loaded with ingredients that just aren’t needed if you’re making homemade. I tried one brand that didn’t look too bad, but I wasn’t really happy with it. It was time to dig out my stick blender.

Easy Vegan Mayonnaise

The method I learnt at the Vegetarian Society is the same one I’ve always used for standard mayonnaise. That is, you mix up all the ingredients other than the oil, then slowly drip the oil in as you whisk. You can do this by hand, but it’s much easier if you do it in a jug blender.

But in order to use a jug blender, you need to make a lot of mayonnaise. I prefer to make small batches of this simple vegan mayonnaise as and when I need it. The secret to this super speedy recipe is a stick blender.

All you need to do is place all of your ingredients, including the oil into a jug. Then immerse the stick blender and whizz for just a few seconds. It should emulsify and thicken within ten to twenty seconds. It really is that simple.

If you don’t have a stick blender*, it’s really worth getting one. They’re not that expensive and are just brilliant for blitzing soups. You can do this in the pan you’ve cooked the soup up in, so you can keep washing up to a minimum. It’s a lot easier to wash a stick blender than it is a jug blender.

What Can You Use Instead of Soya?

I’ve experimented with other plant milks, but although they emulsify with no problem, they end up runny. Fine as a sauce or salad dressing, but no good as a thick and spreadable mayonnaise. Soya milk, however, works like a dream.

If you’d really rather not use soya milk, aquafaba works too. I haven’t tried this yet as it doesn’t sound desperately appealing. But I guess I will at some point. Use two tablespoons in place of the 50 millilitres of soya milk and let me know how you get on.

What’s the Best Oil to Use?

A neutral oil such as sunflower oil is best if you don’t want your mayonnaise to be strongly flavoured. But if you’d like to have a bit more flavour in your vegan mayonnaise, sesame seed oil is lovely. I expect peanut oil would also work well, but I haven’t tried it. And I’ve heard avocado oil is good too.

Extra virgin olive oil is very strong, so I use 75ml of a neutral oil such as sunflower and 25ml of olive oil. This is the mix I use as my go to now.

You might just want to experiment. The quantities I’ve used in the recipe are small, so you won’t be wasting too much if it doesn’t work out.

Can You Add Other Flavourings?

You absolutely can. I’ve tried all sorts of flavourings and I haven’t yet found one I don’t like. Just add herbs or spices to your mayonnaise for some extra pizazz.

Vegan Aioli

A garlicky aioli is very nice too. If you’re using a jug blender use one clove of garlic and make sure it’s well blended before you start adding the oil. For the stick blender method, it’s best to finely chop the garlic before blending. I use a small clove of garlic or half a normal sized one as the quantity of mayonnaise is so small.

Vegan Wasabi Mayonnaise

Wasabi mayonnaise is a new discovery. I’ve not tried it with powdered wasabi, but I’ve grated some fresh in and it works really well. Just swap it for the mustard.

Lemon Vegan Mayonnaise

I add lemon juice to my basic vegan mayonnaise recipe as a matter of course. But for a particularly lemony version, add the finely grated zest of half a lemon and an additional teaspoon of lemon juice.

Miso Mayonnaise

Swap the mustard for white miso and leave out the salt. This makes a particularly umami-rich mayonnaise which is especially good with Asian type ingredients. Think Vietnamese banh mi.

Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise

Smoked paprika is a firm favourite. Leave out the mustard and replace with a level teaspoon of this gorgeous red spice. Use a neutral oil. This one goes particularly well with chips.

TroubleShooting

If you use the stick blender method, you really shouldn’t have any problems. It’s meant to be best if the soya milk is at room temperature before you start blending, but I use it cold from the fridge and it still works.

The jug blender method, however, can be a bit trickier. If the mixture doesn’t thicken, try adding a little more oil.

How Long Will Homemade Vegan Mayo Last?

Homemade vegan mayo will keep for at least a week in the fridge if kept in a sealed container. I’ve kept mine for three weeks without any spoilage. Sometimes the liquid starts to separate out, but if it does just give it a good stir and it will be fine. If you make it with aquafaba instead of soya milk, it will keep a few more days, apparently. But I’ve not tried it – yet!

Recipes To Use Your Vegan Mayonnaise In

• Chocolate mayonnaise cake
• Sausage salad
• Spring slaw
• Tofu lettuce tomato sandwich
• Vegan bánh mi
• Vegan smokey ham dip

Stay in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this recipe for a super simple and speedy vegan mayonnaise, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate it. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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If you’d like more recipes for dips and spreads, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

Easy Vegan Mayonnaise. PIN IT.

Vegan Mayonnaise – The Recipe

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4.87 from 15 votes

Easy Vegan Mayonnaise

Marvellous miracle mayonnaise. Yes really. This simple vegan mayonnaise uses standard store cupboard ingredients and is really easy to prepare. It's also exceptionally quick to make. We're talking seconds, not minutes.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time2 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

Total Time2 minutes mins

Course: Dips, Spreads & Sauces

Cuisine: British

Keyword: egg-free, mayonnaise, vegan

Servings: 1 small jar

Calories: 906kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

• stick blender (affiliate link)
• power blender

Ingredients

• 100 ml sunflower oil (for most purposes a neutral oil is best, but see notes below)
• 50 ml soy milk (at room temperature)
• pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp mustard (use a smooth ready-made mustard such as Dijon or English)
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Stick Blender Method

• Place all ingredients into a jug.
• Immerse the stick blender and blend on low for as long as it takes for the ingredients to emulsify and thicken – about 10 seconds.

Jug Blender Method

• You will need to double the ingredients so that there’s enough liquid to cover the blades.
• Add all but the oil to the jug and blend briefly.
• Remove the centre lid and whilst the blender is running (on a low setting), slowly drizzle in the oil until the mixture emulsifies and thickens.

Notes

If you’d like to have a flavoured oil, sesame seed oil is lovely. Peanut oil might also work well and I’ve heard avocado oil is good too. Extra virgin olive oil is very strong, so it’s best to use 75ml of a neutral oil such as sunflower and 25ml of olive oil.

You can also add, garlic, herbs or spices to your mayonnaise for some extra pizazz. Additions are best done with a neutral oil.

If the mixture doesn’t thicken, add a little more oil.

Will keep for at least a week in the fridge if kept in a sealed container.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are for the whole jar of mayonnaise, not per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 906kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 101g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 60mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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I’m sharing my super easy vegan mayonnaise recipe with Cooking With My Kids for #CookBlogShare.

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