This thick, creamy vegan mayo recipe is an excellent egg-free substitute for regular mayo. Use for sandwiches, as a base for dressings, and in creamy salads.
I love making homemade vegan mayo! You can make this recipe using soy milk or with aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid). I’ve included instructions on how to make it using both options below!
This vegan mayonnaise recipe is not only easy to make but also tastes incredible and lasts in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Key Ingredients
- Soy Milk or Aquafaba: Our recipe works well with soy milk or aquafaba. If I had to pick one, I would lean towards soy milk. If you cannot eat soy or have a can of chickpeas lying around, my recipe below works well when made with aquafaba (here’s my ultimate guide to aquafaba).
- Oil: Just like when making regular mayonnaise, you must stream in oil to thicken the mayonnaise. I use a neutral oil like safflower or vegetable oil. Olive oil is an option, but your mayo will pick up the flavor of your olive oil, so I recommend a lighter, fruitier bottle.
- Vinegar: Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar adds tanginess. Vinegar livens up all the other ingredients and makes it taste delicious.
- Salt: As with most recipes, salt is essential in making the mayo taste good. So, add a pinch more salt if your mayonnaise doesn’t pop in flavor. I bet it will fix it!
- Dijon Mustard: Mustard is another emulsifier and adds extra tanginess. When making our egg-based mayo recipe, we add mustard and love it, so it is perfect for adding here.
- Lemon Juice: We list fresh lemon juice as an optional ingredient, but I always add some when I have lemons.
- Sweetener: I typically do not add any sweetener, but it does an excellent job balancing out the vinegar. You can add maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and even cane sugar.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Vegan Mayo
Tip 1: Use a strong emulsifier. Mayonnaise is an emulsion, or a thick, creamy mixture of two liquids that don’t naturally blend like oil and water. To make mayonnaise, you need an emulsifier to bind it together. In traditional mayo, we use an egg to emulsify the mixture, but that won’t work for this vegan recipe. Instead, we use one of these options to do the heavy lifting:
- Soy Milk: Contains natural lecithin, the same powerful emulsifier found in egg yolks. Soy milk is a dependable, foolproof option (and my favorite option for making vegan mayo!)
- Aquafaba: The liquid from canned chickpeas. Its unique combination of proteins and starches effectively stabilizes the oil, creating a thick and creamy texture.
Tip 2: Not all plant-based milks will work. Almond, oat, and rice milks are less reliable because they have lower protein content and lack the specific emulsifying starches and proteins that are crucial for binding the oil and water. Feel free to experiment, but for the best results, stick with soy milk or aquafaba.
Tip 3: Add the oil drop by drop. The secret to thick, creamy vegan mayo is adding your oil slowly. Adding the oil slowly at the beginning gives the emulsifier time to coat and stabilize each tiny drop of oil. Adding it too quickly will cause the mixture to “break,” leaving you with a watery mess.
Tip 4: Use a food processor. A food processor is an excellent choice because its design allows you to add the oil in a slow, steady stream.You can also use an immersion blender by blending in a tall jar and slowly moving the blender up and down to thicken the mayo.
While a regular high-powered blender can work, it’s not as foolproof. Making it by hand is possible but requires a lot more time and effort (elbow grease), so a machine is highly recommended.
Ways to Use Vegan Mayo
Homemade vegan mayo isn’t just for sandwiches! Use it to make one of these delicious salads: We love using it to make our potato salad, our creamy coleslaw or our broccoli salad.
It’s absolutely perfect for making tuna salad or chicken salad. If you don’t eat seafood or meat, simply substitute the tuna or chicken for mashed chickpeas like we do for this smashed chickpea salad.
You can also turn mayo into your own creamy sauces! Try this simple spicy mayo, tartar sauce, or make my easy fry sauce.
More Vegan Recipes
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Veggie Tofu Scramble
- Creamy Vegan Queso
- Or, see all of our vegan recipes!
Easy Vegan Mayonnaise
- PREP
- TOTAL
Vegan mayonnaise is an excellent egg-free substitute for regular mayonnaise. We use it for sandwiches, as a base for dressings, and in salads. Below are methods for making vegan mayo in a food processor and using an immersion blender. We have not had as much success with a regular blender.
For the best results, use room-temperature ingredients.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
½ cup (120ml) soy milk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, optional
1 cup (236ml) neutral oil like safflower oil or vegetable oil
Pinch cane sugar or maple syrup, optional
Directions
- Using a Food Processor
1Add the soy milk to a food processor bowl. Process for 1 minute or until the liquid begins to thicken.
2Add the vinegar, salt, mustard, and lemon juice, and process for another 30 seconds until well blended.
3Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, with the food processor running, slowly add the oil in tiny drops until about a quarter of the oil has been added (slowly adding the oil is critical for proper emulsification).
4When you notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify, you can be a little less strict. Continue to add the oil slowly, but increase to a thin stream instead of drops of oil.
5After adding all the oil, scrape the bowl and then process for 10 seconds.
6Taste the vegan mayo, and then adjust with more salt or a sweetener if you feel it needs it.
7As the mayonnaise sits in the fridge, it thickens even more (after 3 to 4 hours). If the mayonnaise is too thin, you can blend more oil. Do this slowly.
- Using an Immersion Blender
1Add the soy milk, vinegar, salt, and mustard to a tall glass jar or cup with an immersion blender.
2Blend on high with an immersion blender until the mixture begins to thicken.
3With the immersion blender on high speed, slowly add the oil. This will take one to two minutes. Adding the oil slowly helps the mayonnaise emulsify and thicken.
4As you finish adding the oil, move the immersion blender up and down to introduce some air.
5As the mayonnaise sits in the fridge, it thickens even more (after 3 to 4 hours). If the mayonnaise is too thin, you can blend more oil. Do this slowly.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store vegan mayo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. As it sits, some liquid might pool at the top. However, I’ve found that it mixes back with a spoon with no issues. I do not recommend freezing.
- Substitute soy milk with aquafaba: Use ¼ cup (60ml) of aquafaba. The aquafaba whips up to a larger volume, so we use less than when making this recipe with soy milk. The other ingredients listed in the recipe do not need to change. Since we use less aquafaba, there may not be enough liquid for the processor blades to blend at first. Once you start adding the other ingredients, you should be okay. I’ve had the best results with aquafaba from canned beans. Before opening the can, vigorously shake it so the aquafaba becomes extra starchy from the beans.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Calculations are for mayonnaise made with soy milk and no added sweetener.
it is honestly fantastic, the ratios are spot on. I do it with soy milk, put everything in a container, blitz with immersion blender stationary for a few seconds and then up and down to incorporate the rest. It s thick, tangy and perfect.
Amazing! We are so happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I just made this and it honestly tastes amazing!! You couldn’t even tell it wasn’t regular mayo. I made it with aquafaba so it would be very allergen friendly. I think the reason why so many people struggled with this is because they didn’t pour the oil slow enough. I tried it the normal way of just adding everything together to see if I could do that but it didn’t work at all, so make sure you really pour slowly!! It’s also such a cost effective way of making vegan mayo, I got a little over 3 cups worth of mayo out of one $0.85 can of chickpeas. You must try this!!
Yum!!! Such a great recipe!
Hi, I tried this recipe twice and am so dissappointed it never came out creamy like yours I used aquafaba and a food processor with avacado oil. The flavor was perfect but it was to runny. the second batch was thicker but separated in2 days and i used an immersion blender but it was even runnier. I put in the fridge to see if it will thicken. Im going to gve it one more try because it taste so good and hopfully it will turn out differntly. any suggesstions would be appreciated. thanks
Hi there, I do find that the soy milk version of this recipe is more stable. I am sorry you are having issues. If your mayo is too thin, you can try processing in more oil.
This was AMAZING! The perfect ratios! Thank you so much! I HAD to comment! I left out the lemon and only used one teaspoon of mustard as I don’t like things too sour. It was still tangy but I used ACV so that may be why! It’s excellent!
So I’m allergic to soy milk and chickpeas. Can I use full fat oat milk?
Hi! You probably won’t see this, but: the liquid from any neutral beans/lentils can be used, not just chickpeas. I made this with butter bean liquid yesterday and I’m very happy with the mayo. We’re a family who goes through too much mayonnaise in a week… The instruction to beat the liquid first is so important, it really makes all the difference.
Hi Linda, Unfortunately, I think you’ll have a hard time with oat milk in this recipe. I’ve really only had success with soy or aquafaba. Sorry I cannot be more helpful!
Oh my goodness!! Best Vegan mayo ever! I did use aquafaba which I had on hand. I followed the directions exactly and I just can’t believe how creamy and flavorful it is.
The first time I made this it got thick, but then I kept blending and it got runny. I was bummed to see success slip through my fingers like that. Tried it again tonight using 1/4C aquafaba, same as last time, making sure not to overblend and it turned out perfect! I’m really impressed! I made it in the Vitamix 32oz carafe. I use chickpeas a lot so aquafaba is readily available for me. It was so simple and the blender (32oz carafe) made cleanup a breeze. I like quick and easy cleanup recipes that taste good & work, so I will be making this again. I’m going to look into some flavorings to add into the mayo like sriracha to make a spicy mayo version. A good base to experiment from. Thank you!
Hi Brian, It sounds like over blending was the culprit the first time around – that’s a common issue with emulsions! Great job figuring out the right blending time! You’re right, it’s an excellent base for experimenting with flavors like sriracha. Thanks for sharing your success and tips!
Excellent recipe, and so easy to make. Not just vegan but the BEST TASTING mayo I’ve ever had! Thank you so much for sharing!!
So happy you found us, Janice! Thank you for coming back!
Tried it with soy milk, turned out to be so so delicious 😋 The best replacement for any other kind of mayo. Can’t thank you enough Joanne 🤗
You are so welcome! Glad you loved the recipe 🙂
Great recipe. It works very well, I did it with aquafaba and with ume-su vinegar (pickled plum juice vinegar). The consistency was faboulous and the taste great.
This was amazing! It was so easy! I ran out of mayo and didn’t want to risk raw eggs for regular mayo because I’m pregnant, so this was a life saver! Used the aquafaba as I’ve been eating a lot of chickpeas and always have some of it on hand.
This is an excellent recipe! Best mayo I ever tasted and no fancy ingredients needed. Could olive or avocado oil be substituted? Thank you so much for sharing this!
You can definitely use olive oil or avocado oil! I tend to make this recipe with olive oil!
I tried again with soy milk and it is thick and delicious. It took ages and heated up the stick blender, so next time, I will observe the room temp. Suggestion and see if that makes a difference. I am so happy to be rid of another commercial product! Thank you.
Woah. This recipe really works! I’m based in SE Asia where it’s hard to find plant based mayo, so gave this a whirl. I can’t believe it worked! I was worried I’d muck up the emulsification step with the oil, but it was absolutely fine. I didn’t need to add the optional sweetener.
I liked the texture and consistency but I feel like all I could taste is the vinegar (I hate vinegar) is there anyway I could add less of it? Or replace with something else? Thanks!
You can try lemon.
This recipe is great! I use it as a base for homemade Caesar dressing and it works perfectly! I didn’t change a thing!
I didn’t think there was any way I could do this successfully (I’m not the best in the kitchen), but I made creamy-fluffy plant based mayo with this recipe! It tasted great and I’m getting ready to make my second batch. So if you’re on the fence — try it! You might be impressed with yourself.
Excellent recipe. I blend everything (half oil) in a small blender for about min then the rest of the oil, blend again, and it turned out great. Close to the one I buy at the grocery store. Thank you !
Hi, Thank you.. great tasting… I used for potato salad and broccoli salad. Fantastic…
Hi Maria, Thanks for coming back and letting us know!
So, I normally don’t leave comments on blogs but honey today that is gonna change. I want to start off by saying this recipe 100% works! Thank you Joanne, you are some kind of kitchen warrior! So, for the folks who read the comments section, I want you to know that this is NOT for the faint-hearted or those in a hurry. Despite that I was in the Army and make just about EVERYTHING from scratch, this one had me mentally (and somewhat physically) stressed lol. A few things to keep in mind with the recipe: 1. If you don’t have a food processor with a small opening (I have a ninja and the opening is somewhat large), you are going to take a soymilk bath! I think maybe it’s good for your skin somehow but I dunno. I tell you I was freaking covered in soymilk, and it was truly disheartening at first and to be perfectly honest, I really did consider quitting, but I’m no quitter! So, I said a quick prayer to Jesus and persisted! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, (apparently including making vegan mayo). 2. I didn’t start seeing any thickening of the mayo until about half a cup was added in, DROP by DROP. I literally used a dropper for this since the first time I tried this I failed epically. But, this time the motivation was there since there is no way I can afford a jar of vegan mayo and I really really want some mayo. 3. After adding the half cup by the drop, I was able to very lightly stream in and drop in the rest of the oil. I did end up adding 1/4 more oil to get the consistency I wanted. 4. Have some time on your hands. This who process took me about 1 hour including taking out the ingredients. Was it work it? YAAAAAS! Thanks again for such a wonderful recipe! Love, Allyson
Wow, Allyson! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving such a thoughtful comment! SO happy this worked well for you!
Can you use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe.
Hi Maria, You can, but it will add flavor. Mayo made with 100% olive will have a strong olive oil taste. If you are okay with that, then go for it. Otherwise, you might consider doing a combination of neutral oil and olive oil.
Holy snap! I have recently been making the transition to a vegan diet and thought I had to give up mayo (which I love) because the vegan mayo in a jar at the store is disgusting. And then I made this mayo and I am sooooooo thrilled. It’s so good! Thank you for saving my sandwiches and salads!
Such fun! We made this as a family project using aquafaba. We had to keep tweeking it to get where we ended up. The taste is great, it took 30+ minutes to make 1/2 a cup. LOL, we loved it. Thank you for the recipe. My advice, used dijon mustard, not dry mustard. I used dry, and hadcto add dijon. I also added a little maple syrup. It’s not Duke’s, but it is vegan! 😁
I tried once before to make vegan mayo and it failed – just would not thicken. I was determined to try again and you had me at the word “easy”! I made it in my immersion blender and liked the tip by The Kitchen Vegan about using clingwrap and a funnel – it worked a treat. I was thrilled to see wonderful thickened vegan mayo for my second attempt, by using your recipe!! I have since seen the review by Frances re. using her Thermomix, so I will give that a go next time as that sounds even easier. I love the tips given by other reviewers so will try the onion and garlic powder, etc., etc.. to switch the flavours up a bit. I just wanted to say a big thank you for making this recipe achievable for me. Vegan mayo is so expensive to buy and rather than throw out my aquafaba, I can now put it to good use.
What a sweet comment! We really appreciate you taking the time to come and leave a review. Your experience will help inspire others 🙂
So, so, SO delicious! This is the best mayo I’ve ever tasted and as someone who used to eat egg mayo in heaps, this tastes even better than that. I added one scoop of pea protein powder for extra oomph and richness and a bit of kala namak for a hint of egg-esque flavour. Perfect and so silky. I don’t have a food processor, but the stick blender worked just fine. Thanks!
Thanks for this! This recipe for Easy Homemade Vegan Mayonnaise looks so tantalizing! I really want to make it however I don’t consume sunflower, grapeseed and vegetable oil. Do you know if it will work with a light olive oil or melted cooled refined coconut oil? Onya
A light olive oil or avocado oil should work for you.
My granddaughter is allergic to so many ingredients, including beans and soy, so aquafaba is out! Can this be made with oatmik?
Thank you
Same here. Some kids are sensitive to soy, one is allergic to chickpeas, but we need an egg-free, dairy-free mayo. Any other subs I could try?!
I’m another no can do with certain foods, I wont go into it. Have you tried sweetpotato juice?
Hi Linda, Unfortunately, this recipe does not work with oat milk.
Perfection! I made in Thermomix. Blitzed the milk for 1 min at 5, then added everything else except the oil, put the lid and measuring cup on and set to speed 4 for 90 seconds. Poured the oil onto the lid as it blended, so it dropped in slowly through the hole. Worked perfectly and so yummy!
Thank you for the good recipe
I made this recipe this morning in my blender and it came out AMAZING! I will never again buy Vegenaise. 🙂 I used my homemade Almond Milk, and added a dash of onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. I am on a no/low salt diet and this was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank Joi, you just answered my two questions: can this be made in a blender, and can I use my homemade almond milk instead? Yes and yes!
Just curious, how long does this stay good in the fridge?
Store vegan mayo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. As it sits, some liquid might pool at the top. However, I’ve found that it mixes back with a spoon with no issues. I do not recommend freezing.
This recipe is a keeper. Eat ur heart out Hellman’s. Tip for making mayo: Dripping oil into a food processor creates a mess with a geyser coming back out the top. A great way to avoid this: place plastic wrap over the top with a flimsy elastic to hold it in place. Then puncture a hole in the wrap with a pencil size item and place a funnel into the hole. Drip oil into the processor via the funnel. No mess!!
Wow so good so simple, love it and I am not vegan. Think everyone will be happy with this recipe.
Is there no way to make this last longer? 2-3 weeks is a bit short for me.
For this recipe, 2-3 weeks is what you should expect.
If you have a magic bullet type of machine use the flat blade(generally for whipped cream). It comes out crazy thick. So delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
How long is this vegan mayo good for?
Store vegan mayo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. As it sits, some liquid might pool at the top. However, I’ve found that it mixes back with a spoon with no issues. I do not recommend freezing.
I made this and my mayo was thin. I finally looked at the video and realized I did 1/2 cup of Aquafina yikes! I guess I can just back to the food processor and add another cup of oil to get it thicker. Will try again tomorrow. I would like to add I added a pinch of habanero, onion and garlic powders and it was wayyyyy better than dairy. I will update once I add the remaining oil but this recipe is already a 5 to me! Thanks