Vegan Mayo (Thick and Creamy)
If you can’t live without mayonnaise, you don’t have to if you want to eat vegan. Here’s my fave Vegan Mayo recipe! It only takes 5 minutes, tastes incredible and uses easy ingredients!
I remember the first time I tried vegan mayo, or plant based mayo, about four years ago. It tasted just like regular mayonnaise and kind of blew my mind. It tastes exactly the same! Vegan mayo here costs me quite a lot, and I remember one day wondering if it was possible to make it at home and friends – here we are!
Not only is it possible to make vegan mayo at home, but it’s also easy and takes only a few minutes. It’ll save you a lot of money since it’s some basic affordable pantry ingredients (really), and tastes incredible!
What ingredients are in vegan mayo?
I’m so glad you asked! Vegan mayo is made up of three basic ingredients – soy milk, oil and salt. Let me break them down a bit for you.
- Soy milk – You’re going to need to use soy milk for this recipe. Truthfully, apart from almond milk, it’s the vegan milk I always have in stock. Why? Emulsification. Soy milk contains natural emulsifiers that make it perfect for so many purposes. I use it to make creamy and solid vegan butter, as the perfect buttermilk in pancakes and cakes and more, and here – in mayo! It works perfectly and binds to the oil to make it nice and fluffy and mayo like!
- Oil – oil adds the necessary fat and binds with the soy milk. You want to use a subtle/mellow and odourless oil for taste. I love olive oil and coconut oil but they can be a bit overpowering here, so I recommend a more neutral oil like sunflower seed, canola or grape seed oil.
- Salt – salt is such a superior ingredient to me. It acts as a flavour enhancer here and really boosts the flavour.
Now, for the other ingredients. I always add in some apple cider vinegar, mustard, black pepper and garlic powder which for me take it over the top and give it that quintessential mayonnaise flavour. If however you’re using this for a sweet dessert, leave those out.
Expert Tips & FAQ
- I go through this in detail in recipe, but the best tool to use is an immersion blender in an open cup (like the beaker that comes with it). Air is an essential ingredient and you need free-flowing air to allow the emulsification to properly take place.
- You can’t do this in a container that is completely sealed off (just like my whipped coffee recipe). You can use a blender, but ensure it’s an open blender. I would do it that way by blending the soy milk first and then slowly streaming in the oil in the top. Cover it loosely with a cloth so it doesn’t splash. If you’re doing that, you might need to double the quantity so there’s enough for the blade.
- You should start with all your ingredients at the same temperature, preferably at room temperature.
Flavour Customisations/Add-ins
Feel free to customise this vegan mayo recipe with flavour add-ins. Here are some of my favourites:
- add in some dried Italian seasoning and an extra pinch of garlic powdered for herbed garlic mayo.
- Add in some sambal oelek or sriracha for a spicy mayo
Related Recipes
These are my favourite recipes where I use my homemade mayo:
- Bang Bang Broccoli
- Bang Bang Cauliflower
- Vegan BLT Sandwich
- Loaded Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Tuna Sandwich
- Vegan Tartar Sauce (with vegan fish tacos)
- spread on some No Knead Bread
Enjoy friends! If you make this post about these Vegan Mayo (Thick and Creamy), please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much! P.S. – do you know that we have an entire blog dedicated to low carb recipes named Low Carb Vegan Recipes?! Be sure to check it out!
Vegan Mayo (Thick and Creamy)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup original soy milk, (125mL) see notes for substitutions
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, or lime juice or white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dijion mustard
- 1 cup oil, I recommend any neutral oil (don't use coconut oil) (250mL)
Instructions
- Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. If your milk is cold, you can microwave it for about 10 seconds.
- Add the original soy milk, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt and mustard in the immersion blender beaker/jar and stir together.
- Pour the oil over the soy milk mixture. Let it sit for about a minute.
- Place your immersion blender into the bottom of the jar. Blend and keep it firmly pressed against the bottom for about 15 seconds while the mixture emulsifies. Slowly move the blender up and down to properly blend and incorporate all the ingredients until thick and fully combined.
- Taste and add/adjust any ingredients if needed. Place in a sealed jar in the fridge. It thickens up in the fridge even more. Enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips & FAQ
- I go through this in detail in recipe, but the best tool to use is an immersion blender in an open cup (like the beaker that comes with it). Air is an essential ingredient and you need free-flowing air to allow the emulsification to properly take place.
- You can’t do this in a container that is completely sealed off (just like my whipped coffee recipe). You can use a blender, but ensure it’s an open blender. I would do it that way by blending the soy milk first and then slowly streaming in the oil in the top. Cover it loosely with a cloth so it doesn’t splash. If you’re doing that, you might need to double the quantity so there’s enough for the blade.
- You should start with all your ingredients at the same temperature, preferably at room temperature.
- If you don't have the immersion blender cup, be sure to use a tall and narrow jar (like a Weck Jar).
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Used unsweetened almond and cashew milk, turned out delicious. Thank you!!
Hi Lila,
So so happy to hear that this worked so well for you with the almond and cashew milk combo! I hope its a staple for you from now on. Thank you for sharing.
What is this sorcery?? I just made your vegan mayo, and I am blown away. I didn’t have high hopes, so I halved the recipe. It’s absolutley delicious—I think it tastes better than real mayonnaise! Thank you for sharing your perfect recipe. I used Trader Joe’s organic high-oleic sunflower oil.
Hi Rita,
So so happy to hear that this recipe was great for you! I’m a huge fan as well. It’s too good! Thank you for sharing.
Turned out perfectly!
Using this recipe in Australia and I just used vegetable oil and added a bit of extra garlic, because,,,, garlic!
Better than the vegan aioli I buy from the shops.
Thank you for publishing.
Haha I agree Vicki – more garlic is always better!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
I made this vegan mayo and it turned out amazing! The taste is like store bought yet with clean and healthy ingredients.
Can it be frozen?
Thank you Jessica!
Hi Coraleen,
So thrilled to hear that you loved it. If this is frozen it definitely alters the texture when thawed so I wouldn’t recommend it!! Definitely best fresh.
I there thank you so much for this recipe, I have always wanted to make my own mayo. I followed every instruction to the letter but its not thickening up atall. the liquid tastes absolutely delicious but no thicker than the original oil/milk. I used oat milk and veg oil, does that make a difference? ive read all the notes and watched the video and cant see that I did anything differently. ive used a stick blender in the bottom of a nutri bullet tall cup,so its a nice narrow one. any ideas? please! or can I used the liquid for something else? can I thicken it with tapioca starch maybe? 😞 thank you for any help!
Hi Natalie,
Don’t toss your mayo – I agree with thickening it up with some tapioca starch or some flour, or even a cornstarch slurry!
Soy milk is actually needed for this recipe to work, because of the naturally occurring soy lecithin (a natural emulsifier) found in it that helps to bind the soy milk and the oil (basically we are using that as an emulsifier instead of eggs that’s found in traditional mayonnaise, just to explain). I’m not sure if you got to read the blog post itself that you’ll definitely need to use soy milk for the best results since this is the best ingredient for this! Unfortunately the oat milk by itself didn’t help to thicken it up enough. However definitely try and save yours so you don’t just have to toss it! It’s not your method, it’s your milk! Let me know if you’re able to save it – I came to respond as soon as I saw your comment! 🙂
wow I cant believe that you have replied so quickly! thank you so much for taking the time to send me such a comprehensive reply! your right I didnt read the blog part I wish I had! 😁 i will deffo try thicken it up, I have to admit that I keep poking my finger in to taste the mayo liquid and omg its delicious! thank you so much again!
I’m so happy you are enjoying it Natalie!! You’re so welcome and all the best!
Recently, our favourite vegan mayo was discontinued in Canada. We have food allergies so while we’re not vegan, we can’t have anything with egg or anything that “may contain” egg. I figured I’d give this a shot, and am SO impressed with the way this turned out. It literally took me 10 minutes max and is so tasty. Plus I can control the ingredients to make them as clean as I want. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Hi Zara,
So sorry to hear that your favourite vegan mayo was discontinued in Canada—so tough when that happens but I am absolutely thrilled to hear that this recipe worked out so well for you! It’s a staple in my household as well. Thank you for sharing.
Super recipe and great directions! I added a bit more spice (each to their own liking) and wala! lt was so easy. Thank you.
Hi Lita,
Thank you so much for sharing the love on this Vegan Mayo recipe. Thrilled you loved it!
This is absolutely the best vegan mayo, whether bought or homemade. It’s the only one I use now. I can’t always use all the soy milk, so I freeze in jars and mayo still turns out perfectly after it thaws and comes to room temp. Question re: nutritional info: is the 79 calories for one tablespoon of mayo? Thanks. And thanks for this recipe.
Hi Cathy,
You’ve got it—a serving is 1 tbsp of mayo in the nutritional info! So so happy to hear that you loved this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to share! So smart freezing the soy milk for later use.
How long should you be emulsifying for?
Hi Nikita,
This is one of those “you’ll know when you see it” moments! Once you start emulsifying, you’ll see the mixture turn into a beautiful, thick mayonnaise. Once the whole jar has transformed, you can stop so you don’t over mix! If there’s any oil-looking mixture left, keep going! Happy mayo-making.
Made this so many times thank you for it. I have used olive oil that gives it a strong biting taste but still good. But it has work best with grapeseed oil. Every time I have used 2 tsp of lime juice instead of vinegar and it tastes amazing. We do have to let it sit for a minute as you mentioned or it does not work as well ANNND … we were able to make it using the blendtec, the smaller jar they have with the lid that has plastic blades that come down into the jar. It lets enough air in and it is solid in less than a minute. Even my patients love it so thank you!
On a side note I wonder if anyone has had success with avocado oil. It is just a liquid sauce if I use it . Well thank you:)
Hi Neeth,
So so happy to hear that this worked out so well for you! I’ll let anyone share their experiences with Avocado oil here as well—hopefully that helps! Thank you for sharing.