Aquafaba mayo is creamy, tangy, and made with only 8 ingredients. This oil-free vegan mayo has half the calories (and even less than half the fat) of traditional mayonnaise yet still tastes luxuriously rich! Plant-based and ready in minutes. Contains no soy, gluten, oil, coconut, or eggs.
Last week I was craving my favorite vegan tuna salad, but first I needed to whip up a batch of homemade vegan mayo. And that's how we've arrived at today's recipe, this ultra creamy, perfectly tangy, aquafaba mayo.
Bonus points because it also put the aquafaba from those chickpeas to good use!
I've never been a big mayonnaise person, and my husband isn't either. So we don't usually keep mayonnaise in the fridge, which means that when I do need mayo for a recipe, I usually end up tossing together a light vegan tofu mayo, like the one in this chickpea salad recipe.
But I wanted a richer, thicker mayo this time around, though still oil-free. And the combination of cashews and aquafaba accomplished it beautifully.
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Why You'll Love Oil-Free Mayo
Does this oil-free mayonnaise taste exactly like full-fat regular mayo? Well, no. It doesn't.
But is it deliciously tangy and creamy and awesome in its own right? Yes! It is!
Here are a few reasons why I think you'll LOVE this healthy vegan mayo. It's....
- tangy, salty, barely sweet, and oh so thick
- easy - no stressing over emulsification of oils
- ready in minutes
- has HALF the fat and calories of regular mayonnaise
- versatile - use it in any recipe where you need mayo
- made with pantry staples
- and even though it's made with cashews, it's still very affordable - especially if you're like us and have a tendency to spend $6 on a jar of vegan mayonnaise only to waste about 75% of it!
Ingredient Notes
To make low-fat aquafaba mayo you'll need the following ingredients (pictured below):
- aquafaba - this is the liquid in a can of chickpeas (or white beans). Or if you cook your own beans, use the cooking liquid. Feel free to use water instead if you don't have aquafaba or prefer not to use it.
- raw cashews
- fresh lemon juice
- apple cider vinegar
- white vinegar
- mustard powder or prepared mustard
- garlic and onion powder, optional
- sweetener such as cane sugar, brown rice syrup, agave, or maple syrup
- fine sea salt
See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
Instructions
- If not using a high-speed blender, soak the cashews by placing them in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour, then drain. Alternatively, substitute 6 tablespoons raw cashew butter (this is a very full ⅓ cup).
- Beginning with the lesser amount on ingredients where a range is given, combine everything in a blender, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust the acid, salt, and sweetness.
- Use immediately or transfer the mayo to a clean jar and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 4 hours. It will thicken as it cools.
Tips
I find that using a combination of three different acids (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and white vinegar) prevents any one flavor from coming through too strongly. You don't want your mayo to taste too lemon-y, for example.
I prefer a significantly tangy mayo, but you can easily adjust the amounts to suit your own palate.
In testing the recipe I tried to mimic the ingredient list of Vegenaise, well, as closely as I could considering this one has no oil. I even tested it with a tiny bit of pea protein since Vegenaise includes pea protein.
I wanted to see if it worked some sort of magic on the final product, and in short, I can't really say that it did. So I've adjusted the recipe slightly since it was first published to remove the pea protein (it was listed as optional).
Variation: Vegan Aioli
Transform this into an irresistible vegan aioli by adding 1 or 2 cloves of garlic or a teaspoon or more of garlic powder to the blender. It's always a good idea to start with less and taste as you go.
Vegan Mayo Without Nuts
If you're interested in a nut-free vegan mayo, you can substitute raw sunflower seeds for the cashews in this recipe.
Simply soak the seeds in hot water for about 30 minutes, then rinse and drain well before adding to the blender.
For another option, check out this oil-free pumpkin seed mayo by Rosa over at This Healthy Kitchen.
How long does it keep?
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator the mayo lasts up to one week. If separation occurs, simply stir before using.
The recipe makes about 1 cup, so it's pretty easy to use within a week. All of the ingredients are freezer-friendly, too. So you can probably even freeze it. I haven't tried, though, since we always use it up!
Ways To Use Aquafaba Mayo
- The Best Vegan Tuna Salad (chickpeas + jackfruit)
- Vegan Chicken Salad (same as above!)
- Curried Chickpea Salad
- Make an epic Vegan BLT
- and so many other vegan sandwiches
- Vegan Potato Salad With Rosemary
- Chickpea Salad With Dill
- Turn it into Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Stir it into Vegan Honey Mustard to make it extra creamy
- Use it instead of tahini in Creamy Harissa Dressing and Carrot Raisin Salad!
More Aquafaba Recipes
I hope you enjoy this Oil-Free Vegan Aquafaba Mayo! If you give it a try be sure to leave a star rating and let us know in the comments below.
📖 Recipe
Oil-Free Vegan Aquafaba Mayo
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews (90 g) - See step 1 below
- ⅓ cup aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas or white beans), either salted or unsalted - Or use water
- 1 tablespoon water - Omit if subbing water for aquafaba
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons organic cane sugar, brown rice syrup, agave or maple syrup - Cane sugar and agave taste the most neutral
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder, optional
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon mustard powder - Sub ½ tsp prepared mustard if needed, and reduce one of the vinegars by ½ tsp.
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - Adjust based on whether the aquafaba is salted or not
Instructions
- A high-speed blender is recommended for the creamiest consistency; if using a standard blender, soak cashews first by placing them in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour, then drain. Alternatively, substitute 6 tablespoons raw cashew butter (a very full ⅓ cup).
- For the ingredients where a range is indicated, begin with the lesser amount. Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust acid, salt, and sweetness.
- Use immediately or transfer the mayo to a jar and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 4 hours. It will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Storage
Store homemade vegan mayo in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (this may vary). Always use clean utensils and containers for serving and storage to extend freshness. All of the ingredients are freezer-friendly, so you can probably freeze it. I haven't tried, though, since we always use it up!Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Camie
PS - I didn’t use any sweetener and recipe is still as AWESOME! So for those who don’t want added sugar (I’m pre diabetic) this truly is an amazingly tasty mayonnaise. It’s actually better than non-vegan mayo, imho!
Thank you a billion times for this recipe!
Laura
What can be used instead of Lemon Juice? I'm allergic to citrus products.
Lori
Hi Laura,
The two types of vinegar give it nice tang. So I would taste it first without the lemon, then add a tiny bit more of both vinegars until it's as acidic as you like.
Jan
I was really surprised! Easy and delicious. Great texture, too.
Beth Davis
This recipe is awesome, thanks so much for sharing. I made this today and the only thing I changed was that I used Splenda instead of the sweetners listed because that's what I had on hand. This will be an excellent healthier replacement for my Duke's mayo.
Sharon
I love your Mayo recipe and change the consistency with plant-based milk to create salad dressing, dip and sauce. It is wonderful. I am on an oil-free WFPB diet and my problem is I’m not losing the weight I hoped to lose and I think it is because of the fat in nuts and seeds and I’m wondering if there might be a way to make this without them. I tried it with a white bean and had to throw it out. I wondered if silken tofu might work but I don’t want to throw out more food. Do you have a suggestion? I would really appreciate your help. Thanks for all your work. Sharon
Stacey
This is my 5th time making the mayo for one of your amazing mock salads. Doing the "chicken" salad again because I just can't get enough! Wonderful recipe as usual. Thank you Lori💗
Dorie
I was so glad to find this recipe using no oil. I did find it quite tangy and added more agave and that helped a lot. Then I remembered the black salt trick and added a little bit to give it that eggy Hellman's taste. I used it for potato salad and it was amazing. It's getting written on a recipe card and going right in my recipe box. Thank you so much for this healthy option. Dorie
Liz
I have wanted a recipe for mayonnaise for quite a while. I tried to use one that used silken tofu, tried to like it, but it really didn't taste enough like mayo and I found myself going back to vegenaise. When I came across this recipe, I knew I had all the ingredients on hand. So I just made a batch and love it. I was excited to have an easy, healthy, delicious tasting go-to mayonnaise recipe that I don't have to skimp on because of the oil (like vegenaise). I appreciated your suggestion about transforming it into aioli. It really is irresistible! I did use white bean aquafaba (which I'm glad you mentioned, never thought about using it before) and it's great! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Sarah
I've tried just about every oil free mayo recipe out there and this is hands down the winner!!!! The rest of them tend to be way too sweet and the cashew taste is very prominent but this recipe is spot on and tastes very just like regular mayo- I feel like maybe its the acidity that balances out the sweetness of the cashews so well (this recipe does have a little more than most)?? I also add a little black salt to mine to give it a little bit of egginess and honestly my nonvegan spouse didn't realize that it wasn't regular mayo. Highly recommend if anyone is on the fence about trying out this recipe (cashews are expensive y'all, I get it!). This is a forgiving recipe so you can play around with it a little to satisfy your own personal tastes. Also you can flavor it and make some aoli too, I've added chipotle sauce to it for a chipotle aoli and garlic for a garlic aoli, the possibilities seem endless!
V Laing
Excellent! I too balk at the price and nutritional aspect of store bought vegan mayo and this is a fabulous recipe. I added a bit of black salt for a slight eggy flavour. Thanks!