Creamy, tangy aquafaba mayo made at home with just 8 ingredients. This oil-free vegan mayo has half the calories of traditional mayonnaise yet still tastes luxuriously rich. Ready in minutes! NO soy, gluten, oil, coconut, or eggs.
Last week I was craving curried chickpea 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, healthy vegan mayo. Bonus points because it also puts the aquafaba from those chickpeas to good use!
I've never been a big mayonnaise person, and Mark isn't either. So we don't usually keep mayonnaise in the fridge, which means that when I do need mayo for a particular recipe, I usually end up tossing together some random concoction (often tofu-based like in this chickpea salad with dill).
But I wanted a richer, heavier, thicker mayo this time around, though still oil-free, and the combination of cashews and aquafaba accomplished it beautifully.
Reasons to love Oil-Free Aquafaba Mayo
Does this oil-free aquafaba mayo 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 calories of regular oil-based mayonnaise
- versatile; use it in any recipe where you need mayo
- made from pantry staples
- and even though it uses a small amount of cashews, it's still very affordable (especially if you're like us and have a tendency to spend $6 on a jar of mayonnaise only to waste about 75% of it)
Ingredients in Oil-Free Vegan Mayo
To make aquafaba mayo you'll need the following ingredients (pictured below):
- ⅓ cup aquafaba
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- mustard powder or prepared mustard
- sweetener such as cane sugar, brown rice syrup, agave, or maple
- fine sea salt
I find that using a combination of three different acids (lemon juice + apple cider + white vinegar) keeps any one flavor from coming through too strongly. 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 mine has no oil. This is why you'll also see pea protein powder mentioned in the recipe below. 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 feel free to omit the pea protein. And definitely don't add more than 1 teaspoon if you do choose to use it, as it can start to become chalky and affect the creamy mouthfeel.
I suspect the pea protein plays a small role in smoothing out the flavors and may have helped a tiny amount with thickening. But seriously, don't fret if you don't have any on hand. You won't miss it!
Nut-Free Options
If you're interested in a cashew-free vegan mayo, I recommend starting with a recipe that was specifically written to be nut-free.
Check out this oil-free pumpkin seed mayo from Rosa over at This Healthy Kitchen.
You can also substitute raw sunflower seeds for the cashews. Just soak them in hot water for an hour then rinse and drain.
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.
Ways to use aquafaba mayo:
Vegan Tuna Salad (chickpeas + jackfruit)
Curried Chickpea Salad
Jackfruit, Mango & Dill Salad
Chickpea Salad With Dill
Turn it into Vegan Ranch Dressing
Use it instead of tahini in this Creamy Harissa Dressing and this Carrot Raisin Salad!
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), either salted or unsalted Don't have aquafaba? Sub water!
- 1 tablespoon water Omit if subbing water for aquafaba.
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon mustard powder Sub ¼ tsp prepared mustard if necessary, and reduceone of the vinegars by 1 tsp.
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons organic cane sugar, brown rice syrup, agave, or maple syrup Cane sugar provides the most neutral flavor.
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt Adjust based on whether the aquafaba is salted or not.
- 1 teaspoon plain, unflavored, unsweetened pea protein powder, completely optional Vegenaise contains pea protein, but this ingredient is NOT crucial for great-tasting mayo, so don't fret!
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 Tbsp raw cashew butter (a very full ⅓ cup).
- For the ingredients where a range is indicated, begin with the lesser amounts. 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 mayo to a jar and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 4 hours. It will thicken as it cools.
