This vegan mayo is rich and creamy, made with 6 easy ingredients and ready in 5 minutes. It’s so good you won’t believe you made it yourself!
This vegan mayo is like magic. You just put 6 easy ingredients into a measuring jug, blend it up with an immersion blender and like magic, you have vegan mayo!
The first time I made it I could barely believe it was possible, and when it all just worked, I was so excited!
I have since tried all kinds of combinations (not all were super successful) but this recipe is a sure winner.
It’s a super thick and creamy vegan mayo that’s pretty much identical to what you would buy at the store.
It’s divine as a dip for your chips, as a spread, as a salad cream or dressing, or wherever a mayonnaise is required.
Ingredient Notes
Avocado oil – forms the base of this recipe and I really love it for this as it’s a wonderfully neutral flavored oil. I have tried this recipe with canola oil and it was also good but not nearly as good as the avocado oil.
Olive oil – I mixed in a bit of extra virgin olive oil for flavor balance and that worked really great.
Unsweetened soy milk – emulsifies with the oil to create this thick and creamy mayo. It is crucial that it’s unsweetened. I tried a batch with regular soy milk and there was a very odd after-taste. Even though we do add a little sweetener to this (maple syrup) that doesn’t seem to have the impact that sweetened soy milk does, so make sure your soy milk is unsweetened. Soy milk is also a great emulsifier, so other plant-milks may not work well in this recipe.
How To Make Vegan Mayo
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add avocado oil, unsweetened soy milk, olive oil, salt, distilled white vinegar and maple syrup to a measuring jug.
- Blend it with an immersion blender.
- It emulsifies beautifully into thick, creamy mayo!
Egg replacement?
There is no ‘egg replacement’ in this recipe. Other vegan mayonnaise recipes tend to use aquafaba (chickpea water) but this recipe doesn’t use that.
However, I actually have another vegan mayonnaise recipe that uses aquafaba, the result was so different that it warranted me doing TWO mayonnaise recipes for this blog. This recipe is thick and very mayonnaise-y, the other one that uses aquafaba is thinner and more like a salad cream.
Storage Tips
Store your vegan mayo in a sealed jar in the fridge where it will stay good for around 5 days.
It doesn’t have the long shelf life that store-bought mayonnaise has. So if you’re not a big mayo eater, then make a half batch.
The mayo does tend to separate a bit in the fridge, don’t worry about that, just give it a stir and it’s good to go.
Troubleshooting
Does Not Work: Stand Mixer and Food Processor
- I tried this in my stand mixer and it would not emulsify at all, no matter what speed setting I had it on. The batch was saved when I moved it to a bowl and used the immersion blender to emulsify it.
- I also was not able to make it emulsify when trying it out in a food processor.
Works: Variable Speed Vitamix
- I tried this in my regular blender, which is a Vitamix. My Vitamix is one with a speed control, so I start at slow speed and my mayo emulsified without any issues.
Best Results: Immersion Blender
- The most consistent results are achieved with an immersion blender. All things are not equal with regular full size blenders. However, immersion blenders are quite similar across brands so this is the most reliable way of making it.
- So if you think homemade mayo’s are in your future (and lots of soups!) then an immersion blender is a very worthwhile purchase. And usually inexpensive too.
- If you try it in your full size blender and have any trouble with it emulsifying then move it to a bowl and use the immersion blender to ‘fix’ the batch.
Room Temperature Ingredients:
- Your ingredients should all be at room temperature.
- If one of your ingredients (like your non-dairy milk) is cold from the fridge and your oil is room temperature, then that can cause this recipe to not work properly. So make sure everything is at room temperature before you get started.
More Vegan Staple Recipes
- Vegan Cashew Cream
- Homemade Vegan Butter
- Vegan Nutella
- Homemade Oat Milk
- Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
- Vegan Parmesan
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 cup Avocado Oil (240ml)
- ½ cup Unsweetened Soy Milk (120ml)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Distilled White Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
Instructions
- All all the ingredients to a bowl or measuring jug.
- Use an immersion (handheld) blender to emulsify it into mayonnaise.
Video
Notes
- You can use different oils other than avocado oil with varying taste results.
- It is crucial that the soy milk is unsweetened, using a regular sweetened variety gave this a very odd taste.
- Don’t switch out the soy milk for another non-dairy milk. Soy milk emulsifies very well and other plant milks may not.
- Ingredients must all be at room temperature otherwise this recipe may not work out as intended.
- The best results in this recipe come from using an immersion blender (handheld blender).
- This recipe makes around 1 and ½ cups of vegan mayo.
- Store your vegan mayo in a sealed jar in the fridge where it will stay good for around 5 days.
- The fries served with the mayo in our photos are our baked potato fries.
Denorah says
Hi could I ask how long would this keep in the fridge in a sealed container.
Alison Andrews says
Around 5 days.
Hans says
Hey Alison.
Is there a way I can make this shelf stable? Could I add xantham gum or something like that?
Hans
Alison Andrews says
Hi Hans, I’m really not what additions would be needed to make it shelf stable. All the best!
Niki Smith says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Just made it and it is so delicious! Really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Niki! So glad it came out well! 🙂
Chris Ann Herron says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will attempt to make some today! I do not have an handheld immersion blender? Do you think it will work with a regular blender?
Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Chris! I have made this in a blender successfully, using a Vitamix with variable speed and starting at slow speed. I think a handheld blender is a ‘safer’ option because handheld blenders are quite similar but full size blenders can vary a lot. But if you don’t have a handheld blender then use what you have, but see the tips in the post to have the best chance of it working out well. All the best! 🙂
Gail Koerber says
Hello
I just made this and it is AWESOME!
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that! Thanks Gail! 🙂
Kath says
Producers of avocado mayo are adding rosemary extract to extend shelf like. I have tried it, 2 or 3 drops are all that is needed and you don’t taste the rosemary,.
Alison Andrews says
Great! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Darryl Thompson says
This is the first time I’ve ever tried to make my own vegan mayonnaise. I followed the recipe to the note, with stellar results. A fraction of the cost of the store-bought varieties, which I’ll never buy again.
Don’t use rice milk, as I did the first time. It didn’t work and was the consistency of water!
Alison Andrews says
So glad it worked out well! And thanks for the note about rice milk, very good to know! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review! 🙂
Marilyn Morrison says
What about unsweetened coconut milk since you are adding a sweetener anyway. Coconut is naturally a little sweeter than soy. Concerned about the consistency?
Alison Andrews says
If you try it let us know how it goes! 🙂
Carol says
Dear Alison,
Can I use flax milk (plain) in place of the soy milk?
Thank you so much for your wonderful site with an abundance of compassionate recipes…
Carol
Alison Andrews says
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried this with anything other than soy milk. I’m not really sure. I think it would work, but this recipe has unexpectedly turned out to be tricky for some people, so you can definitely try it but just know that it would be an experiment! So glad you like the blog and thanks so much for your lovely comments! 🙂
Carol says
Dear Alison,
Thank you for your kind reply, and I did follow your good instructions… to simply follow the recipe as given… and it came out perfectly… thank you so much!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for updating us! 🙂
Jeanne says
I tried a half recipe, so that in case it didn’t work out. Glad I did. I used avocado oil, unsweetened almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and agave nectar in a Vitamix. I put everything in except the oil, put it on medium, and drizzled the oil in slowly, Which is how I understand that you get things to emulsify. It emulsified beautifully, which is when I should have immediately turned the blender off. Seconds later it broke, the mayo, that is. I tried turning it up to high for a minute and that did nothing. I guess I will try again but now I just have some oily milk on my hands 🙁 guess I will try to use it for salad dressing.
Jess says
Almond milk definitely does not work. I tried it several times using several recipes, all failed. Soy is apart thicker & we can not use it. If anyone can give me a soy alternative milk, it will greatly appreciated!!
Theresa says
My youngest is allergic to several of the ingredients in regular mayo. I also avoid his allergens. I made this in the single serve container using my ninja. I made half a batch. Worked great. I also didn’t remember to make the soy milk be room temp nor did I have maple syrup. This is a life changer. Thanks so much!!
Alison Andrews says
So pleased to hear! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review! xo
Theresa says
My youngest is allergic to several of the ingredients in regular mayo. I also avoid his allergens. I made this with my ninja. Worked great. I also didn’t remember to make the milk be room temp nor did I have maple syrup. This is a life changer. Thanks so much!!
Saira says
Would this work with water instead of milk?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, no this wouldn’t work without the soy milk, it’s part of what helps it emulsify. You can try our other recipe for vegan mayonnaise that is made with aquafaba and no soy milk. All the best! 🙂
Jenn says
This didn’t work for me with oat milk, either. Had to turn it into salad dressing 🙁 I suspect that the order in which the vinegar is added to the oil is the culprit, as most mayo recipes mention pouring the vinegar in very slowly, while the oil is blending, but this recipe doesn’t call for that, so who knows! 😀
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jenn, we’ve never had an issue with the vinegar so didn’t have a reason to only add it in at the end, but if you think that’s the reason it didn’t work with the oat milk then that’s always worth a try! All the best!
Gary says
Trader Joe’s Organic unsweetened soy, Avacado oil from COSTCO both on the counter over night. Did not emulsify beyond the consistency of cream. I suspect the old Betty Crocker immersion blender and the old one-speed Oster blender are too slow. Not going to spend 100’s on a Vitamix., Maybe a more modern hand blender will work. Very frustrating. There doesn’t seem to be a method using a small food processor
Ellenor says
I only had sweetened soy milk so I tried making this with oat milk and it failed – never thickened. So then I ried with the sweetened soy milk and it worked out fine for me. I didn’t notice an aftertaste. Like others, I was amazed how immediately it thickened. A few days later I altered the recipe to put on top of berries. I used canola oil (didn’t have anything else on hand), sweetened soy milk, a couple tablespoons of lime juice instead of vinegar, a dash of salt, and a bit of honey. It thickened up nicely but predictably I could taste the canola oil. I will definitely try it with other types of oil. I wonder if Coconut oil might be a good fit here.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Ellenor, really interesting to hear that oat milk didn’t work out. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! 🙂