Quick & Easy Vegan Mayonnaise (with Sweet Chilli option)

In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a delicious mayonnaise that uses basic pantry ingredients, is ready in five minutes and costs as little as 34p! I never thought I’d find another mayo as tasty as Vegenaise, but this home-made version is just that. So if you’re on a budget or have difficulty finding great-tasting vegan mayos in your shops, then I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

While I’m a little late to the party (as per usual), the home-made vegan mayo craze kicked off in 2015, following a discovery by French musician Joel Roessel that the water from a can of beans (or left over from cooking beans) could be used as a plant-based alternative to egg whites. Ingenious! This discovery was then further developed by American software engineer Goose Wohlt (who named it ‘aquafaba’) and the Facebook community Aquafaba (Vegan Meringue – Hits and Misses!)

For those unfamiliar with the term ‘aquafaba’, it’s basically the Latin for ‘bean water’ (Aqua = water Faba = bean). The Latin name sure does sound more appealing, doesn’t it?

Literally within weeks of the aquafaba discovery, my Facebook newsfeed started filling up with images of meringues, pavlovas, marshmallows, mousses, macarons and mayonnaise that were being made with this liquid that we usually throw down the sink. Basically, all the foods that I loved in my pre-vegan days and never dreamed I would ever get to eat again.

The reason I was slow to join the home-made mayo craze is because the American Follow Your Heart Vegenaise had made its way into my local health food shop. I can honestly say that Vegenaise was the best mayo I’d ever tasted (even better than the traditional egg-based mayo) so I was in no rush to find a replacement.

However, after repeatedly seeing aquafaba mayo videos popping up on social media, the intrigue got the better of me and I decided to give it a try.

And the verdict?

I LOVE IT! Not only does it taste gorgeous, but it’s really fun to make too! Literally within seconds of whizzing the runny ingredients together, they turn into this mass of thick, white, creamy deliciousness.

The great thing about making your own mayonnaise is that you can adjust the flavour to suit your personal preferences. A lot of mayo recipes that I’ve tried are too acidic for my taste buds, so I cut right back on the vinegar in my version.

You can also switch up the flavour of the mayonnaise depending on what you’re planning to serve it with. For my vegan doner kebabs and smashed chickpea sandwich fillings, I love to add a couple of teaspoons of sweet chilli sauce to the mayonnaise for a touch of spiciness.

Another big advantage to making your own mayo is that it is super cheap! Using sunflower oil, it cost just 34p to make 240ml / 1 cup’s worth of mayo. (The equivalent amount of Vegenaise costs £1.77).

Using organic oil, it still only cost 70p (compared to £2.25 for the equivalent amount of organic Vegenaise).

If you’re on a budget or can’t get access to a decent vegan mayo, then home-made is definitely the way to go.

Quick & Easy Vegan Mayonnaise

When using a can of chickpeas, don’t discard the water! Instead use it to make delicious home-made mayonnaise. For me, the ratio of ingredients below produces a mayonnaise that is very close in taste to my favourite store-bought mayo (Vegenaise). However, feel free to adapt the quantities of vinegar, sweetener, mustard and salt to suit your own taste buds. I’ve also added a sweet chilli mayo option, which is delicious (probably my favourite home-made mayo, to date).
Hands-on Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Salad
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 3 TBSP aquafaba I use the water from a can of unsalted chickpeas
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 200 g / 1 cup neutral-tasting oil e.g. organic rapeseed (canola) oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil
  • Sweet chilli option [See Note below]

Instructions
 

  • Place the aquafaba, vinegar, syrup, mustard and salt in a jug. Using a stick (immersion) blender, whizz the ingredients until fully combined.
  • Add 2 TBSP oil and pulse the blender until the oil is just combined (this only takes a few seconds). Add another 2 TBSP oil and pulse for a few seconds again until combined. Repeat this process, adding just 2 TBSP oil at a time, until all the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise has become thick and creamy. (It is important to add the oil slowly so it has a chance to emulsify).
  • Taste test and add a touch more vinegar, mustard, sweetener or salt, if desired.
  • Transfer the mayonnaise to a clean glass jar and refrigerate. The mayonnaise should keep for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Sweet Chilli Option: Add 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce into the mayonnaise and whizz to combine (I use Lingham’s Chilli Sauce). Taste test and add more sweet chilli, if desired.
Thanks to Hippy Chick for inspiring this recipe!
Keyword Egg-free Mayonnaise, Gluten-Free, Vegan Mayonnaise

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If you try this recipe, please come back and leave a review. It’s so helpful to me (and other readers) to hear your experiences and ideas for variations. Thank you!

Best wishes,

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64 thoughts on “Quick & Easy Vegan Mayonnaise (with Sweet Chilli option)

  1. This is great! I used the chickpeas to make a chickpea smash sandwich! What a great alternative to veganaise! and kinder on the wallet too!

  2. Hello

    I’ve just made the mayonnaise. A success.

    Your instructions were clear – adding oil 2 tablespoons at a time worked a treat. Can’t be doing with drizzling oil in while whisking.

    I now have a use for my immersion blender.

    I used aquafaba from chickpeas cooked in a slow-cooker. That always produces a gelatinous liquid. I usually use that for stock.

    Thank you for all the testing so I didn’t have to…

    Peter

  3. Made a batch today. I think this is my first successful batch of vegan mayo. A little thin, but I think that’s because my aquafaba is thin. I make my chickpeas in the IP, and may be adding too much water for prime AF…an ingredient I haven’t used my up to now.

    Thanks for the clear directions. 🙂

    1. Great to hear that the recipe worked for you Psuke! ☺️
      I’m also wondering whether your aquafaba was possibly a bit too thin? Perhaps next time you could try simmering it for a while to reduce and thicken it slightly? It would definitely be worth a go!

  4. My first attempt at vegan mayo and it worked a treat. Used the aquafaba from a tin of chick peas and it was super easy. Thank you.

  5. Mine was looking really good until I added the next to the last tablespoon of oil. It was really creamy but at that point it turned to liquid again. I tried adding more Aquafaba but that didn’t work. 😩 I’ll try again another day.

    1. I’m so sorry to hear that it failed at the final moment Carol. What a shame! I’m not sure why this would have happened as I’ve never experienced it personally. I’ll send you a quick email and we’ll see if we can get to the bottom of what happened xx

    2. This was so amazing that it worked and actually tastes like mayo!!! Mine also broke towards the end but it is because the oil gets too warm and liquifies again. I just put it the fridge for an hour and whipped it again slowly and it’s perfect!!! Thanks so much!!!

      1. Hi Cheryl,

        Thank you so much for your feedback on the mayo. It’s really appreciated! It’s been really helpful to hear about your experiences (and I’m sure it will be for others too!) I had been wondering whether the length of time spent blending could cause the mayo to break, and having read your feedback it sounds like this could be the culprit. Each time I add a couple of tablespoons of oil, I pulse the blender for literally a few seconds until it’s just combined, before adding the next oil. It’s a super quick process and the oil doesn’t heat. I’ve just amended the recipe to make this clearer xx

  6. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I was looking for a soy-free recipe and this is by far the best recipe I have found. The instructions were super easy and all the ingredients are staples in my kitchen. I used canned chickpea aquafaba. It was super thick! Worked great! My son, the vegan, says it tastes just like the “real thing”.

    Thank you

    1. Thank you so much Helen for your lovely feedback! I’m really pleased to hear the recipe works well for you, and how much your son is enjoying the mayo! ☺️

    1. 5 stars
      You can but be sure to do it quickly or it will break from the heated blades. Maybe just keep it on slow speed like 5 or so.

    1. Hi Lyn.
      Unfortunately the oil cannot be replaced in this mayo recipe, however it is possible to make vegan mayo without oil! Typically blended cashews or tofu are used as a substitute. Here are few recipes that would be worth checking out…
      https://yupitsvegan.com/oil-free-vegan-mayonnaise/
      https://healthymidwesterngirl.com/vegan-oil-free-mayonnaise/
      https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/cashew-vegan-mayonnaise/
      Hope this helps!
      Best wishes Sharon xx

  7. 5 stars
    5+ stars! This recipe is perfect! And it’s a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing. It’s truly awesome. I ran out of Dijon so I had to use honey mustard but still great! Miracle Whip like taste but I love sweet!

    1. YAY!!! I’m so happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the mayo! Reading your feedback made me smile so much 🥰 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Means a lot to me xx

  8. 5 stars
    It’s yummy. I made it with rapeseed oil (I tried another recipe with avocado oil and it was horrible) and added some garlic and chilli flakes. Unfortunately I seem to have eaten half of it while transferring into a jar :0)

    1. Haha I can imagine how easy it is to do that! 😂
      I love the idea of blending in some garlic into the mayo (either pan-fried or roasted as I’m not a fan of raw garlic) and I guess that would turn it into an aioli! ❤️ Thanks for the inspo! ✨ I’m looking forward to giving it a try! xx

  9. This receipt is excellent. However 200 ml does not = 1 cup. 1 cup is 250mL. So I used less oil and it worked well

  10. 5 stars
    Omg this is amazing! Honestly, I tried different vegan mayo recipes with different main ingredients but always failed 🙁 I can say that Aquafaba is the one! I was unsure about the mustard as I don’t like it at all but I added a bit less and it delicious! It tastes like normal mayo, it took me off guard 😂 thank you!

    1. Hey Sara. It’s an absolute pleasure! I’m thrilled to hear that this mayo recipe was a success for you! 😄 It still amazes me how a handful of basic pantry ingredients can magically transform into something that tastes so similar to ‘regular’ mayo. I can totally see how that might throw you off guard 😂

  11. 5 stars
    Love this mayo. Thanks for sharing.
    To make a bigger batch do I just add more oil or do I need more of other ingredients?

    1. Hey Barry! So pleased to hear that you’re enjoying the mayo! 😄 I’ve halved the recipe before, but I’ve yet to try increasing the quantity. My best guess would be to double all the ingredients except the oil first, then slowly add oil a little at a time until it emulsifies… or simply make two batches separately then transfer them into a large jar. Since the oil has to be added slowly, I don’t think there would be much difference in the amount of time it takes?

      If you do try making a bigger batch, be sure to report back as your tips could really help us! Thank you!

      1. Thanks for the advice Sharon. I doubled the ingredients and added an extra 100ml (500ml total)of oil and it turned out good just a little bit runny
        On the next batch I just went back to the normal recipe for one batch but just kept adding oil so the total amount of oil was at 500ml again. It turned out best this way as the Mayo was just like normal so I’ll be sticking to this way. It 3/4 fills a large beetroot size jar and is plenty for two weeks.

        1. Oh that’s brilliant to know! Thank you so much for sharing this Barry. It’s super helpful for me (and no doubt my readers too!) 👍😄

  12. 5 stars
    I made this last night, it tastes so good & clean compared to store bought mayo. Mine turned out quite yellow but I’m guessing that was because of the mustard & oil? A few commenters said about it breaking down & I was a little worried of over blending & I’m not sure if I under blended? It’s turned out a little runnier than I was hoping, do you think that’s because I should blend the aquafaba a bit more before adding the oil? A video would be amazing, even though it’s a straight forward recipe it always helps watching a video to make sure I’m doing it right! Will definitely be making this regularly, I go through a jar of mayo roughly every 2 weeks & this is the perfect consistency for pasta salad as well (how mine turned out anyway).

    1. Hey Lacey!

      I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the homemade vegan mayo! I can just imagine how delicious it is in pasta salad 😋 The colour will vary depending on the oil used. I tend to use organic rapeseed oil, which is very light in colour.

      With regards to the blending, I literally blend for a few seconds at each stage, using a stick blender. Next time I make it, I’ll make a note of exactly how long I blend for and let you know. I love your idea of making a video! This is something completely new to me and I’d love to experiment with new formats. I’ll definitely look into it xx

  13. We just did this at home in our food processor (immersion stick died on us) and it came out perfect! We also replaced the maple syrup with honey and it worked fine, so it looks like quite a forgiving recipe!

  14. Hello
    We have made several different vegan mayo’s and one thing to keep in mind is that all the ingredients have to be at room temperature this may help with the final product and the blending process!

  15. I don’t know where I went wrong but mine came out runny and never firmed up. I made chickpeas in my instant pot and used the water from there. I also used avocado oil. Everything else was the same.

    1. Hi Debbie,

      I have never got this recipe to work with chickpeas I’ve cooked myself, I’ve always had to use tinned. However, I did read on another recipe that maybe boiling down and concentrating the aquafaba from your instant-pot might help!

    2. Mine did too, till I looked at 1 cup and saw that it more than 200ml. Thus, I had to add more of everything else to balance out the oil.

  16. 5 stars
    This turned out so thick and creamy – honestly nicer than normal mayo! I would say that 1/2 tsp salt was a little too much, but that’s probably because I used table salt rather than sea salt. I will 100% make again! 🙂

  17. I’ve made this 3-4 times and it worked once, but the other 3 times it will thicken really well, then toward the end of adding the last 1/4-1/2 cup of the oil it ‘breaks’ and then goes completely liquid and won’t go back to mayo. Is it over blending or am I doing something else wrong?

    1. 200ml is less than 1 cup. If you add 1 cup of oil, then you will need to add more of everything else. The same happened to me, and it firmed up again after I compensated for this false equivalence.

  18. 5 stars
    I didn’t put 2 tablespoons of oil at the time. I put everything together and used my handheld mixer and it worked perfectly fine and tastes great. Thanks so much for the great recipe!

  19. Our trouble is finding vegan mayo without mustard. The one brand we use is Best Foods/Hellmans, but can only find at one store now, which makes me nervous as my daughter is very allergic to mustard! Can this recipe be made without the mustard?

  20. 5 stars
    This is by far the best Vegan Mayo recipe. No one in my family guessed that it was NOT Hellman’s.

    I used dried Cannellini beans. Followed the package directions for a quick soak, then added all to the crock pot on simmer all night.

    I drained the beans reserving the priceless nectar! I boiled the cannellini aquafaba just a bit and it was nice and thick. I used agave and grapeseed oil and an immersion blender. PERFECT! Thank you, thank you!

    1. YAY! So pleased you enjoyed and the family enjoyed the mayo, Pam! 😄 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback. It’s very much appreciated! Best wishes, Sharon xx

    1. Hey James. A light olive oil should work fine in this mayo recipe. You basically need to use a neutral-tasting oil so that it doesn’t affect the flavour. Best wishes, Sharon

  21. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
    My daughter recently had a blood test and is now avoiding soy, wheat, eggs, and poultry. Man, it’s been rough feeding her. Everything has soy! Even veganaise! And all the sub recipes I found use soy milk.
    Thank you for this ..maybe she can eat tuna melts again! On wheat & egg free bread of course!

  22. 5 stars
    This recipe is brilliant! I’ve used it so many times.

    However, I’ve always stuck to the quantities and I decided to try using all the chickpea juice, not just the 3tbsp. There was approx 10tbsp and so I tried to adapt the rest of the quantity of ingredients. It’s still quite runny…I’m not quite sure why…? Too much oil or not enough?

  23. I tried this recipe three times as directed and every time it was extremely runny. Not sure what I did wrong

  24. 5 stars
    I have been using this recipe since I first discovered it last year and it has never failed me. Watching the Aquafaba change and thicken with the other ingredients blows my mind every time!

    Love it!

    The only thing I’m trying to improve on is getting rid of the slight oily taste that is sometimes there and only notice if I taste the mayonnaise on it’s on without adding it to any ingredients. I only use sunflower oil because the other oils can make the mayonnaise look too dark. I haven’t tried canola oil, would that be better taste and still keep it light?

  25. I tried this today, it worked fine. It was a bit oily for my taste so I experimented with blending in some of the chick peas from the tin. In the end about half was peas. It tasted even better, lovely & nutty. There were some unblended skins so next time I’ll run the peas through a seive before adding them to make it smoother.

  26. Thank you so much for the recipe. I have tried a few others and this is my favorite. Just the right amout of sweet, salt and tangy. Blends up in a nice perfectly think mayo.

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