This is an oil-free vegan mayonnaise substitute that works wherever mayo is used, thanks to the magic of cashews and aquafaba! Hooray for vegan mayo made without tofu and without oil.
Compared to when I first started this blog, the commercial vegan mayonnaise options here in the USA are amazing. They’ve become quite widely available and taste more or less the same as the “real thing”. (Case in point: my parents unwittingly purchased and used Hampton Creek mayo thinking it was the kind with eggs in it).
A lot of my readers avoid added oils, though, and I’ve yet to see an oil-free vegan mayo on the shelves, so I went ahead and created one at home. This recipe happens to be both egg-free and soy-free. I’ve tried the silken tofu-based eggless mayonnaise recipes and I think they’re pretty tasty! But this cashew mayo version is more realistically rich and it also keeps better in the fridge. At the time of writing this, I have a batch from about 10 days ago sitting in my fridge and it’s still in great shape (your mileage may vary, of course). My tofu versions have tended to separate and get watery after a couple of days.
Of course this vegan mayo is not completely fat-free, due to the cashews. But using aquafaba does allow the mixture to be emulsified with no oil or other stabilizers.
I know that folks will want a nut-free option. I am working on one with sunflower seeds, but it is not yet perfected. That’s actually an age old experiment of mine that you can see pictured here in my rice paper bacon photos. I’ll definitely update here if I make one that I’m satisfied with!
My original iteration of oil-free vegan mayo came into existence back when I made creamy cucumber salad. The recipe is improved now thanks to aquafaba (bean cooking liquid) as a binder, and not needing to spend an arm and a leg on pine nuts.
No, this does not taste EXACTLY like mayonnaise, but for being vegan, oil-free, soy-free, and made from simple ingredients it’s a darn good analogue to use in various ways! It has the same thick and creamy texture and tangy, slightly sweet flavor.
I use a pinch of kala namak (black salt) to give a sulfuric flavor to the mayo that’s reminiscent of eggs, but it’s a totally optional ingredient. Other than that, the ingredients here are pretty standard plant-based fare at this point.
Cashew mayonnaise, no-fu mayo, or just creamy vegan sandwich spread; call it what you want and enjoy!
Easy Oil-free Vegan Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight or in hot water for 2 hours
- 1/4 cup aquafaba
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp agave nectar or brown rice syrup
- 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
- 2 tsp white vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black salt (kala namak) (optional)
- 3/8 tsp salt (quantity may vary; see notes)
Instructions
- Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a blender. (I use either my Ninja or my Magic Bullet for this recipe). Pulse a few times to break the cashews into crumbles. Add the aquafaba and water and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the regular salt, and blend until completely smooth.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste; I used 3/8 tsp when making this with liquid from 365 brand canned chickpeas. Add more lemon to taste if desired. Store your oil-free vegan mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it lasts around a week or more.
Notes
Nutrition
Other homemade condiments on the blog:
Roasted Garlic Sriracha BBQ Sauce
Avocado Ranch Dressing
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
jerry says
So it’s not mayonnaise
Stacey says
This recipe is amazing! Our go-to now. I use maple syrup and it works in place of agave/other sweetener.
Alicia L. Roco says
What about almonds or pumpkin seeds (pepitas) to sub for cashews?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I don’t think those would work as well. They are more fibrous, lower fat content. Would not be as creamy
Tonya says
So, I tried this with high hopes. I’m not sure what exactly went wrong but mine separated and turned into a soupy sauce. Since I was using it for macaroni salad , I went ahead and used it as a sauce and then mashed up a half of an avocado for that creaminess I was looking for out of the mayo.
Any ideas what went wrong? I really want this work next time.
Joe says
I hate recipes with exotic – odd – hard to find items, at most grocers and expensive online – should take out the “easy ” part in description… Imagine the stock clerks face when you ask for aquafaba…
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi there. Did you read the recipe? It literally says in the recipe notes that aquafaba is the liquid from a can of beans, I’ve never seen any grocery store anywhere that doesn’t sell canned beans
Ursula Rogers says
This is fantastic. I’ve tried (and discarded) so many oil-free mayo recipes. This is it! Thank you!
Jovana says
This was so dang good. My husband and I were tasting it after I finished and couldn’t believe the black magic of it! The black salt definitely seals the deal. We don’t use a lot of salt so just the black salt ended up being enough for us without any additional salt 🙂
Jovana says
Oh, we also subbed agave nectar for date syrup!
Citra says
Thanks for very good recipe! We made it and it’s the best non oily mayo we tried! Do you know if I can freeze the aqua fiber water? I have a lot and want to use it again after sometime. What do you think?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Citra, yes it freezes great! I always freeze mine in an ice cube tray, then pop them out and stick them in a container to freeze long term, and defrost as many as I need for a recipe.
peggy says
Hi – can I sub something for the agave? Maple syrup? I don’t have any agave, but I’ll go buy if i need it! Thanks.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Maple syrup’s flavor is a bit strong, but another sweetener should work, like plain sugar, or corn syrup.
Mirela says
I didn’t use any sweetener and it still tasted very good.
Becca says
This is a staple for me now, it’s my go-to mayo recipe. I don’t miss the oil or eggs at all. Not sure how long I’ve been making it but wanted to finally leave a comment!
Arely says
Thank you for this. We as a family have recently gone Vegan. My eldest daughter has a really bad reaction to Soy products so we are all looking for soy free alternatives. We already have Bulk Raw Cashews on our grocery list so this will be a joy to add!
Lynn says
Is the brown rice syrup just for sweetness or what is its purpose in this recipe? I am on a no sugar added eating plan for my health is why I am asking. Thank you
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
It’s for a little bit of malty sweetness that helps it more closely resemble non-vegan mayo. I think this would still taste good with that omitted but humbly I believe it’s best when included.
Vicky says
Is the sugar neccessary? Never saw sugar in the ingredients list of traditional mayo so just curious! 😀
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The ingredients used in the non vegan version have more natural sweetness so this is to make the flavor more similar. The vegan mayo is overall not sweet (pet peeve of mine when the store bought ones are super sweet!) it’s just a little bit for flavor.
Margaret says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I used .5 c of cashews, a whole carton of aquafaba liquid (i bought the slightly smaller than a can “carton” of chickpeas), lemon, a little salt, apple cider vinegar and some “melted” agar agar- about 3/4 tbsp, a little hot water. I added pepper & garlic to make an aoli. I skipped sweetener and mustard because it’s not a classic french ingredient. Afterall, mayonnaise is french. I also saw another recipe which suggests using cream of tartar w/aquafaba on it’s own, then add in the fat. They streamed oil. I think you’d have to blutz the cashews separately w/garlic, s&p, vinegar & lemon, then fold them into the peaked aquafaba.
Megan says
Do I have to use raw cashews?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I strongly, strongly recommend raw cashews. Once in a while, people try my recipes with roasted cashews and like it, but the majority of the time, the added oils and the roasting process makes the texture a bit funny and too strong of a cashew flavor.
Dee says
can i use a processor? thanks
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
With a food processor it may be slightly more difficult to break down the cashews into a smooth mixture. If you make a double batch or have a food processor that is on the small side, then it may work.
Dima says
If I use half that amount of Cashews and make up the rest with oil or any other substitute, how much oil or substitute do you think should i use? I’m trying to keep find a more affordable alternative due to the high price of cashews… especially that I want to prepare large amounts of it. Thanks alot 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I believe if you use a neutral oil in about 1/2 of the quantity it would probably be a workable substitute. However, I have not tested this.
Suzanne says
This mayo is so great! I love that it’s an oil-free option that is still rich and creamy. The flavor and texture are perfect, and it’s even delicious on its own – I couldn’t stop tasting it straight from the blender!
Stacey says
Do you think this would freeze well?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Stacey – I think the texture might get a little weird when freezing this. I’m not certain though – have not tried yet.
Peta says
I use this recipe as a base to make chipotle mayo, and I freeze it into small burger-sized quantities with an ice-cube tray. Takes a bit of effort to get them out again, but otherwise it works great. I take one out, put it in a small container, sprinkle a tiny bit of water on top then microwave it on the lowest power setting my microwave has in 10-second bursts (it heats up REALLY fast) and mix it up well as soon as it’s warm. Works excellently!! Wish the Karl Cooks website hadn’t gone down because he had a great spice mix he used for chipotle mayo that I haven’t entirely been able to replicate from memory, but I fiddle around with ground chipotle spice, small amnt tomato paste, parika, chilli powder and cayenne pepper until it tastes amazing 🙂 In Australia we have Vegie Delights Smoky BBQ Burger patties and combining them with this mayo is the bomb! Thank you!
Jackie noor says
Can you use white beans in place of nuts I can’t have nuts but this recipe sounds good
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Jackie, I don’t think white beans will work well if substituted 1:1. The cashews provide a necessary fat content and richness. A better alternative would be raw sunflower seeds.
Gwen says
Hi, I made it with white beans because when i searched for an oil free dressing what I wanted was a fat free dressing. So I used white beans and used Apple cider vinegar and Dijon plus hot mustard. I enjoyed the outcome. We each have a unique pallet and I often have to adjust recipes to suit mine so I would never discourage people to try and see if it suits them. If they dislike it as a mayo they can add it to a soup for creaminess.
Raleigh says
It seems pretty unfair to give the recipe 3 stars when you didn’t even follow it.
Nancy Nurse says
I completely agree, Raleigh.
Hannah says
This is fabulous! I usually cringe at the idea of oil-free mayo, but I love the fact that it doesn’t mean fat-free mayo. Cashews and aquafaba really are magical, so together they create the perfect mouthfeel and richness. This one is a real keeper!
Rylin Mariel says
You should be aware that BPA free isn’t actually safe: scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/
and if you do a search you’ll find scads of other articles, as well as the studies to back them up. I chose this one because Scientific American is a reputable source, and for brevity’s sake – the article is short.
I purchased a stainless steel pressure cooker a few years ago, and I can cook large batches of chickpeas and freeze them in serving size containers. You can freeze the aquafaba in glass jars as well: place the liquid in the jar, put the lid on loosely, (to prevent the jar from cracking during freezing), then tighten the lid once the liquid is fully frozen. Freeze the quantity of liquid you need for a recipe in each jar. Make hummus from the chickpeas, and freeze that in small batches too.
Diane says
Yes Rylin, I read the same thing, this new product “Tritan” I think it’s called, may actually be worse than BPA products. I plan to stick with glass. It’s a shame we can’t get non-toxic products developed.
Laura says
I’m trying to go vegan from being vegetarian for over 20 years, but I’m having alot of problems finding citrus free recipes like this mayo. I’m allergic to citrus and citric acid. Any advice?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Laura, you can substitute the lemon juice in this recipe with about half the amount in apple cider vinegar, to taste. Should still be quite nice.
Lemon has a particular tanginess to it that’s used in a lot of vegan dairy and egg analogue recipes so it’s not always the easiest to substitute. Are you able to get your hands on unsweetened nondairy yogurt? That’s a great alternative to lemon for getting tangy flavor that isn’t as aggressive as vinegar.
Victoria Ziglor says
My sister make some great vegan dishes, i love eating at her house. When i came across your web page i asked her if she even been to it, she said no. But she loved the mayo recipe. We’ll be on here a lot now
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Glad to hear it Victoria! Thanks for your comment!