This Egg Free Mayo is thick, creamy, and super easy to make! Perfect as a spread on sandwiches, in salad dressings, or as a garlic aioli. Soy-free and nut-free, it uses the liquid from a can of chickpeas to create a luscious spread that's completely free of eggs.
Why We Love this Eggless Mayo
There are several reasons someone may not want to make real homemade mayonnaise with a raw egg. Even though the risk of salmonella is extremely low, if you're pregnant or at a higher risk of complications, this recipe is totally risk free.
- It's a vegan mayo recipe but tastes amazing, rich and fluffy.
- This egg free mayo is easy to make and will turn out perfect if you follow the instructions carefully.
- A lot of chickens are fed soy in their diet and soy-free eggs are very expensive. If you're someone sensitive to soy on a migraine diet, this can create an issue.
- Store-bought eggless mayo contains lots of additives and flavorings, and this recipe is MSG free.
Ingredients
- Aquafaba aka "Chickpea Juice" - Many of us have drained and tossed a can of chickpeas to make some hummus, not even realizing we were throwing out a trendy item! Aquafaba has become very popular these last few years as an egg substitute for vegan diets. When whipped, aquafaba's starchy liquid creates a foam. In fact, this guide to aquafaba from America's Test Kitchen shows that when whipped with cream of tartar, it can create stiff peaks, just like real eggs. Which is wonderful for those who are sensitive to eggs, but still love merengue!
- A few Chickpeas - This enhances the emulsifying process, adding some bulk and texture to the mixture.
- Distilled White Vinegar - Necessary to make the mayo come together in a thick texture and also add flavor.
- Spices - Garlic and dry mustard give this a traditional Hellman's-style flavor.
- Oil - I prefer to use a light vegetable oil like canola or sunflower for this to keep the flavor similar to store-bought mayo. However you could use olive oil or avocado oil, it will just have a stronger flavor to it.
Step by Step Guide
This egg free mayo is easy to make. Just follow the instructions well as they're very important!
- Prepare all the ingredients so they're ready to add in quickly - 1 clove of garlic, 3 tablespoons of leftover aquafaba, 12 chickpeas (according to Serious Eats), 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, ½ teaspoon mustard powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¾ cup of sunflower oil.
- Add the garlic, aquafaba, chickpeas, white vinegar, mustard powder and salt to the food processor. I turn my food processor on high and let it whip for about 30 seconds until the chickpeas were incorporated and smooth.
- With the processor still on, SLOWLY add in a steady stream of the oil. Normally when I do this with an egg, it whips up pretty fast. With the aquafaba mixture I started to worry a little bit as it looked more like a dressing. I paused on the oil for a few seconds, and saw it starting to take shape. Once you see this happening, you can continue to slowly add in the rest of the oil.
- Continue to process until the mixture is nice and thick and don't overwork it. Turn off once the thick consistency is reached.
Recipe Tips
- To achieve a great texture, it helps if the aquafaba is at room temperature, but it seems to work chilled as well.
- It's imperative that you drizzle in your oil very slowly, or this recipe will just turn into a giant mess.
- Egg free mayo will keep in the fridge for about a week. I store mine in little mason jars.
- I prefer to use a good food processor for this since it does a great job of blending everything while keeping my hands free. A blender would also work, although you may want to mince your garlic before adding if the blade sits high.
- If you're new to making mayo, try an immersion blender, which is nearly foolproof. You just might need someone to help keep the tall jar steady while you pour in the oil slowly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Using sunflower, canola, and safflower oil, or any light vegetable oil produces a great, fluffy texture and a mild taste. You can definitely use olive oil or avocado oil, but I recommend splitting it with a vegetable oil, or you may not have a great texture and the flavor can be a bit strong. For example, use ¼ cup of olive oil and ½ cup of vegetable oil.
Mayo made with aquafaba tastes surprisingly like the real thing. It's thick, creamy, and substitutes well in recipes that call for mayonnaise with eggs like ranch dressing, pesto mayo, or baked fish.
Good news - This egg free mayo is vegan and plant based! But if you're looking for some other condiments, I recommend my chimichurri sauce, nut-free pesto, or artichoke hummus all linked below.
Egg Free Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba, drained from a can of chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 whole chickpeas, either from a can or softened (not dried)
- ¾ cup sunflower oil *see notes
- fresh black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic clove, distilled white vinegar, mustard powder, aquafaba, chickpeas, and kosher salt. Blend till smooth and frothy.
- With the food processor or blender on high speed, drizzle the oil in very slowly, pausing when needed to allow the mixture to become thick and creamy. Continue blending till the texture is more like a thick mayonnaise rather than a dressing. The whole process took me 1-2 minutes. Once it reaches that thickness, stop blending immediately.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more kosher salt and fresh black pepper if needed. Store in the fridge in a mason jar or airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- It helps the texture if your aquafaba (chickpea juice) is at room temperature, but it seems to work chilled as well.
- If you want to add sugar, it's recommended to use regular cane/granulated sugar rather than honey or maple syrup, which can affect the texture.
- It's imperative that you drizzle in your oil very slowly, or this recipe will just turn into a giant mess.
- Sunflower, safflower, or light vegetable oil is recommended for the best texture and taste. You can divide the recipe using ½ vegetable oil and ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil, if desired.
- I like to use a food processor, but an immersion blender or regular blender can also work. I recommend an immersion blender for beginners or if you don't have a really good food processor.
- Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.
Nutrition
This post was originally uploaded September 13, 2019 and was recently updated to include new recipe tips, step by step process, and improved photos.
I am very much not a mayo person, but some things demand mayo (like an egg sandwich), so I just made this. For the first time in my life, I think I understand why people like mayo. It’s fantastic.
Also, I made it with light olive oil (because I try to stay away from nut and seed oils) and it is fantastic.
Love that I can make Mayo without all the extra crap in it. I couldn’t find the oil suggested so I went with 1/2 cup grape seed oil & 1/4 cup avocado oil & it turned out great! I froze what I didn’t use in ice cube trays so hopefully that works!
This is helpful! Thanks, Kim!
Thank you! I was just wondering off that exact combo would work!
I tried this this week and it turned out so great! I even packed in on an airplane flight with me so I could have tuna sandwiches during my travels. This was so easy and so great! I’m so thankful that even though eggs are a trigger for me, I can enjoy Mayo again!
Thanks so much for your review Kasey. I'm thrilled it worked out great for you!
I've been wanting to try this for the longest time and I finally got around to it today! It was working in the beginning and was quite thick, and even when I added the oil very slowly. But somewhere towards the end, it just became super watery. I don't know what I did wrong! 🙁 It definitely does look more like a salad dressing, but it's super yum nevertheless. I'll try again another time to make it into a proper, thick "mayo". Thank you so much! 🙂
OMG, this mayo is so good-thick and delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
You're so welcome!
This mayo is the best! Super tasty and so surprising that it comes out like real mayo!
So close! I can't have eggs or chickpeas 🙁 Any other ideas?
Unfortunately no. 🙁
This is so good! Eggs are a migraine trigger for me. I think it tastes better than mayo but I was not a mayo fan to begin with. Now, I can eat recipes that contain mayo again so thank you so much for sharing this recipe!