How To Make Vegan Mayonnaise
Oct 05, 2012, Updated Sep 28, 2017
It had never occurred to me to make my own condiments until I had a health crisis. In 2003 I got so sick that I couldn’t work. After months of tests and specialists, I was told I had chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Not because there are tests for those, but because they had ruled out everything else. There’s no treatment for either, so eventually I turned to an alternative healer. He took one look at me, said I was “full of inflammation” and that I had to get off sugar. And not just candy, of which I ate a lot. No, every type of granulated sugar, high-fructose corn sugar, anything with -ose at the end of it, and white distilled vinegar. (White vinegar is made from GMO corn, by the way.)
So, a month of label reading later, I was off all processed foods and had tossed or given away every condiment in my fridge. While I had made salad dressing before, making other condiments just hadn’t been on my radar. They were something you bought and stuck on the fridge door until you needed them.
My first stop on the condiment train was barbecue sauce, which is normally loaded with HFCS. When that recipe turned out to be insanely delicious, I turned my hand to other favorites. Pickle relish? Check. Ketchup? Yum. Mayo? I had made real mayo years before, but now I was off dairy products and eggs too. Could I possibly make vegan mayo? It was pretty pricey at the store…
The vegan mayo was a happy accident. I was trying to make a different version of home-made margarine during October Unprocessed last year, tried agar agar instead of lecithin, and ended up with creamy, fluffy, cholesterol-free and salmonella-free mayo.
The only special ingredient you need for this recipe is agar flakes. This rich, creamy mayo rivals anything you can buy in the store, and you can make as much or as little as you need. [Andrew adds: If you can’t find agar in your local store, you can order it from amazon]
Agar, made from dried seaweed, is a thickener used in Asian desserts, molecular gastronomy, and in petri dishes at most science laboratories. It creates and holds the oil-milk emulsion. You can flavor this mayo with lemon juice, add a little sweetener, or use it as a base for dips or salad dressings. Start to finish, this recipe takes only 10 minutes.
Vegan Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup soy milk*
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, omit for low-sodium diets
- 2/3 cup grapeseed oil, can also use safflower or organic canola oil
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon agar flakes*
- 2 Tablespoons filtered water
Instructions
- Combine the soy milk, vinegar, and salt and let stand at least 10 minutes until it is thick and curdled.
- Heat the agar in the water over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it swells up.
- Put the curdled milk, half of the oil, and the agar mixture in a blender and blend on high for one minute. Add the other half of the oil in a steady stream with the blender running until it emulsifies. If you are using a Vitamix (or other high-speed blender), start on Variable 1, and bring it up to Variable 6 while streaming in the remaining oil.
- Store this in the refrigerator. It lasts about two weeks. You might see a little bit of separation, but you can stir it and it will be fine.
Notes
Nutrition
Stephanie Weaver is a writer and health coach with expertise in changing diets and recipes for health reasons. Her book The Migraine Relief Plan: An 8-Week Transition to Better Eating, Fewer Headaches, and Optimal Health will hit shelves Feb. 14, 2017. Find over 325 recipes coded for special diets in her Recipe Index. She does regular cooking demonstrations on Facebook Live.
I am working on a soy-free version but so far no luck. Thanks for all the nice comments. I am inspired by everyone who shares their unprocessed ideas too.
I always learn something new from ya, Stephanie! Luckily, I don’t use much white vinegar. Label reading can definitely become a full time job!
Wow, Stephanie. This mayo looks so creamy. I had no idea vegan mayo is so easy to make. I also am interested in a soy-free version, so if anyone tries it, do share. Thanks for this recipe.
You truly inspire me, Stephanie – and that was news to me as well re white vinegar.
Wow, didn’t realize white vinegar was made with GMO corn. I think you can get agar at any Asian market.
I make mine with silken tofu…no oil ….no salt…just apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dill, and a squirt of Bragg,s aminos….amounts are to taste. It is a cross between mayo and sour cream. Family prefers this to the “real” things.
Can you post the recipe? Please :)!
Wait — isn’t soy milk a processed food?
As she mentioned in the recipe, you can make your own soy milk at home so it passes the kitchen test: http://www.eatingrules.com/2011/10/how-to-make-soy-milk/
Some store-bought brands are full of thickeners and preservatives, others are not.
Trader Joes sells an organic unsweetened soy milk. Only two ingredients, filtered water and organic soy beans (passes the test).