vegan spread

There are condiments you buy without thinking about it. And then there are condiments like this Homemade Vegan Mayo Sauce — the kind that you make once in a blender in under five minutes, taste, and immediately understand why homemade mayonnaise has always been considered something categorically different from the jar on the supermarket shelf. This is that mayo. The one that is so silky, so rich, so perfectly balanced between the richness of the oil and the brightness of the lemon and the subtle savory depth of the mustard that it makes everything it touches taste more luxurious and more complete. The one you will make every week because it takes five minutes and lasts ten days and improves everything.

This recipe uses aquafaba — the liquid from a can of chickpeas — as the emulsifying agent that replaces egg yolks in traditional mayonnaise, creating a mayo that is not merely a serviceable plant-based substitute but genuinely outstanding in its own right: thick, glossy, pale cream-colored, with a clean flavor that is rich without being heavy and bright without being sharp. The technique is the same as traditional mayo — a slow, steady stream of oil emulsified into a liquid base — executed in a blender or with an immersion blender in a fraction of the time and effort that hand-whisked mayo requires.

What makes this recipe so outstanding is the emulsification technique — starting with all the non-oil ingredients blended together and then adding the oil in a very slow, steady stream while the blender runs continuously, which is what creates the stable, thick, glossy emulsion that stays creamy for days rather than separating into an oily mess.

This recipe is 100% vegan, naturally dairy-free, egg-free, ready in 5 minutes, and produces a mayo so good that it works as a straight spread, a dip base, a salad dressing foundation, and the starting point for every flavored sauce in this collection.

Recipe Information

Ingredients

For the Vegan Mayo

• 3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp maple syrup or a pinch of sugar
• ¾ cup (180ml) neutral oil — sunflower, light olive, or avocado oil

Flavor Variations to Make from This Base

Garlic Aioli: Add 2–3 cloves roasted garlic or 1 clove raw garlic (blended in) + extra lemon
Sriracha Mayo: Stir in 1–2 tbsp sriracha + 1 tsp lime juice
Chipotle Mayo: Blend in 1 chipotle pepper in adobo + ½ tsp smoked paprika
Herb Mayo: Stir in 3 tbsp fresh herbs (chives, dill, tarragon, parsley)
Curry Mayo: Stir in 1 tsp curry powder + 1 tsp mango chutney
Truffle Mayo: Stir in ½–1 tsp truffle oil after blending

Instructions

Immersion Blender Method (Easiest and Most Reliable)

1. Combine the aquafaba, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, white pepper, and maple syrup in a tall, narrow jar or the cup that came with your immersion blender. The container should be just wide enough to fit the immersion blender head.
2. Pour all the oil on top of the aquafaba mixture — do not stir or combine.
3. Place the immersion blender at the very bottom of the jar, directly over the aquafaba layer. Turn it on at full speed and hold it completely still at the bottom for 20–30 seconds without moving it — you will see a thick, white emulsion forming from the bottom up.
4. Once the emulsion has risen about halfway up the jar, slowly begin lifting the blender upward through the oil, drawing it gradually into the emulsion. Continue blending until all the oil is incorporated and the mayo is thick, glossy, and completely emulsified. This takes about 60 seconds total.
5. Taste and adjust — more lemon for brightness, more salt as needed, more mustard for depth.

Standard Blender Method

1. Add the aquafaba, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and maple syrup to the blender. Blend for 30 seconds until combined.
2. With the blender running at medium speed, remove the center cap from the lid and add the oil in the absolute thinnest possible stream — the thinner and slower the stream, the more stable the emulsion. Take at least 60–90 seconds to add all the oil.
3. Once all the oil is incorporated, blend for 10 more seconds. The mayo should be thick, pale, and glossy. Taste and adjust.
4. Transfer to a sealed jar and refrigerate. The mayo thickens further as it chills.

Pro Tips

• Use the immersion blender method if at all possible — it is faster, produces a more stable emulsion, and requires less precision with the oil stream than the standard blender method.
• Start with room temperature aquafaba — cold aquafaba emulsifies less reliably. If your chickpea can has been in the refrigerator, let the aquafaba sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before using.
• Add the oil slowly — this is the single most important technique point. Oil added too quickly overwhelms the emulsifier before it can coat the oil droplets, causing the mayo to break. Slow and steady is the rule.
• Use neutral oil — strongly flavored oils like extra virgin olive oil produce a bitter, heavy mayo. Light olive oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil produce a clean, neutral-flavored base that lets the other ingredients shine.

The Science of Mayonnaise Emulsification

Mayonnaise is one of the most elegant examples of food chemistry in everyday cooking — a stable emulsion of oil in water, held together by an emulsifying agent. In traditional mayonnaise, egg yolk lecithin is the emulsifier. In this vegan version, aquafaba provides the equivalent function: the liquid from cooked chickpeas contains proteins and saponins that, when agitated, coat the tiny oil droplets produced by blending and prevent them from coalescing back into a layer of oil. The key to a stable emulsion is the ratio of emulsifier to oil and the speed of oil addition — too much oil too fast overwhelms the emulsifier’s capacity to coat the droplets, and the emulsion breaks into an oily liquid. Added slowly and patiently, the emulsifier can keep pace, and the result is the thick, glossy, stable mayo that keeps in the refrigerator for over a week without separating.

Ways to Use This Vegan Mayo

• Spread: On sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and toast
• Dip: Alongside fries, crackers, crudités, spring rolls, and sausage rolls
• Dressing base: Mixed with lemon, herbs, and garlic for a creamy salad dressing
• Coleslaw: The base for any creamy coleslaw dressing
• Pasta salad: Tossed through cold pasta with vegetables and herbs
• Sauce base: The starting point for tartar sauce, remoulade, thousand island, and any creamy sandwich sauce

Nutritional Highlights (Per Tablespoon)

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store in a sealed jar for up to 10 days. The mayo may thicken slightly in the refrigerator — stir well before using. Do not freeze — freezing breaks the emulsion permanently.
• If the mayo breaks: If the emulsion breaks during making (it becomes thin and oily rather than thick and creamy), start with a fresh tablespoon of aquafaba in a clean jar and slowly add the broken mayo as if it were the oil — it will re-emulsify.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is aquafaba and where do I find it?

Aquafaba is simply the liquid from a can of chickpeas — the pale, slightly viscous liquid you would normally drain away. It is free, requires no preparation, and keeps in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a week.

Can I use a different liquid instead of aquafaba?

Aquafaba is the most reliable vegan emulsifier for mayonnaise. Soy milk has also been used successfully — use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened soy milk in place of the aquafaba. Other plant milks do not emulsify as reliably.

Why did my mayo turn out thin and runny?

Thin mayo is almost always caused by adding the oil too quickly. If this happens, start with fresh aquafaba and slowly add the thin mayo as if it were the oil to rescue the emulsion.

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out! Tag us on Instagram and Facebook — we love seeing your plant-powered creations. Looking for more addictive vegan snack and appetizer recipes? Browse all recipes on Easy Vegan Recipes — new recipes posted every single week!