Many people consider mayo the heart of their sandwich. Its creamy texture and unique flavor add just the right amount of moisture to balance a sandwich filled with otherwise dry ingredients. It’s often used as a dip or spread as well, but where it really belongs is the sandwich! Given its importance and popularity, it’s unfortunate that mayo contains eggs and is, therefore, off-limits to many.
That’s where some plant-based mayo can come in and save the day. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to replicate the texture of regular mayo with oils, veggies, and other healthy ingredients that come from plants instead of factories. Not only is it much healthier this way but some find it tastier, too!
While oils are a common and easy way to re-create the flavor and texture of mayo that everyone loves, some still prefer an oil-free vegan mayo. These are, sadly, hard to find in stores – but there is no shortage of recipes you can try yourself! Many of these are surprisingly easy and don’t require any complicated ingredients. Stay tuned at the end of the article for some simple oil-free recipes to get you started.
The Best Plant-Based Mayo Brands
1. Follow Your Heart Veganaise
Follow Your Heart Veganaise is one product of many in the impressive plant-based collection over at Follow Your Heart, and they have many flavors to choose from. The original features a simple recipe with ingredients like apple cider vinegar, soy protein, mustard flour, and lemon juice concentrate to create a light, creamy, and delicious flavor. Some say it’s even better than real mayo!
Other flavors include avocado oil, pesto, roasted garlic, sriracha, garlic, chipotle, and more. They also have options that are all organic, soy-free, and reduced-fat. The various flavors come from added ingredients like whole veggies and spices.
If you like spreads and dips but need to stay vegan, then Follow Your Heart is an amazing company. In addition to their mayo, they’ve also got salad dressing and some cream cheese for you to enjoy, along with a variety of snacks and other dairy replacements.
2. Hellman’s Vegan Mayo
Hellman’s is well-known for its classic, popular, and delicious mayo. Many people don’t hesitate to reach for Hellman’s when they’re after some mayo in the grocery store, which is why it was a smart move on their part to come out with a vegan mayo of their own.
Not only does Hellman’s promise an egg-free formula, but they also promise it contains no cholesterol or GMO ingredients either and it’s certified vegan. It’s made with simple ingredients like canola oil, vinegar, potato starch, lemon juice, spices, and natural flavor. They promise a classic, creamy, and delicious taste – so similar to their classic product you’ll never even know the difference.
They also have a couple of recommendations for getting the most out of your mayo in a creative way. They suggest using it in place of butter on a grilled cheese sandwich for a crispier texture and more flavorful finish. They also suggest adding their vegan mayo to cakes and other baked goods for a richer, deliciously moist, and irresistible texture.
3. Earth Balance Mindful Mayo
Earth Balance is another company with a great selection of vegan and plant-based replacements to help you keep enjoying the classics. Their Mindful Mayo is just that – mindful. It’s made from entirely plant-based ingredients like expeller-pressed canola oil, brown rice, apple cider vinegar, pea protein, mustard flour, and lemon juice concentrate. The recipe is simple and free from everything you don’t want like eggs, soy, lactose, and GMOs.
Its versatility goes beyond transforming sandwiches and also does well as a general spread, dip, or even a salad dressing. Its basic, classic flavor is also perfect for adding a few spices or veggies of your own to customize it for the dish you’re preparing.
4. Sir Kensington’s Vegan Mayo
Sir Kensington’s Vegan Mayo comes in four varieties including classic, chipotle, special sauce, and avocado oil. All are made with wholesome, high-quality ingredients. Sunflower or avocado oil is the base with other things like chickpeas, lemon juice, vinegar, rosemary extract, black pepper, and more coming together to create these delicious flavors.
The chipotle flavor gets its spice from real chipotle pepper powder, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, and more. The special sauce is indeed a very special flavor, coming from ingredients like tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, jalapeno, dill weed, smoked paprika, and more. It’s a signature combination they came up with and it’s super easy to get hooked on it.
If you’re stuck on what to do, they even have a handful of special recipes to consider for each flavor, such as black bean burgers, spinach artichoke dip, and wholesome veggie salad. They also have a few other things to offer like mustard, ketchup, and ranch. They’ve pretty much mastered the art of spreads, dips, and dressings with their expert recipes, healthy ingredients, and careful processes.
5. Primal Kitchen Vegan Mayo
Primal Kitchen took their most popular mayo and made a delicious plant-based version so that everyone can enjoy it. Avocado oil is the base and it’s made without soy or eggs and it’s certified paleo and keto-friendly. Aside from the avocado oil, water, salt, vinegar, potato protein, and mustard oil are the only ingredients, making it one of the cleanest mayos on the market, even among the plant-based!
The minimal ingredients also ensure it has no cholesterol, no added sugar, and no trans fats. This amazing mayo is not only extremely versatile in terms of use but it’s suitable for almost every diet and lifestyle out there. From sandwiches to baked goods, it offers up the creamiest texture and a delicious tangy flavor that you’ll never be able to get enough of.
You can spice things up even a little more with some additional herbs, spices, or even veggies. It’s plain and versatile enough to do that, but it’s also perfectly enjoyable on its own! Get some inspiration from the recipes on their website or use your imagination – you can’t go wrong either way.
Oil-Free Vegan Mayo Recipes
The mayo products on this list are no doubt cleaner and healthier than traditional mayo and are acceptable for vegan, keto, and paleo diets. But, these and most other vegan mayos have oil. Things like sunflower oil and avocado oil are popular choices and they’re good choices – they have many health benefits!
But, some people still prefer no oil, or they simply can’t have it. This doesn’t mean you can never use and experience mayo, doing so may just take a little extra effort! Check out these easy recipes and give them a try. Once mastered, you can add spices and other things to make them your own!
Low-Calorie Mayo
In addition to being easy and oil-free, this mayo recipe yields a result with about half the calories of typical mayo! This is good news for those who love mayo but need to keep an eye on calories. The ingredients here include cashews so it’s slightly higher in protein than other recipes.
Other ingredients include fresh lemon juice, vinegar, mustard powder, sea salt, and pea protein powder. Making the mayo is as easy as putting everything in a blender and mixing it well! It takes a few hours to set and cool but it’s worth the wait. It’ll also keep in the fridge for about a week – give or take.
Oil-Free Mayo Four Ways
Mayo is great because not only is it versatile but there are so many flavor possibilities. The simple addition of some herbs and spices can change everything and make your dish that much better.
That said, plain, original mayo is just as good and definitely necessary in certain situations. That’s why this healthy, oil-free recipe comes in handy – you can easily switch it up and make it four different ways.
The four variations include tofu, cashews, tofu + garlic, and cashews + garlic. These four combinations each create their own unique flavor, while only changing one thing in the recipe. Other ingredients include dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and apple cider vinegar.
The method is just as simple and like the ingredients, changes very little based on which version you want.
Super Simple Vegan Mayo
This last recipe is also oil-free and is the simplest of the bunch, using fewer ingredients but still has two options! The variations here are tofu or cashews. The tofu alternative is perfect for those who must remain nut-free.
Other ingredients include lemon juice, white vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, and dijon mustard – that’s it! Each variation has slightly different flavors and consistencies, but they are pretty similar and it’s nice to have options that suit all dietary needs, restrictions, and choices.
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