Easy Vegan Mayo Recipe (Actually Healthy + 2 Ways!) - From My Bowl (2024)

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Forget store-bought, make your own Vegan Mayo using this easy recipe! It’s Oil-Free, Healthy, and has both Nut-Free and Soy-Free Options.

What’s that, you say? Vegan Mayo that’s Oil-Free, actually tastes like Mayonnaise, and has both a Nut-Freeand a Soy-Free option?

Yeah, you heard me right 😉

I’m all about celebrating the flavors of whole plant foods, but sometimes you just need a little mayo in your life, ya know? And when I want Mayo, I want the almost-real-deal. Taste, texture, and color! There I choseeach ingredient in this recipe very carefully…

• Cashews OR Tofu:some people are Nut-Free, while other avoid Soy. Therefore, I created TWO recipes using either Cashews or Tofu! I’ll share notes below on each variety, so you can decide which one you’d like to make for yourself.
• Lemon Juice AND Vinegar:traditional Mayo has some acidity to it, so we need to include some in our recipe as well! The Mayo tastedtoo Lemony when I usedall Lemon Juice, so I did a 50-50 split with Distilled White Vinegar to even it out.
• Nutritional Yeast: gives a nice “dairy-esque” flavor to the Mayo, as well as more depth of flavor! A little goes a long way.
• Dijon Mustard: again, this contributes to the “tang” that is classic to Mayo. You only need a bit, but it makes a dramatic difference!

Each recipe has the same basic ingredients, though there are a few slight adjustments. Mayonnaise normally has asubtle sweetness to it — I found that the Cashew Mayo still had this sweetness (from the Cashews), but the Tofu Mayo did not. So we need to add a bit of sugar to the Tofu Mayo! Tofu itself also holds a lot more liquid than Cashews, so we actually need to drain and dry it a bit to get thatthick and fluffy consistency that we’re looking for.

Don’t worry friends, it’ll all be in the recipe notes. Now, on to texture and color! I compared both of my homemade Mayos with a store-bought Vegan Mayonnaise, for reference.

You’ll notice that the Tofu Mayo (left), appears a little more yellow than the store-bought Mayo (center), while the Cashew Mayo (right) appears a touch more yellow-gray. In terms of consistency, I found that the Tofu Mayo wasinitially more runny than the store-bought Mayonnaise, but it thickened up in the fridge overnight. The Cashew Mayo was as thick as the store-bought Mayo straight off the bat, but also thickened in the fridge. So if you’re planning to use it over time, I would suggest adding a little more water to it!

The Cashew Mayo also appears to be slightly less smooth than the other two types of Vegan Mayo, but I did not notice a difference when actually using it in recipes. That being said, you’ll definitely need a high-speed blender to make the Cashew variety.

Now, let’s look at spreadability! I found that all three varieties spread very well over a slice of bread. As you can see, the Tofu (left) and Store-bought (center) seem to be the most similar. However, I still found the Cashew Mayo (right) to spread quite nicely. As I mentioned earlier, you can also add a little bit more water to the recipe to get a smoother consistency.

So, what’s the deal? Is one variety of Vegan Mayo actually better than the other?

I think this is a hard one! Obviously, you may need to make one version of Vegan Mayo vs. another due to dietary restrictions, but I would sayI personally prefer the Cashew Mayo over the Tofu Mayo, just slightly. Both of them tastepretty darn close to actual Mayo, but the Tofu Mayo does have a subtle “soy” flavor to it. I found that the Cashew Mayo had a much more neutral flavor, and tasted more like actual Mayonnaise.

That being said, the Tofu Mayo is still a great option and is much morebudget-friendly! Not only is Tofu less expensive than Cashews, but you don’t need to have a powerful blender to make it.

At the end of the day,both of these Vegan Mayos taste awesome!Traditional Mayonnaise is made with Egg Yolks and a Neutral Oil…I personally try to avoid both of those things. I was so happy when I was able to recreate theexact same Mayo consistency and flavor, but usingwholefood ingredients.Not only are these Mayos tasty, but it’s also pretty darn good for you too.

Feel free to use them as you would normal Mayo! Both are great on Sandwiches, in Salad Dressings, or anywhere you would traditionally use Mayonnaise. And if you do end up making both varieties, let me know which one wasyour favorite in the comments below!

If you’re looking for more Vegan Spreads, you’ll also love this Vegan Chipotle Mayo and this Creamy Cilantro Dressing!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

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