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My home-made tofu-free veganaise (vegan mayo) is so much better than store-bought. It’s rich, creamy, and silky, really easy to make, and is deliciously more-ish! It’s fantastic on burgers, with sausages, in sandwiches, on potato salad. And of course, with fries or wedges!
Veganaise
Aah, veganaise*, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Okay, okay, I’m not going to get all Shakespearean on you; however, I really can’t help enthusing about how I never cease to be impressed with this deliciously creamy condiment.
*Not to be confused with Vegenaise (which is pronounced veggie-naise, not vegan-aise).
It’s not just because my veganaise so easy to make; it’s not just because it’s ready in a jiffy; it’s not even because it uses an ingredient that most people just tip down the sink (yes, aquafaba, I’m looking at you).
It’s actually because this is miles better than anything I’ve ever bought in the shops (and that includes egg-based mayo, too). Frankly, it knocks store-bought vegan mayo into a cocked hat. I’m not exaggerating. (Well, I might be – I’ve never tried the American brands.)
Just because you may not consume animal products, I see no reason to give up some of your favourite things. And guess what? Generally, you don’t have to. Also, amato mio, who was never much of a mayo fan to begin with, actually loves my veganaise!
Mayonnaise
I’m the first one to admit that I was a bit late to the party with mayo. It’s not my fault; I grew up in a household where the height of sophistication was a mushroom vol-au-vent, and the only salad dressing in existence was Heinz Salad Cream.
Unless my Gran was making a prawn cocktail, in which case, she’d mix ketchup (also Heinz, of course) with some Salad Cream, add a few defrosted prawns, and dump the whole lot into a lettuce leaf-lined Babycham glass.
Aah, sixties and seventies Britain… how classy we were!
But here’s the thing, it was pretty much the same for my chums too. But that all changed when one of them started dating an American guy, and he introduced us to mayonnaise. From then on, it was burgers with mayo. Fries with mayo. Tuna and mayo sandwiches. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Making vegan mayo
This really is so easy to make, and there’s no mess either, especially if you use a stick blender, such as a Braun Multiquick.
(I’ve been using the same MR300 for almost two decades, taking it with me all over the world, and it’s a fantastic piece of kit. It’s getting a bit slow now, so I’ll need to upgrade soon, but it’s perfectly sufficient for making this mayo.)
Unlike when making mayo with eggs, with veganaise, you don’t have to be overly particular about adding the oil in a slow drizzle. Slowish is fine. In fact, if I’m feeling less than patient, I’ll dump a quarter of the oil into the beaker, blitz it, dump another quarter in, blitz. Rinse and repeat. This is a very forgiving recipe.
You can even play around with adding extra flavourings, such as sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, extra lemon juice, lime juice, chilli, Sriracha, Tabasco, fresh coriander (cilantro), basil. All the things!
And it behaves like its eggy counterpart too, so it’s great with all the usual suspects. In salads, in sandwiches, on top of chilli (yeah, I didn’t think so either, until my friend, Chrissy, said I should try it), with fries or wedges. The latter especially when mixed with Thai sweet chilli sauce.
Tofu-free veganaise recipe
I could wax lyrical for ages about my veganaise but why not make some, and see for yourself? If you’re anything like me, once you’ve made it at home, you won’t buy vegan mayo from the shops again… not least because it’s so cheap to make at home.
Ingredients
- aquafaba
- lemon juice
- nutritional yeast flakes
- mustard powder
- apple cider vinegar
- sugar & salt
- sunflower oil
How to make veganaise
- Place all of the ingredients, except the oil, into a large jar or beaker, and blitz well for a few seconds with an immersion blender, until the mixture thickens and turns white.
- With the blender still going, slowly add the oil, and keep blitzing until you have a thick and creamy mayo.
- Taste, and add a little more salt if desired.
- Once the mayo is ready, decant into a sterilised screw-top jar, cap, and keep in the ‘fridge for a couple of weeks.
Tips
- My favourite aquafaba (AF) is from butterbeans; they yield a lovely viscous liquid. White haricots produce a really good thick AF too.
- If you’re using AF from a can of beans or chickpeas, and it’s a bit on the thin side, you can reduce it by simmering in a pan over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. It doesn’t have to be super-thick… just a bit thicker than water.
- Do make sure your AF and oil are cold; if the mayo gets too warm, the emulsion will break, and you’ll have to put it in the fridge for an hour or so, to cool off, then blend again, adding a little more oil.
- Using a high-speed blender may generate too much heat, warm your mayo, and break the emulsion. If this happens, as above, place the mayo in the fridge until it’s cold, then use a stick blender.
- Cheap, low-powered stick blenders are great for making vegan mayo.
- I find the beaker that came with my blender to be perfect, as it enables me to move the blender around a bit as I’m blitzing the ingredients. A tall jug works well, too.
- It’s okay to add a little oil, blitz, add a little more, blitz, and so on. It’s unlikely that you’ll break the emulsion by doing this.
- Depending on your oil, and the AF you use, you may only need to use around 180ml (¾ cup). As soon as the veganaise has reached your desired thickness, you can stop adding oil!
- Nutritional information assumes that a 240ml (1 cup) of oil has been used.
Why not check out these condiment recipes, while you’re here?
- Pesto
- Lemon curd
- Zacuscă
- Fasole bătută
- Ajvar
- Hummus
- Beetroot hummus
- Baba ghanouj
- Nam prik pao
