Mayonnaise: the ultimate underrated condiment.
If what you’re picturing is just a lowly jar of white goop, you’ve never experienced the tasty satisfaction of making your own homemade mayo at home.
As you buzz together eggs and lemon, then slowly drizzle in oil, the swift transition into an aerated sauce occurs right before your eyes. The fantastical food science involved is a fun sight to behold.
But what about those that can’t eat eggs? Is there any hope of partaking in the joy of watching the emulsification transformation?
Thanks to aquafaba, the leftover cooking liquid from chickpeas that emulates many properties of eggs, the magic is just a quick buzz away.
This mayo is made just like any other aioli, save for the vegan substitution. It will whip up right before your eyes, a fun sight for adults and kids alike.
Best of all, the flavor is truly spectacular!
The Recipe
- 1/4 cup aquafaba
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- In the base of a food processor or the cup of an immersion blender, blend together aquafaba, lemon, mustard, garlic, and salt. Buzz until the garlic has been processed into small pieces.
- Slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil while blending continuously. You will see the liquid slowly transform into a thick sauce.
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step One – Buzz
You can use either a food processor or an immersion blender for this step. I prefer an immersion blender as I feel it gives me more control, particularly with this small amount of ingredients. But if you don’t have one, a food processor will work just fine.
Read more about some of our top picks for immersion blenders and food processors here and here.
Process until the garlic is very small and the mixture is well incorporated.
Step Two – Drizzle in the Oil
Slowly add in the oil while blending continuously. It is vital that you don’t rush this step! Drizzling the oil in slowly allows it to emulsify into the other ingredients, which quickly transforms it into a smooth, thick spread.
Once it is finished you can use it right away, or transfer into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This aioli is a fun and easy kitchen experiment. Give it try today in our tasty recipe for German potato salad. And try a spicier version of this egg-free condiment.
And if you have any leftover chickpeas, we have recipes for you! Try our spicy and smoky roasted chickpeas, for a start!
Want to learn more about cooking with no eggs? Read our informative article on how to bake without breaking any eggs!
Have you tried other vegan mayo alternatives? Have you ever made your own mayonnaise? Let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Photos by Kendall Vanderslice, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Kendall Vanderslice
Kendall’s love of food has taken her around the world. From baking muffins on a ship in West Africa and milking cows with Tanzanian Maasai, to hunting down the finest apfelstrudel in Austria, she continually seeks to understand the global impact of food. Kendall holds a BA in Anthropology from Wheaton College and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University, and has worked in the pastry departments of many of Boston’s top kitchens. Based in Somerville, Massachusetts, Kendall helps to run a small community supported bread bakery and writes about the intersection of food, faith, and culture on her personal blog, A Vanderslice of the Sweet Life.
Thank you so much for sharing! Even though I’m not exactly a vegan, it’s always good to have more options when it comes to recipes, especially homemade ones, you never know what’s going to happen.
I haven’t heard about aquafaba before, but it seems such a good alternative to eggs, and actually is used to make a lot of foods, especially desserts, it seems really interesting, I will do a proper research about it.
🙂
I read you previous article on aqaufaba and was delighted to find this recipe. I saved a load of juice after cooking chickpeas yesterday and was going to try making meringues with it – but as I’m much more “savoury” than “sweet” I’m going to make this mayonnaise today. I have all the ingredients to hand!
Thanks for sharing, that looks delicious. I have been looking for something to put on my watercress and wild rocket salad, something different and exciting and looks like I have just found it.
Oh that sounds delicious, this would definitely make a delicious cress salad topping!
I had no idea that it was so easy to make your own mayo. I guess I never really thought about it much. Now I need to give it a try for myself instead of buying the stuff. I can’t wait to spread homemade mayonnaise on my bread, as I’ve never tried it before. I like the store bought versions so I will probably love this version even more. It sounds pretty healthy too, so that’s a bonus.
Yes, homemade is so easy and much much tastier than the store-bought version! Once you give it a try, you’ll never want to go back to anything else!
Homemade mayo is very easy to make and is much tastier than store bought. I’ve been making my own for 16 years now, and just started playing around with making homemade mustard. You’ll definitely appreciate how simple the process is and how delicious the results are, enjoy!
I can see the need of something like this for a vegan mainly. I don’t understand why anyone would need it specifically unless there are allergy considerations. There is no nutritional advantage of avoiding eggs and no need to unless you are vegan or allergic. The fats in eggs aren’t necessarily bad and ingested cholesterol does not impact your serum cholesterol levels in the blood. I would try to see if it taste good, but if I liked this or mayo better i would choose one based on the flavor rather than whether it contained egg.
Okay, now this is cool. The whole idea of using the bean water is pretty amazing. Who knew?
I would love to try this out. I’m not vegan, but eggs do cause me some issues. I still like a bit of mayonnaise here and there though. I imagine this is also a good idea for savings (of the monetary variety).
Does it really taste as good? I’m going to have to give it a whirl and find out. Thanks.
I never would’ve thought that I’ll see an eggless mayo but lo and behold, people found an alternative. I personally don’t have any problem with eating eggs but I wouldn’t mind giving this aquafaba thing a go, look delicious eitherway.
What?! My nice is allergic to egg, and I babysit her frequently. With her being allergic to egg it makes it difficult to find foods that she is safe to eat. I did not know mayo could be made without eggs. I’m impressed. Suppose I will be giving this a try, with her mothers permission, of course.
Too bad this recipe isn’t also oil-less. I’d rather use oil-free hummus (incorporating the aqua) as a substitute for mayonnaise. The oil is just extra calories and also gunks up your blood and sets you up for diabetes.
Thanks for your comment, australorpa. It would be difficult to make mayo without the oil AND the eggs… 😉 But it is delicious in a light, whipped hummus (and makes a great spread, as you suggest).
Do you happen to know what brand of measuring cup is used in the picture that shows the immersion blender? It shows 2 cups in the picture. It looks perfect for immersion blending! Thanks
Many immersion blenders, such as the one pictured from Cuisinart, come with a cup for blending and measuring. You may like the Cuisinart Smart Stick – read our review here.