There are many versions of prepared vegan 'mayonnaise' out there on the grocery shelves. But they're also quite simple to make at home where you can adjust the sweetness/tang ratio to your taste. Read on for two versions, one made with tofu and another made with almonds.
Raw Almond Mayo
This recipe calls for peeled raw almonds (making it also is good for raw foodists.) The nuts are ground with water in a blender along with classic mayo flavorings: lemon juice, mustard powder, salt and pepper. I prefer to omit the sugar.
The texture is thick and unctuous but slightly rough from the ground almonds. I gave them a long time under the blender blade, so I think I got them as finely ground as I could. Perhaps a mega-blender like the Vita-Mix would get this mixture silky smooth.
Makes about 1 cup
1/2 cup soaked almonds (soak almonds for 8 hours and drain)
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard power
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
optional:
1 to 3 teaspoons agave or raw sugar
Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend until very smooth. With blender still on, carefully and slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil through the opening in the blender's cover. Start with 1/2 cup of oil and continue until you reach the right consistency, up to 3/4 cup. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lemon juice or some apple cider vinegar if you want more tang and the agave/sugar if you want sweetness.
Vegan Tofu Mayo
This has been my go-to vegan mayo for years. I like it because it's simple and uses less oil, due to the thickening power of the tofu. I make this with regular tofu because that's what I tend to have on hand. It can be made with silken tofu but be sure to eliminate the water and start with 4 tablespoons of oil.
Makes about 1 cup
12 oz firm tofu
4-6 tablespoons water
4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 T lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional:
1 teaspoon sweetener like agave or a little sugar, or to taste
Whirl all ingredients together in a blender, starting with the lesser amounts of oil and water, adding more if needed until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. More lemon juice will bring out the tang and more sweetener will obviously up the sweet. I prefer no sweetener at all.
Related: How to Stock a Vegetarian (or Vegan) Pantry
Recipes originally published March 17, 2010.
(Image: Dana Velden)
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How long will the tofu mayonnaise keep? Sounds like a great, healthy alternative!
dcho:
I've kept it for as long as a week in the refrigerator with the flavor still remaining bright and fresh. If one cup is too much, you could try to make half the recipe, but I would use a small prep jar on your blender or one of those mini-prep food processors.
Thank you! I posted something on the mayo post a while back and it's GREAT to see some good recipes. Thanks!
Yay vegan mayo!
Thanks for posting this! If anyone needs vegan mayo in a pinch, Vegenaise is the best brand I've tried so far. Every other brand's flavor was really off-putting to me.
Thanks for another vegan recipe! Hopefully, we'll see even more in the future.
yes! Love the vegan love!
I am interested to try mixing the two together.... I often find that when maxing something creamy it's best to mix nut-cream with tofu-cream.
2nd on the Vegenaise. Get the "grapeseed oil" one. Really good.
So funny you posted this, I was having the debate with a few friends this morning regarding making ones own mayo..I will def like to try the almond recipe above. Will post pics if i do!
Saer
http://cravenmaven.wordpress.com
I like Vegenaise too. Thanks for this recipe. I can't always finish one hunk of tofu so this would be a good use for it.
I was totally expecting to see some snarky comment from an omni here, all "vegan mayonnaise? Why bother? Uh-huh-huh." Impressed! Am decidedly unused to being able to hear a word about veggie/vegan foods in a foodie environment without then hearing a string of Bourdain-style anti-veg vitriol and a bunch of "yeah!"-ers.
I love the almond option!
We usually grab the Veganaise stuff too, as my gf is allergic to eggs (and milk, and a host of other stuff), and honestly? It tastes better to me than any form of mayo other than Miracle Whip (which may just be the result of an upbringing where that was slathered thickly on anything that even dared to LOOK dry!). Thanks for this, I'll be trying this one soon, as I don't always trust the jarred stuff when it's been sitting in there for months. As often as I use mayo, this sounds like a much more delicious option!
Veganaise is sooooooooooooooo good....
don't ever by Nayonaise....calling it gross would be too kind
i meant to say, "don't ever BUY Nayonaise.."
The almond kind is delicious. My recipe called for cashews, but I used raw (NOT toasted) sunflower seeds (which are cheaper by about $3 a pound), and it was equally delicious!
Dietary restrictions drove me to find egg yolk-free mayo, and when I saw the store prices for a small jar of vegan low-fat mayo, thriftiness drove my search for a homemade recipe. My favorite is the tofu recipe because, for me, it's got to be smooth.
I suppose the almond mayo tastes great, but I don't know why the tofu version appeals more to me.
That first recipe is fantastic if you add a little garlic. I like to dip raw green beans in it. Yum!
Avocado mayonnaise is better, and as a vegan I found my meat loving friends are so much friendlier than the few vegans I know. Shanalulu did not need to add the offensive comment.