Vegan Mayo

Our vegan mayo is so creamy and delicious. So, if you’re looking for an egg free mayo, you have come to the right place.

Table of Contents

• Why We Love This Vegan Mayo
• 4 Reasons I don’t use Real Mayonnaise
• Look for Unrefined Oils
• Vegan Hellman’s Mayo
• The Cleanest Store-Bought Brand of Real Mayonnaise
• How to Make Vegan Mayo
• Kitchen Necessities for Mayo Substitute

Full Table of ContentsShow Less

Table of Contents

• Why We Love This Vegan Mayo
• 4 Reasons I don’t use Real Mayonnaise
• Look for Unrefined Oils
• Vegan Hellman’s Mayo
• The Cleanest Store-Bought Brand of Real Mayonnaise
• How to Make Vegan Mayo
• Kitchen Necessities for Mayo Substitute

Full Table of ContentsShow Less

I really wanted to create an egg free mayo, which is a vegan mayonnaise recipe that tastes like America’s favorite: Hellmann’s. A staple in dishes like potato salad, coleslaw, deviled eggs and fish dip; mayonnaise is definitely a classic favorite.

I have worked very hard on getting this vegan mayo just right. But all the hard work was definitely worth it!

Why We Love This Vegan Mayo

Although I already have an oil-free, vegan mayonnaise recipe on the blog, it still didn’t taste like Hellman’s. This version is an oil-free, egg free mayo and is still very creamy and delicious. But, if you want the taste of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, then this is the recipe to make.

Why Not Just Use Real Mayonnaise Made with Eggs?

If you use the highest quality ingredients, then homemade mayonnaise (with eggs) is actually a healthy food. Real mayonnaise contains eggs, vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, mustard, oil and a tad bit of sugar.

Our definition of clean eating shows that we are not against eggs at all. Or if you happen to have our Clean Cuisine Cookbook, then you know we do use eggs.

So, why don’t I just buy Hellmann’s “Real” mayonnaise and call it a day? Why go to all the trouble of making an egg free mayonnaise recipe?

4 Reasons I don’t use Real Mayonnaise

#1: Raw Eggs Make Me Nervous

I can’t help but worry about raw eggs and salmonella. Which is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States.

I buy the absolute highest quality pasture-raised eggs from chickens that are raised the way chickens are supposed to be. Outdoors and truly free to range on pasture. In theory, high quality eggs should be much less likely to be contaminated with salmonella. However, I just can’t bring myself to eat raw eggs no matter how “clean” they may be.

The problem is, all real mayonnaise homemade recipes call for raw eggs.

#2: I Don’t Like Store-Bought Mayonnaise with Pasteurized Eggs

Hellmann’s uses whole eggs but they are factory-farmed eggs, not pasture-raised eggs. Plus, since their mayonnaise is not sold refrigerated, in order to make the eggs shelf-stable Hellmann’s needs to pasteurize them.

Any other brand of mayonnaise that is not sold refrigerated needs to do the same thing.

Pasteurized eggs might be “safe” to eat in that you won’t get salmonella, but I don’t like the idea of eating a food that has eggs as an ingredient and that sits on the store shelf “stable” for over a year.

Maybe you won’t get salmonella from Hellmann’s mayonnaise, but it can’t possibly be as healthy as eating fresh eggs, regardless of how “safe” it may be.

By the way, Hellmann’s main competitor, Miracle Whip, was popular since it was a cheaper alternative during the Depression Era. Because Miracle Whip used powdered eggs instead of whole eggs, it lost the “real” appeal to consumers, since “real” mayonnaise could only contain whole eggs, vinegar, and olive oil.

Hellmann’s used this as a key marketing tactic against Miracle Whip for a long time, promoting its own truly “real” mayonnaise and getting a leg up on the competition.

#3: Hellmann’s “Real” Mayonnaise is Not Like It Used to Be…

Hellmann’s is not like it was 100 years ago.

Today, half of the ingredients in Hellmann’s are likely produced from genetically modified (GMO) crops.  As mentioned above, the eggs in Hellmann’s are not exactly pasture-raised either. Instead, the eggs are from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), commonly known as factory farms.

The actual list of ingredients in Hellmann’s “Real” Mayonnaise are (those that are likely directly or indirectly GMOs are bold): soybean oil, water, whole eggs and egg yolks, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality), natural flavors.

#4: Almost All Store-Bought Mayonnaise Uses Refined Oils

The other problem I have with Hellmann’s mayonnaise is that every single variety contains refined soybean oil. Or, another pro-inflammatory vegetable oil that is not healthy for inflammation. Even Hellmann’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise contains more soybean oil than olive oil!

Either way: if you decide to make my vegan egg free mayo recipe below or a conventional mayo recipe using eggs. Then, you want your mayonnaise to be healthy. It is essential you use a high quality and unrefined oil.

I have found unrefined avocado oil to be the best-tasting and healthiest oil. I have yet to try for homemade mayonnaise. By the way, did you know avocado oil has even received prescription drug status in France because of its proven ability to counter the negative effects of arthritis! (1)

I have tried using extra virgin olive oil in the past, but I found the flavor to be a bit too strong. Unrefined macadamia nut oil would also surely be very tasty, I just haven’t tried that one yet…

Look for Unrefined Oils

Unrefined oils are minimal heat processed oils (cold or expeller pressed) that have not been bleached or deodorized after extraction. Refined oils have been bleached and or deodorized. Heat damages the delicate polyunsaturated fats in oils. So, it is very important for the oils you use to undergo the least refinement possible.

Looking for healthy cooking oils? Click here to learn more about the oils that tolerate heat and those that don’t.

Vegan Hellman’s Mayo

Earlier in this article, we touched on reasons we don’t prefer the ingredients in Hellman’s Mayonnaise, including our reservation about the low-quality (not pasture raised), and shelf-stable eggs. Because of this, you might be thinking…isn’t there a Vegan Hellman’s Mayo? Well, the answer is YES! Hellman’s did come out with a vegan mayo a few years back. However, if you’ve done enough research on a vegan diet, you may know that vegan most definitely is not synonymous with healthy ingredients and clean eating. There are plenty of junk-food eating vegans out there, that are no healthier than someone eating the average American diet.

Unfortunately, Vegan Hellman’s Mayo falls more into that junk-food category, serving up an ingredient list we wouldn’t exactly deem healthy or a whole foods approach. So what’s the issue with Vegan Hellman’s Mayo?

Refined and Unhealthy Oils: Vegan Hellman’s Mayo utilizes canola oil as its very first ingredient. Canola oil is an empty-calorie, inflammatory oil we avoid at all costs, simply because there are so many better options out there!

Natural Flavors: Natural flavors may sound harmless, but there’s much more to be concerned about than you might think. The issue with natural flavors is that there isn’t actually an official definition for this term. While the original source of natural flavors must adhere to the standard of sourcing from a plant or animal, this still leaves an enormous amount of room for less-than-optimal ingredient choices. Generally thought of as “safe”, we simply don’t feel comfortable consuming anything without 100% ingredient transparency.

Whether or not you choose to consume natural flavors is up to you, and we definitely don’t think this is the worst thing ever. However, it’s worth understanding what this means before buying into the misleading phrasing: “natural”.

EDTA: EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid), is a preservative in this product for the purpose of maintaining flavor. Generally believed to be safe in small doses, larger doses can decrease the absorption of certain minerals, leading to digestive and stomach issues or other health concerns. Artificial preservatives (or artificial ingredients in general) are ones we are careful to avoid.

The Cleanest Store-Bought Brand of Real Mayonnaise

If you read all of my reasons above for why I make my own vegan mayo, but you’re still not sure it’s worth it, I totally understand. After all, homemade recipes like dairy free mayo can add up quickly to a lot of time in the kitchen.

Buy Primal Kitchen’s Avocado Oil Mayo

I get it if you don’t have the time to make vegan mayo. Your next best bet for the cleanest store-bought brand is this Avocado Oil Mayonnaise by Primal Kitchen. I actually only recently discovered Primal Kitchen brand, before this I always just told people to avoid store-bought mayonnaise.

Ingredients in Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise: Avocado Oil, Organic Cage-Free Eggs, Organic Cage-Free Egg Yolks, Organic Vinegar (from Non-GMO Beets), Sea Salt, Organic Rosemary Extract

Primal Kitchen is not vegan mayo. They still still use eggs and the product IS shelf-stable before opening. This means the eggs undergo processing in order to remain shelf-stable, which is not optimal in my opinion. If you do not have the time to make your own vegan mayo, then I suggest trying Primal Kitchen. They really are a clean, delicious alternative!

How to Make Vegan Mayo

If you have food allergies and food sensitivities, this will be helpful to know. Our Vegan Mayo meets the following dietary restrictions:

Egg Free / Grain Free / Bean-Free / Gluten Free / Paleo Friendly / Vegan / Vegetarian / Dairy Free

Like all of our recipes, we really did try to make this recipe as allergy-friendly as possible! Like mentioned above, any homemade recipe is going to take extra time an effort. However, this mayo substitute is one of the quicker and easier recipes out there that we really do think is worth to keep on hand!

Kitchen Necessities for Mayo Substitute

This mayo substitute requires very few ingredients, AND very few kitchen appliances! All you need to make a creamy and delicious Vegan Mayo is a high-speed blender. And while you can use any type of blender to get the job done, believe me when I say, the difference is unmatched! I spent years using cheap, handheld blenders that met my basic needs, but left my recipes chunky, and far from smooth.

You will most definitely be able to tell the difference in texture when you invest in a high-quality, high-speed blender when making Vegan Mayo, other homemade condiments, desserts, or even smoothies! An investment, but totally worth the upgrade.

Let’s get on with the recipe!

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