Condiments

Vegan substitute for Mayonnaise

Key facts

Replaces
Mayonnaise
Category
Condiments
Options here
4 tested swaps
Easiest swap
Aquafaba mayo — 3 tbsp aquafaba + 200 ml oil

Options, ratios and best uses

Aquafaba mayo

3 tbsp aquafaba + 200 ml oil

Blend with a stick blender, drizzling oil slowly.

Best for: homemade, fresh

Soy milk mayo

100 ml soy + 200 ml oil

Emulsifies in 30 seconds; add lemon at the end.

Best for: quick, thick mayo

Shop-bought vegan mayo

1:1

Widely available and often indistinguishable.

Best for: everything

Cashew aioli

1:1

Blend soaked cashews, garlic, lemon and oil.

Best for: dips, garlic sauce

Tips

  • Use neutral oil, not olive, for classic flavour
  • Add mustard for stability and bite
  • Keep homemade mayo refrigerated up to a week

Avoid

  • Adding oil too fast — the emulsion breaks
  • Using cold soy milk straight from the fridge

Questions people ask

Is vegan mayo healthier?

It is cholesterol-free but still mostly oil, so treat it the same way.

Can I fix split mayo?

Start with fresh aquafaba and drizzle the split mixture in slowly.

Related swaps

Reviewed 2026-09-16 by the Veg.ac editorial team · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.

Go deeper

What you are actually replacing

Swapping Mayonnaise well is a food-science problem before it is a shopping problem. The original ingredient is doing a specific job — binding, aerating, browning, adding fat, adding salt or adding structure — and the best replacement is the one that does that same job, not the one that sounds closest on the label. Once you can name the job, the choice between Aquafaba mayo, Soy milk mayo, Shop-bought vegan mayo, Cashew aioli becomes obvious.

How to choose between the options

  • Start from the dish, not the product. A swap that is perfect in a cake can be wrong in a sauce.
  • Match fat and water content first; texture failures are usually a moisture problem, not a flavour one.
  • Season and taste at the same point in the recipe where you would have tasted the original.
  • Expect the first attempt to be about eighty per cent right, and adjust one variable at a time.
  • Keep one reliable default in the cupboard so the swap is never a reason to abandon a recipe.

More questions people ask

What is the closest all-round replacement for Mayonnaise?

There is rarely one universal answer, which is why the table above splits by use. For everyday cooking, pick the option listed as best for the dish type you cook most often and keep it as your default; use the others when the recipe depends on a property your default lacks.

Will anyone notice the difference?

In mixed dishes — sauces, bakes, stews, doughs — almost never once the seasoning is adjusted. In dishes where the original ingredient is the entire point and eaten plain, the difference is more noticeable, so it is worth choosing the highest-quality option there.

Do these swaps cost more than Mayonnaise?

Whole-food options are usually cheaper; branded processed replacements are usually more expensive. Cooking from the cheaper end most of the time and keeping the branded product for convenience meals keeps the weekly cost roughly flat or lower.

Are these replacements nutritionally equivalent?

Not identical, and that is fine. Some are lower in saturated fat, some are higher in fibre, some are fortified. Judge the swap by the whole day's eating rather than a single line on the label, and check fortification if the original was a main source of a nutrient for you.

Keep exploring

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