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There was a time when going vegan meant making countless sacrifices. Alternatives to foods made with animal products—be it a chicken nugget or slice of cheese—were scarce. But as veganism grew in popularity, brands refocused their investments into eggless, dairy-free, and meatless products, often creating dupes of their originals, aimed at both vegans and the plant-based curious. Now the grocery store is stuffed with vegan options and that’s precisely what led to our latest taste test: vegan mayonnaise.
Traditional mayonnaise is a mundane miracle: a mixture of water and oil held together by the magic of an egg yolk (also known as lecithin, an emulsifier). Without eggs, vegan mayonnaise must rely on another emulsifying ingredient. Many formulas use some form of legume or its byproduct, such as chickpea flour, aquafaba (the liquid in canned chickpeas and other beans), and pea protein.
The first of its kind, Vegenaise appeared on grocery store shelves in the 1970s—and it’s still on the market. Naturally, we had to include it in our blind taste test. But how would it fare against eight newer plant-based mayonnaise competitors? To find out, we headed to the test kitchen to determine the best brands on supermarket shelves.
How we picked the products
We started by compiling a list of the vegan brands we’d seen in stores. Next, we scoured the internet for any brands we’d missed, checking out competing best-of lists to get a sense of what’s traditionally covered and what might be missing. Finally, we double-checked non-vegan mayonnaise brands to see if they offered a vegan option. One (some might say glaring) omission from our test was Duke’s. While their traditional offering came out on top in our standard mayonnaise taste test, the brand’s vegan option was sold out nationally at the time of testing, so we couldn’t include it.
The best vegan mayo could have fooled us.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Christine Keely
How we set up our blind taste test
We structured this tasting in much the same way as our search for the best classic mayonnaise: We baked some frozen fries to dip into each mayo. This time, we also provided a bowl of cherry tomatoes so our panel could taste each contender in a juicy, acidic context (think tomato-mayonaise sandwich) for contrast.
How our editors evaluated
Our panel of tasters had a high standard for vegan mayonnaise: It should taste indistinguishable from traditional mayo. That means the same balance of richness, umami, and acid, with a mild sweetness.
Texture was another important factor for tasters. A vegan mayonnaise the texture of plain yogurt, they agreed, would be too liquidy, while a gelatinous mound of eggless mayo didn’t seem enticing either. The perfect texture was somewhere in the middle: swoopable like sour cream and able to cling to the base of a sandwich without dripping off.
The Piquant Choice: Sir Kensington’s
Sir Kensington’s combines aquafaba and sunflower oil to create a classic, spreadable texture. According to Sir Kensington’s website, its aquafaba is sourced from a chickpea processor, who otherwise would’ve thrown it out—a win-win. Unlike many of its competitors, Sir Kensington’s vegan mayo also includes flavorings like rosemary extract, mustard extract, lemon oil, citric acid, and black pepper—which means the final product has distinct black specks, while most others are an unadulterated eggshell in color.
Why it won us over: As the fourth vegan mayo our panel sampled, Sir Kensington’s was the first to get a unanimously positive reaction. It had a creamy texture, neither too firm nor too liquid. What really set it apart was its unique flavor, with a bitter edge akin to horseradish or wasabi. Associate director of drinks Joseph Hernandez said the zestiness was a great counterweight to this mayo’s robust acidity, and senior visuals editor Megan Paetzhold noted that the “kick of heat” gave Sir Kensington’s the punch needed to set it ahead of the pack.
We’d love it in: A recipe where you can double down on the spice. Enter: test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin’s reader-favorite Spicy Salmon Roll Bowl.
The Workhorse: NotMayo
Another plant-based mayonnaise powered by chickpeas—what can’t they do?—this time in the form of chickpea flour. A glance at the ingredients list reveals other expected items: soybean oil, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, and so on. More importantly, there is vegan drama afoot here. Commenters on Reddit claim a representative from NotMayo has alleged the company derives L-Cysteine (an amino acid found in eggs, among other vegan and non-vegan sources) from birds. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the company confirmed NotMayo uses (and has always used) vegetable-derived L-Cysteine.
Why it won us over: NotMayo scored high marks for its exceedingly creamy texture. Associate manager of audience strategy Carly Westerfield observed this thick, swoopable option “would cling to a burger,” while Joseph praised it as a solid sandwich mayo. It delivered on flavor too, with a nice acidity-umami balance. Many of our tasters said NotMayo could step in for true mayonnaise in nearly every context. Carly said she wouldn’t be able to tell it was vegan (perhaps the ultimate compliment in this taste test), and senior editor Pervaiz Shallwani said he could “eat this over and over again.”
We’d love it in: Put this vegan mayo to work in everyday Deviled Eggs or a Tuna Melt. Or, hey, why not try it on a Pineapple and Mayonnaise Sandwich? Live a little!
The Winningest Wonder: Just Mayo
Eat Just, the company that makes Just Mayo, is known for its range of vegan products—most famously its egg replacement, Just Egg (seeing a pattern here?), though it also sells vegan dressings. Just Mayo’s spreadable texture is made possible by the combination of canola oil and pea protein—a formulation that reportedly took years of research to perfect. Vinegar and lemon juice concentrate add a good amount of acid to the mixture, while modified food starch (for viscosity), salt, spice, sugar, and fruit and vegetable juices (for color) round out the ingredients.
Why it won us over: We found the pinnacle of vegan mayonnaise in Just Mayo’s airy spread, which hit a just-right balance between savory and citric. Joseph called it “lemon zesty” and said he could practically taste the BLT on which he planned to spread his Just Mayo. Pervaiz noted that among all the samples, this spread was the “most balanced” in terms of acidity and umami. Senior SEO and cooking editor Joe Sevier was wowed by Just Mayo’s pronounced “egginess,” which he praised, proclaiming it had “real appeal” and was “practically indistinguishable from true mayonnaise.”
We’d love it in: a Smashed Potato Salad or as an anchor in the Ultimate BLT.
We also tried…
- 365 Vegan Mayo and Spread: Although it had a nice richness, Whole Foods’ 365 overindexed on sweetness.
- Chosen Foods Vegan Avocado Oil Mayo: Tasters enjoyed the deep umami, but there wasn’t enough acid to balance it out.
- Follow Your Heart Vegenaise: A somewhat gelatinous texture meant Vegenaise was outdone by other contenders.
- Hellmann’s Plant-Based Mayo Spread & Dressing: Many tasters enjoyed the flavor of Hellmann’s vegan mayonnaise, but it was slightly runnier than we were looking for.
Kewpie Vegan Mayo Dressing & Spread: Tasters raved about the tangy flavor of Kewpie’s eggless mayonnaise but didn’t enjoy the way it coated their mouths. - Spectrum Vegan Light Canola Mayo: Tasters wanted a mayonnaise with lots of flavor; unfortunately, this contender was simply too mild.
