Why Make Homemade Soy-Free, Chickpea-Free Mayo?

I love Follow Your Heart Soy-Free Vegan Mayonnaise! It’s tangy, thick, and creamy — everything you want in mayo. The problem? The price, and the fact that their version still isn’t fully allergy-flexible. For example, it uses pea protein, which doesn’t work if you need to avoid legumes.

So I started experimenting with my own “copycat” recipe — but with legume-free options and more flexibility. My first attempts? A soupy mess with oil floating on top and water sinking to the bottom. But after learning more about how emulsions work, I figured out how to make a version that’s creamy, thick, and reliable. Now I can whip up allergy-friendly mayo anytime I need it — for casseroles, sandwiches, or as a base for homemade ranch.

---

This post may contain affiliate links. See full disclosure HERE.

---

Can Water and Oil Really Blend?

Oil and water don’t naturally mix. That’s why we need emulsifiers — ingredients like mustard powder, lemon juice, vinegar, and protein powder. These coat tiny droplets of oil and hold them in water, creating the smooth, creamy texture of mayo.

So no, removing oxygen from water (a trick some people recommend) doesn’t make it emulsify. What really matters is:

• Using the right emulsifiers
• Keeping the right oil-to-water ratio
• Blending with proper technique

---

Why Filtered Water Instead of Tap?

Water is part of our egg replacer in this vegan mayo. Using filtered water helps remove minerals, chlorine, and impurities that can affect both taste and texture. With cleaner water, the emulsion is more consistent, and the flavor is fresher.

Some other recipes use aquafaba (chickpea liquid) or soy milk, but if you’re avoiding legumes, filtered water is the safest base.

---

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup filtered water (room temperature)
• 1 cup neutral oil (safflower, canola, or light olive oil — don’t use oils that solidify at room temp)
• 2 tbsp brown rice syrup (or agave)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp rice protein powder (or pea protein if you can have legumes)
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp konjac powder or 1/4 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional, helps prevent runny mayo)

---

How to Make Soy-Free, Chickpea-Free Mayo

1. Prep your jar
   Use a tall, wide-mouth mason jar that fits your immersion blender snugly.
2. Make the base
   Add water, vinegar, lemon juice, syrup, rice protein, mustard powder, salt, and konjac/psyllium (if using) to the jar. Blend briefly to combine. Make sure everything is at room temperature. Cold ingredients = runny mayo.
3. Add oil
   Pour the oil on top. Let it sit for a minute so it separates clearly into layers.
4. Blend properly
   • Place the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar.
   • Start blending on low. Don’t move the blender yet. The bottom layer should turn thick and white.
   • Once you see this, slowly lift the blender up and down to pull in the rest of the oil. Keep going until everything is fully incorporated and creamy.
5. Adjust if needed
   If the mayo is too thin, blend in a tiny pinch more konjac or psyllium. Remember: it thickens more as it chills.
6. Store
   Transfer to a sealed jar. Store in the fridge up to 2 months.

Troubleshooting Your Homemade Mayo

My mayo is runny

• Make sure all ingredients are room temperature. Cold water or cold oil can prevent emulsifying.
• Start with the blender at the bottom of the jar, and don’t move it until the bottom layer thickens.
• Add a pinch more konjac or psyllium powder and blend again. It will also thicken more in the fridge.

My mayo separated (oil on top, water on bottom)

• The blender was moved too early or too quickly. Next time, wait until the base looks thick and white before lifting the blender.
• Try re-blending the separated batch by adding 1–2 tsp water, then blending from the bottom again.

My mayo is too thick

• Blend in 1 tsp water at a time until it reaches your desired texture.

My mayo tastes off

• Use filtered water instead of tap to avoid mineral or chlorine flavors.
• Choose a neutral oil if you don’t like the taste of olive oil.

Why an immersion Blender?

When making the more traditional egg-based mayo, oil is slowly whipped or blended into the egg. By doing this very slowly, the mixture emulsifies. That’s why mayonnaise is thick, white, and creamy.

When making vegan mayo, the method is no different. In the egg-based recipe, the egg is what aids in the emulsification process. Whereas, in this vegan recipe, 1 part water mixed with 2 parts oil is key to a thick and creamy texture.

An immersion blender is my device of choice when making vegan mayo. Whenever I use it, the recipe always works. Mayonnaise is an emulsification, meaning the oil is suspended in the water (or soy milk or aquafaba), making a thick and creamy mixture.

Using a immersion blender is the easiest way to make it, so you don’t have to take several minutes pouring in oil slowly. Here’s the one I use and love! It even comes with a whisk and frother which I love using to make homemade whipped cream and coffee foam.

What do I do if I don’t have an immersion blender?

I do not recommend using a regular blender or food processor. The blender doesn’t properly emsulisfy the oil into water. The blender blends too quickly for the magic to happen.
Furthermore, if using a food processor, you will have to change how you do this recipe quite a bit and honestly I think it’s more work and cleanup than it’s worth. The biggest change is pouring the oil slowly into the rest of the mixture as it blends on low and I’m not sure if it will thicken as good for this recipe. However, I know many other Mayo recipes do use a food processor (we like this brand) so feel free to give it a try and let me know how it goes, using these steps:

1. Once room temperature, about 30 mins later, blend together the water, apple cider vinegar, rice syrup, and lemon juice, protein powder, mustard powder, fine sea salt, in a food processor on high, till smooth
2. While the food processor is still running at a high speed SLOWLY add the water/oil mixture into your slurry. This should take 2-3 mins. You want to only drop droplets of water+oil in every few seconds, till you see things thickening up (about 1/4 of the oil mixture). Once thickening, you can begin to slowly stream the remaining oil mixture into the slurry.
3. Scoop out to store in an airtight mason jar.

Pro tips:

1. Do not start your immersion blender on high when you start. Doing this will cause the oil to mix in too quickly and the Mayo to not thicken up as much. You can solve this problem with a pinch or two of guar gum.
2. Always put your immersion blender in the bottom of your jar to begin blending. This will help the oil slowly mix into the other ingredient properly and thicken up into mayonnaise. Once the bottom layer is thick, that is when you can move your immersion blender stick up and down to finish blending it all together.
3. I have seen many other recipes including 1/2-1 tsp of garlic into their mayonnaise and say they love it, so feel free to try that and comment how it goes!

Print