I never liked mayo. It was viscous and oddly sweet, unnecessary tasteless fat when there were plenty of other perfectly good red and yellow condiments in the centre of the table.
I grew up thinking mayo had dairy in it, seriously. It was the the mid-80s and 90’s in suburban America-land, before the days of labels screaming ‘whole-egg’ and way before every sandwich shop and restaurant started smearing aioli on everything in sight.
I remember the first time I tasted real aioli, funny enough it was on french fries in a Belgian beer cafe in Sydney, and it was a revelation.
Creamy and smooth, a bit tangy, and so unlike anything that came in a jar or squeeze bottle. Although I pushed it aside after a few bites — in favour of the ketchup of course — my mind was forever changed.
I’ve made classic aioli since (a perfect Christmas starter when used to top prawns and avocado) but there are a thousand and one mayonnaise recipes out there and let’s be honest, who am I to stick with something normal?
So instead I give you a vegan aioli — with no eggs, no soy and no sugar — and 6 extra flavour variations, just because. My favourite? The Spicy Chipotle one, hands down.
Vegan Roasted Garlic Cashew Aioli
A little bit tangy and a little bit sweet, this vegan aioli is perfect kept thick and used as a spread, or thinned down and drizzled over pretty much anything. Don’t miss the 6 flavour variation options below!
Makes 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
- 1 heaped c raw cashews, plus water for soaking
- 6 garlic cloves, skins on
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 1/4 c water, or more/less as needed
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
METHOD
Soak cashews in filtered water for 4 hours. Drain and rinse well.
Wrap 4 garlic cloves in foil and roast under grill (broiler) 15 mins. Open foil pouch and roast 5 mins, turning regularly as the skins darken. Wrap again in foil to cool then peel. Peel remaining 2 raw cloves.
Blend soaked cashews with raw and roasted garlic until very finely chopped. Add vinegar, juice and mustard and blend until mixture begins to form a paste. Blend in oil until smooth. Blend in water to achieve desired consistency. Blend in salt to taste.
Use as is or flavour as desired…
vegan // vegetarian // gluten-free // soy-free // dairy-free
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6 Vegan Aioli flavour variations
Start with Vegan Roasted Garlic Cashew Aioli recipe and…
Vegan Spicy Chipotle Aioli
- add 2 tsp dried chipotle powder with vinegar OR
- add 2 Tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce before adding water OR
- soak 2 dried chipotle peppers in boiling water for 15 mins, add with cashews and garlic then use soaking water instead of plain water to thin aioli.
Vegan Wasabi Aioli
- replace half the mustard with soy sauce or tamari, replace half the apple cider vinegar with rice wine vinegar, add 1 – 2 tsp wasabi paste or powder to taste
Vegan Tartar Sauce
- add 1 Tbsp extra lemon juice, stir through 3 Tbsp diced gerkins, 2 Tbsp chopped capers and 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper with the salt
Herbed Vegan Aioli
- add 2 – 4 Tbsp roughly chopped herbs and bend with the mustard, juice and vinegar – try parsley, basil, dill and tarragon, or even coriander (cilantro)
Vegan Black Olive Aioli
- add 1/4 c pitted kalamata olives with the oil, add 1 tsp extra mustard, reduce vinegar by half, reduce salt to taste
Vegan Mango & Chili Aioli
- add 1/4 c diced mango and 1/4 – 1/2 tsp chili flakes with oil, reduce water as necessary
vegan // vegetarian // gluten-free // soy-free // dairy-free
Huge fan of aioli and nothing beats home made! I like the sound of using cashews as the base. And awesome variations – the spicy chipotle one is staring at me!
Ugh! I’ve always hated mayo as well, I can’t stand the taste or the thought of all that egg :S What a great recipe, I love using cashews to replace traditional creamy recipes. Thanks for sharing!
JJ this is just what I need! I’ve been steering clear of aioli cause of the raw egg risk with bub but I really miss it. Can’t wait to try this.
I’m not a fan of regular mayo either.
Lovely recipes JJ a great collection to use instead of mayo.
I only recently tried cashew cheese which was intriguing, so this aioli has me curious too. I presume it keeps longer because there are no raw eggs in it too?
This looks amazing! I’ve printed it and I can’t wait to try it!!
I don’t like mayo either, your aioli sounds delicious – I especially like the sound of the chipotle variation!
What a clever idea! I think the olive one wins for me.
Ooh yum! I love aioli and those variations sound amazing!
Awesome post! I love that the recipes don’t have vegetable oil like most store bought products.
Yum!! I want to slather this all over my sandwich today! Love the colourful background JJ!
Loving your interpretation of aioli, really want to try the roasted garlic, then probably a few of your variations 🙂
This is brilliant! I’ve been meaning to give this a try- now I just have to choose from all of your lovely variations! 🙂
Hi guys how long does this keep for? Thank you 🙂
Hi Dannii, It’s never hung around for more than about 5 days before it was gone so I can’t advise past that! ~JJ