It’s lunchtime! You are in the mood for a sumptuous burger and have checked out all the options nearby to find the best meatless patties that exist in town.

Oh, wait! So, the patty is meatless, but you do want a delicious, creamy layer of mayonnaise on top. And if you add mayo, then doesn’t the burger cease to be vegan?

Thankfully, no. With the advent of everything vegan, including burgers, salads, and sandwiches, several manufacturers have heard the consumers’ demands and in the last few years, vegan mayonnaise has truly picked up pace in the “dressings” marketplace.

But what’s in vegan mayo and which one should you buy? Let’s find out more.

Vegan Mayo, what is in it?

To understand what goes into a vegan mayo, let us first talk a bit about the original mayo. Ah! The rich, creamy, tangy, salty, out-of-the-world white miracle that transforms any dull bit of food into a king’s palate!

Yes, that is your original mayo, which is said to have its origins in France. The history of mayo is controversial, but the most common anecdote that goes around is that of a French royal chef who invented the mayo post the duke’s victory in a war.

And the legacy of mayo continued for centuries until veganism took an upward turn and consumers realized that they need an alternative.

So, pioneers of vegan mayo began replacing the non-vegan ingredient, which is the egg yolk, with varieties of plant protein such as yellow peas, soy, and maize starch. The other ingredients, which are oil, vinegar, and lemon juice, remain the same.

Are vegan consumers loving these options? The market statistics will show us.

The Vegan Mayo Market

According to a 2020 report by Market Data Forecast, the size of the global eggless mayonnaise market was $3.62 billion in 2019. Another study by the imarc group states that the global market for regular mayo was $10.8 billion in 2019. The numbers show that the demand for vegan mayo is not too far behind that of regular mayo.

More interestingly, the global vegan market is forecasted to grow at a rate of 6.2% through 2026. The shift towards vegan mayo is primarily attributed to a growing consciousness towards health, the environment, and animal welfare.

Vegan mayo’s popularity is also on the rise due to the growing availability of main course meals such as burgers and sandwiches that are completely meat and dairy-free.

Also, a section of consumers switching to vegan mayo is the one with dietary restrictions as the egg is recognized as one of the most common allergens. That brings us to how the manufacturers are catering to this rising demand.

Leading Manufacturers of Vegan Mayonnaise

When it comes to regular mayo, most brands taste similar because the key ingredients do not change. But this is not true with vegan mayo. The egg substitute may vary with the brand and there is a possibility that you may love one brand but completely detest another.

Here are some leading brands and what they use in their vegan mayo.

• Vegenaise: The product is usually a soy-based mayo from the brand “Follow Your Heart”. But if you are allergic to soy, they also have pesto and grapeseed oil varieties.
• JUST Mayo: The Just Egg brand uses yellow pea protein as their egg substitute. They have flavored mayos for the finicky eaters as well.
• Vegan Avocado Oil Mayo: Chosen Foods is the name of the brand that harnesses the goodness of avocado oil and uses aquafaba as a thickener.
• Original Mindful Dressing & Salad Spread: This guilt-free, pea-protein-based vegan dressing from Earth Balance has been reviewed as “much better than mayo”.
• Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo: This product is an example of how conventional mayonnaise makers are hopping onto the vegan wagon. Hellmann’s uses maize starch as the egg substitute.

Growth and Future

Although there are controversies, many thoughts and discussions around how too many eggs are bad for your cholesterol level are coming to the forefront. Besides, when you look at the large number of people being struck by lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular issues, you can imagine how swift the transitioning to vegan products should be in the coming years.

The scenario paves a clear path for the growth of vegan mayonnaise in the future. And soon, you would no longer have to hunt around too much for the perfect guilt-free mayonnaise that makes that first bite of your favorite meatless burger taste like a creamy, juicy drop of heaven.