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Well, what do you know? Two recipes for the price of one! And since this blog is free, then you really do get a bargain, eh?
Whether you are:
- you want to stay away from the chemicals in commercial dips (how about this list from a popular store-bought dip: potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, propylene glycol, monoester, titanium dioxide, sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium disodium EDTA — UGH!!)
- you like mayonnaise, but you need/want to avoid eggs or soy for some reason (almost all of the egg-free mayos on the market are made with soy [which is not necessarily the healthiest food especially since almost all sources are genetically modified now], or
- looking for a vegetable dip recipe because you like to cook – I have a solution for you!
Now I now that egg-free mayonnaise sounds like an oxymoron, right? But if you have folks with food allergies in your home, then you know what I’m talking about.
I’ve mentioned in other posts that my oldest has life-threatening food allergies and you can read more about the health situations that we deal with in our home on the About Me page.
In any case, one of his allergies is to egg whites, and so it wasn’t until I came upon this recipe that he had had anything that remotely tasted like mayonnaise.
And if I do say so myself, this one comes pretty close to the real thing.
My recipe is an adaptation from one in The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie Hurt Jones. This book is a great resource for anyone with food allergies or sensitivities.
Homemade Vegetable Dip | Egg-Free, Soy-Free Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1/2 cup nuts or seeds (sunflower and pumpkin both work great. Soaked & dehydrated is best.)*
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp vinegar or organic lemon juice (I recommend apple cider vinegar)
2 Tbsp oil (I recommend olive)
1 Tbsp arrowroot (cornstarch can be substituted)
1 Tbsp sweetener of choice (use only 1/2 – 1 scoop if using pure stevia extract
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (or 3/4 tsp dried), optional
1 Tbsp chopped chives (or 3/4 tsp dried), optional
1 1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice**
1 tsp dry mustard**
1/4 tsp salt (I recommend Real Salt)**
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
Additional herbs, if using as a dip, to taste
(Notes:
*The original recipe called for cashews so I am assuming that any nut would work great. I don’t recommend cashews as they are the least nutritious and somewhat problematic for various reasons, but we still eat them on occasion!
** For the vinegar, dry mustard and salt combination, you may also substitute 1 1/2 tsp Dijon-style mustard)
Method
1. Grind the nuts or seeds into a “flour” in a blender or spice / coffee grinder.
2. Add water, blend 1 minute or until completely blended (if you have a high-powered blender like the Vitamix, you will only need to do this for about 15 seconds. In fact, if you have are so fortunate to have a Vitamix (have you figured out that I really love mine yet?), you can just put the nuts or seeds (without grinding) into the blender with the water and blend for about 1 minute and you will have saved yourself a step. I’m all about saving time in the kitchen 
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3. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Pour into a saucepan and cook over a medium-low heat until thick.
5. If you are going to be using this as a dip, at this time, you may wish to add extra fresh or dried chives or other herbs like dill, to taste.
5. Cool and then store in the refrigerator. I recommend storing in a glass or stainless jar. It should keep for about 3 weeks.
(Note: You can also substitute 1 tsp vitamin C crystals for the 3 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice if need be.)
My kids just LOVE this. How do they love it? Let me count the ways:
- As a dip for vegetables
- As a spread (it’s great on my Focaccia Flax Bread)
- Basically used anyway that you would use mayonnaise in any recipe
- By itself on a spoon .
Seriously, they really like it.
One somewhat funny way that it has helped us is with our egg problem. Since my oldest has a life-threatening allergy to egg whites, but he is not allergic to the yolks, one thing that I am always doing here is hard-boiling eggs for meals and snacks for him (it’s near-impossible to keep a raw yolk intact while trying to get every last bit of white off of it – believe me, I’ve tried).
Well, that leaves us plenty of whites that need to be eaten and well, egg whites alone aren’t mine nor my youngest son’s favorites (and my husband won’t touch eggs. That’s another story).
Anyhow, if I chop up the white and mix the chopped whites up with some of this “mayonnaise” to make an “egg white salad”, then they get eaten up pretty quickly.
Need other substitutes for pantry basics? How about:
- Powdered Egg Replacer
- Easiest Almond Milk
- Powdered Sugar Substitute
- Easiest Coconut Milk (Made Smoother)
Happy and healthy kids, healthy budget and happy mom!
Do you have a recipe or ingredient that you need a substitute for? I’d love to hear from you!
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclaimer here.
1 Tbsp minced fresh ___________ (or 3/4 tsp dried), optional
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Oops! Thanks for catching my mistake! I just fixed it!
This has spinach artichoke dip written all over it. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds great!!
Thank you for posting this. I’m on a very restrictive diet right now which I’m finding very boring. This dip recipe is completely “legal” for me–and will help liven things up.
eggs also go really well with avocado! i find the creaminess of avocado mimics the creamy egg yolks in hardboiled eggs, so i love avocado with hardboiled eggs in salads, but since you’re trying to use up the whites, i think sliced avocados will make a good salad with the egg whites too! i have an “avocado-naise ” that may be brilliant with them too, just an easy alternative to your delicious sounding dip! leave out the wasabi if you want(:
http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/04/salmon-korokke-croquette-balls-with.html
Thanks for the idea. We love avocado, but we are dealing with copper toxicity here and they are really high in copper. Too bad for us
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I’ve been looking for something like this! Can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing such a unique recipe with us.
This is a wonderful and healthy alternative to mayonnaise!I found you from the foodie blog roll and I’d love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this mayonnaise widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about mayonnaise recipes,Thanks!
I am super impressed with this recipe! I occasionally mourn the foods that one uses mayo with (tuna salad anyone?) because I’m not really eating eggs at the moment, but I guess no longer! I’ve definitely bookmarked this for the next time I want something with mayo…
Hi Christine! I know what you mean about mourning foods. It’s hard to be so attached to material things and our tastebuds, isn’t it?
Please let me know how you like it! I think it’s great!
This looks delicious! I appreciate that it is soy free. It is very hard to find soy free products, which is one of the reasons I make so many items from scratch. Thanks for sharing your recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Just made this and LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!! I was convinced from the moment my two year old picked up a piece of raw cauliflower and started chowing! Its our new must have for our meal planning. I’ll be posting it on my blog soon and referencing back to you. http://www.feathersfromournest.com Thanks so much!! Love your site.
Thanks, Kimberly! It is great, isn’t it? I am excited now that the weather is getting cooler, to make my Focaccia Flax Bread and make sandwiches with this!
This is on my to do list. Vegenaise is one of my favorites . I am looking forward to finding a cost effective and freshly-made replacement for it. I seem to be gradually going through your recipes. One (not yours) that I have not got the hang of is making Tartar Sauce. Any tartar sauce in your future?
Hi Vernon – I am not a big seafood person, but I’ll see if the others in my family would like to give this a go. I do make salmon cakes sometimes. The pickles will be hard. I made some this past summer and they were great but I don’t like buying the ones in the store because of all the additives that are typically in them
. Stick around and maybe I’ll surprise you. But I will say I already owe a reader a ranch seasoning recipe and dishwasher detergent, but the latter isn’t going well 
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Adrienne… made a non-cooking version using sunflower seeds. Are you interested in this current recipe? Still tweaking; but looks promising.
I’d love it! I’ve used those in the past as well, but we are copper toxic and they are loaded so I tend to go w/ the pumpkin seeds now. Cashews are a favorite for this kind of thing but my oldest is deathly allergic. Thanks!!!
The recipe I have been playing with is from “Fresh Blends” by Blendtec. Here it is:
1/2 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight and rinsed; 1/2 cup water; 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1/2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp raw agave nectar; 1/8 tsp ground mustard; 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/2 cup cold-pressed olive oil. . . After soaking almonds place almond between thumb and index finger and pop off almond skin. Set aside almonds. Add ingredients to jar, except olive oil in order listed and add skinned almonds last. Secure lid and select “Sauces”. For a second cycle, remove vented gripper lid insert, select “Sauces” and add olive oil in a steady stream over duration of cycle. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week. . . end of recipe. Here are my notes: I use a lot of almonds for other cooking adventures. If I did the almonds I would leave skin on. However, I used both sunflower seeds and/or cashews. I soaked them but don’t know if I really have to. I upped the mustard to 1/2 teaspoon and cut the sweetner in half. Still playing with it. Less water for thicker result w/cashews. Trying to get it to taste close to Vegenaise. . .
Thanks for sharing! I hope to hear when it’s perfected! I’d soak the sunflowers for sure. Cashews – if you do soak, not more than 6 hours. They get slimy.
I am sharing this recipe in a lunchbox dip round up this week Adrienne, looks outstanding! Would you be open to me using your picture?
Tessa Domestic Diva recently posted..10 Days of Gluten Free – Reusable Lunchbox Wares
Sure! Thanks for asking!!
enjoying some of this lovely dip right now!! I added some onion powder too. Yummy!
Tessa Domestic Diva recently posted..10 Days of Gluten Free – Skewers,Kabobs, & Toothpicks
Sounds like a great addition! So glad you like it! Trying some more white bean dips right now….