Homemade Vegan Mayonnaise Recipe- Flax Seed Based, Soy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free

I haven't bought store bought mayonnaise in who knows how long. It's filled with so many nasty ingredients that I even would get a headache from them when I would be lazy and not feel like making my own mayo, and instead borrowed a spoon or two from a neighbor. Food colorings, artificial flavorings, preservatives, etc... Ick. Not to mention usually being made with soy oil or canola oil, both which I avoid because they're GMOs and because I try to avoid using poly unsaturated fatty acids, as they cause inflammation...
So I started to make my own homemade mayonnaise using only real ingredients, and even made it lacto-fermented so that it was probiotic as well.
But then I discovered that I was sensitive to eggs, so started making an egg free mayonnaise, based on mustard. It was also great for anyone who was wary of using raw eggs in mayonnaise. It was perfectly textured... only had a strong mustard taste, and some people hate the taste of mustard, and some foods just don't go with mustard.
So I was looking for another vegan mayo recipe, soy free, and mustard free this time, and saw that most such recipes were based on nuts... and I don't want to spend more money than necessary, and nuts are not so cheap round these parts. I finally found a recipe based on flax seeds,  and modified that to suit my needs, and came up with this recipe. You can add mustard if you want, but it doesn't need it at all and can be left out- I made mine without to see how it tastes- perfect!
The texture is amazing, exactly like regular mayonnaise (unlike a bean based mayo I tried... which tasted like oily hummus), it looks like regular mayonnaise (other than some flecks from the flax seed) and it tastes like real mayo (unlike an avocado based mayo I tried, which, quite frankly, tastes like guacamole).
Utter perfection. This will definitely be my go-to recipe for mayo from now on, and I recommend it be your go-to recipe as well.

You can use this recipe any place you'd use regular mayo, from making salad dressing to tuna salad to potato salad, to toppings for fish or chicken or whatever.

You can make this recipe vegan, refined sugar free, gluten free, using only healthy oils, which is why it's labeled as such, but I've included alternative ingredients so you can make it to suit your tastes. The way I made it is GAPS legal, but you can adjust it as needed.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons water
1/2- 1 1/2 cups oil (any liquid oil will do, as will any liquified solid oil like coconut oil or palm oil, noting that solid oils will solidify in the fridge, so you should make these immediately before use)
Lemon juice or vinegar to taste, or a mix (any vinegar is fine, whether apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, white vinegar, malt vinegar, kombucha vinegar, etc...)
Salt to taste
Sweetener to taste (honey, coconut sugar, white sugar, etc...) or leave out
Mustard to taste (either prepared or powdered, or leave out)
Garlic powder to taste (or leave out)

Instructions:

1. Combine ground flax seeds and water in a pot, and heat up, mixing constantly, until thickened. Let cool off until it reaches room temperature or close to it.

2. Put in a food processor or blender with one tablespoon of oil. Blend for 15-20 seconds.

3. Add another tablespoon of oil, and blend for another 15 seconds.

4. Repeat step 4 many times, never adding more than a tablespoon of oil at a time. If you do, the recipe will likely flop. At some point, usually by the third or fourth tablespoon, the color will become white and opaque, like that of mayonnaise. Keep adding more and more oil until it becomes the texture of mayonnaise.

5. Add lemon juice or vinegar to taste, blend up, then add more oil if necessary.

6. Add salt, sweetener, mustard, garlic, etc... to taste.

7. Use as you would any mayonnaise!

How about trying out one of these yummy salads and dishes made with mayonnaise, and use your new homemade egg free mayonnaise:

Easy Beet Salad



Mock Tuna Salad (Chickpea Based)


Russian Carrot Salad



Are you a mayonnaise fan? What is your favorite recipe involving mayonnaise? Do you use store bought mayonnaise or homemade mayonnaise? If you use store bought, is it because of the fear of raw eggs, and if so, does this recipe seem like something you'd use? If you're vegan or egg free, does this look like a recipe you'd try out?
If you make homemade egg free mayonnaise, what is yours based on?

Linking up to Real Food Wednesday and Allergy Free Wednesday