What Is JUST Mayo?
JUST Mayo is the egg-free mayonnaise made by Eat Just, Inc. (the same company behind JUST Egg). It was one of the first mass-market vegan mayos to hit grocery shelves back in 2013, and it built its whole identity around a single idea: you don't need eggs to make something that tastes and behaves like real mayo. Instead of egg yolks, JUST Mayo uses protein extracted from Canadian yellow field peas as its emulsifier — the ingredient that lets oil and water blend into something thick and spreadable instead of separating.
The product's history is a little bumpier than most of what we cover on spvegan.com. Hellmann's parent company Unilever actually sued Hampton Creek (JUST's earlier name) in 2015, arguing that a product without eggs shouldn't be allowed to call itself "mayo" at all. Unilever dropped the suit, but the FDA separately sent a warning letter over labeling, and Hampton Creek agreed to tweak its packaging. The company also went through a rough patch around 2018–2020 when JUST Mayo largely vanished from major retailers. It's since made a comeback — Walmart, Target, and Amazon all currently list it — so we're reviewing the version you can actually buy today.
Ingredients
JUST Mayo Original's ingredient list is short by mayo-aisle standards:
- Expeller-pressed canola oil
- Water
- White distilled vinegar
- Lemon juice concentrate (less than 2%)
- Modified food starch
- Pea protein
- Salt
- Spice
- Sugar
- Fruit and vegetable juice (for color)
Shelf-stable versions of the product (sold outside the refrigerated case, including foodservice gallon jugs) add calcium disodium EDTA as a preservative. There's no soy in the base formula, which sets it apart from a lot of the vegan mayo aisle — Just Mayo leans on pea protein alone rather than a soy-and-pea blend.
Is JUST Mayo Vegan?
Yes — JUST Mayo Original is 100% vegan. There are no eggs, no dairy, and no other animal-derived ingredients anywhere in the formula. The entire point of the product is replacing egg yolk with pea protein, so animal ingredients were designed out of the recipe from day one rather than being an accidental omission. The company also markets the line as non-GMO.
The one thing to watch for isn't a vegan-status issue so much as an allergen one: the modified food starch and pea protein mean this isn't a good pick if you're avoiding legumes or corn-derived starches, and some flavored variants (garlic, chipotle) use additional spice blends worth double-checking if you have specific sensitivities. If you're ever unsure about a spin-off flavor or a reformulated version, run the label through the spvegan.com ingredient checker before buying.
How Does Pea Protein Replace Eggs in Mayo?
Traditional mayonnaise works because egg yolk contains lecithin, a natural emulsifier that lets you whip oil and an acidic liquid (vinegar or lemon juice) into a stable, thick spread instead of letting them separate. Take the egg out and you need something else to do that job. JUST Mayo's answer is protein isolated from yellow field peas, backed up by a small amount of modified food starch that helps thicken and stabilize the emulsion further.
According to the company, the pea protein used in JUST Mayo was chosen after screening roughly 1,500 different plants for emulsifying potential — a process that reportedly took about two years to land on peas as the winning ingredient. That backstory matters less to your sandwich than the result does, but it explains why JUST Mayo behaves more like conventional mayo on a spoon than some earlier vegan attempts, which often relied on straight soy protein or thickeners alone and ended up with a looser, less cohesive texture.
Storage, Shelf Life, and How to Use It
JUST Mayo is sold both refrigerated (the version most grocery shoppers will find in the dairy case or deli section) and shelf-stable (typically the larger tubs and foodservice jugs, which include calcium disodium EDTA as a preservative). Refrigerated jars should stay in the fridge from the moment you buy them and are best used within a few weeks of opening, similar to a standard jar of mayo. Shelf-stable versions can sit in the pantry unopened, but still need refrigeration once you break the seal.
Functionally, it behaves like any other mayo: spread it on sandwiches and wraps, fold it into potato or pasta salad, whisk it into a quick aioli with garlic and lemon, or use it as the creamy base for a dip. Because the flavor is closer to neutral-tangy than some plant-based mayos with a stronger "beany" or oily aftertaste, it holds up well in recipes where mayo is doing a lot of the flavor work, like a classic vegan coleslaw or deviled "egg" filling made with tofu.
Nutrition Facts: How JUST Mayo Compares
Vegan mayos are all fairly similar nutritionally — they're oil-based spreads, so the calorie and fat numbers land in a tight range. Here's how JUST Mayo stacks up against three other vegan mayo brands per 1-tablespoon serving:
| Brand | Serving | Calories | Total Fat | Sat. Fat | Sodium | Sugar | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JUST Mayo Original | 1 tbsp (14g) | 90 | 10g | 1g | 75mg | 0g | 0g |
| Follow Your Heart Vegenaise Original | 1 tbsp (14g) | 90 | 9g | 1g | 80mg | 0g | 0g |
| Sir Kensington's Fabanaise | 1 tbsp (14g) | 90 | 10g | 1g | 80mg | 0g | 0g |
| Hellmann's Vegan Mayo | 1 tbsp (~15g) | 98 | 10.8g | 0.8g | 90mg | 0.4g | <0.1g |
The takeaway: JUST Mayo sits almost exactly in the middle of the pack. It has the lowest sodium of the four, ties for lowest sugar, and its fat and calorie counts are functionally identical to Vegenaise and Fabanaise. None of these are "light" products — like conventional mayo, they're calorie-dense because oil is the first ingredient — so if you're watching fat intake closely, portion control matters more than brand choice here.
Taste and Texture
This is where JUST Mayo actually distinguishes itself. Independent taste tests and reader reviews consistently describe it as one of the closest matches to traditional egg-based mayo on the market — some reviewers say they'd struggle to identify it as vegan in a blind taste test. The texture is smooth and creamy rather than gel-like or gummy (a common complaint with cheaper vegan mayo alternatives), and the flavor has the tangy, slightly acidic bite you'd expect from real mayo rather than the flatter, oilier profile some plant-based spreads land on.
It's not flawless. Reviewers have flagged the flavored variants — chipotle in particular — as landing closer to a seasoned dip than an actual mayo with a kick. The Original flavor is the strongest entry in the lineup and the one we'd recommend leading with if you're trying it for the first time.
Price and Availability
JUST Mayo went through a rocky stretch where it disappeared from a lot of shelves, but it's back in fairly wide distribution as of this review — you can find it at Walmart, Target, and Amazon, plus specialty vegan retailers, in sizes ranging from a 12oz jar up to 30oz tubs and even 1-gallon foodservice jugs for restaurants and caterers. Pricing varies noticeably by retailer: expect somewhere in the $7–$11 range for a 12oz jar, which puts it at a real premium over store-brand vegan mayo and slightly above where Vegenaise typically lands. If price is your primary driver, it's worth price-checking Walmart against specialty grocers before you buy, since the spread between retailers can be significant.
JUST Mayo vs. the Competition
| Brand | Emulsifier | Soy-Free | Texture | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JUST Mayo | Pea protein | Yes | Smooth, close to traditional mayo | Anyone who wants the closest match to real mayo |
| Follow Your Heart Vegenaise | Soy protein | No (soy-free version available) | Slightly tangier, thinner | Longtime vegans, widest flavor lineup |
| Sir Kensington's Fabanaise | Aquafaba (chickpea liquid) | Yes | Light, airy | Bean-free, soy-free households |
| Hellmann's Vegan Mayo | Modified starch/rapeseed oil | Yes | Closest to Hellmann's original recipe | Former Hellmann's loyalists |
Who Should Buy JUST Mayo?
JUST Mayo makes the most sense for people who miss the exact taste and mouthfeel of traditional egg mayo and haven't found a plant-based version that scratches that itch. It's also a solid pick if you're avoiding soy, since the base formula skips it entirely in favor of pea protein. Sandwich shops, delis, and caterers looking for a foodservice-size option that performs consistently in high volume also have a real reason to consider it, given the gallon-jug format some suppliers carry.
It's a weaker fit if you're strictly budget-conscious — store-brand vegan mayo and even some competitors regularly undercut it on price — or if you're specifically avoiding legumes, since pea protein is a legume derivative. Households managing a corn allergy should also double-check the modified food starch source, and anyone with a mustard allergy should note that some competing brands (like Hellmann's Vegan Mayo) list mustard as an allergen even though JUST Mayo's own base formula does not.
If you're brand-new to vegan mayo entirely and not sure where to start, JUST Mayo Original is a reasonable first jar to try precisely because it's designed to feel familiar — you're less likely to get a texture or flavor that reads as obviously "different" compared to what you grew up eating, which can make the transition away from egg-based condiments easier.
Final Verdict
JUST Mayo earns its reputation as one of the more convincing egg-free mayos on the market. The ingredient list is clean, the vegan status is unambiguous, and the taste test results back up the marketing — this is a mayo that doesn't taste like a compromise. It loses a point on price consistency and another on the flavored variants not quite living up to the Original. For a straightforward, soy-free vegan mayo that actually tastes like mayo, it's a strong option; just don't expect it to be the cheapest jar on the shelf.
Rating: 8/10
