Product Review: Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Sandwich Spread by Vitasoy

I have always been a huge fan of Vegenaise made by Follow Your Heart. Up until now, Vegenaise is the only vegan sandwich spread or mayonnaise substitute that I have used for sandwiches, coleslaw, potato salad and tofu salad (think egg salad with tofu instead of eggs). But, alas, on my last trip to the grocery store it was out of stock, so I decided to give another vegan mayonnaise substitute a try. There weren't many options, but I found Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Spread in the natural foods section and tossed it in my cart to give it a go.

It's less expensive than Vegenaise and, being the frugal vegan that I am, I got a little tingle thinking that maybe I had found a lower priced option for a product we use quite a bit.

So, first off, here's the lowdown on the nutritional aspects and ingredients in Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Sandwich Spread. It's gluten-free, cholesterol-free, all natural, kosher, GMO-free and made with 18% organic ingredients - all good things in my book. It has 35 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per serving (compared to 90 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving in Vegenaise). Now, on the Vitasoy website Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Sandwich Spread is toted as a good source of protein, but with less than 1 gram per serving you would have to eat an awful lot of this mayonnaise substitute to get much in the protein department. Of course, the serving size is so small (1 tablespoon) that this could be the reason they can say it's a good source of protein. And, really, if a vegan or vegetarian accidentally gets a tad bit of extra protein from their sandwich spread, I doubt you'll hear any complaints.

Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Sandwich Spread might have Vegenaise on the price and the lower fat and calorie content, but when it comes to taste and texture, I was not impressed. It isn't horrible, but it isn't anything to write home about. The best way I can think to describe it is that, to me, it tasted way too much like you put everything together for egg or tofu salad, but just didn't add the eggs or tofu. Or, better yet, that you made some tofu salad and then put it in a blender - since it's soy-based, maybe that one makes more sense. At first I thought maybe it was because of the apple cider vinegar or the mustard listed on the ingredient list, but then I checked a jar of Vegenaise and it also has apple cider vinegar and mustard, so I'm not sure which ingredient gives it this flavor.

Based on this, I think that Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Sandwich Spread would work well in potato salad, egg salad, tofu salad, chicken or unchicken salad and maybe coleslaw. Plus, since these recipes require a significant amount of your chosen mayonnaise substitute - and Nasoya is cheaper - I will likely try this in the future. But, for sandwiches and any non-salad dishes, I am definitely sticking with Vegenaise.

Overall, Nasoya Original Vegi-Based Sandwich Spread is all right, but it's not my favorite Vitasoy product and definitely not my favorite vegan, eggless mayonnaise alternative.

Give me a couple of Smart Dogs and a jar of Vegenaise and I'm a happy girl.