Primal Kitchen Takes the Crown for Overall Health
Let’s be real here – the Best Stuff when it comes to mayonnaise is Primal Kitchen Mayo. We believe this is the healthiest mayonnaise brand because it uses only avocado oil for fat, contains just six ingredients, and comes in a glass jar. What makes this mayo such a superstar isn’t just the fancy avocado oil label.
Primal Kitchen is a brand that makes many popular condiments and dressings, and instead of using popular vegetable or seed oils, it uses the up-and-coming avocado oil. Avocado oil is a great choice because it has unsaturated fats, which can reduce cholesterol as well as blood pressure. It also has other benefits, like antioxidants, which aid the body in protecting its cells. There are seven total ingredients in Primal Kitchen’s mayonnaise: avocado oil, vinegar, organic eggs, organic egg yolks, salt, rosemary extract, and mustard seed extract.
Aveyo Avocado Mayo – The Calorie-Conscious Champion
If you’re counting calories but refuse to sacrifice taste, here’s your holy grail. 1 healthiest mayo is Aveyo Avocado Mayo. It’s really low in calories, contains no saturated fat and is made with quality ingredients. This isn’t your grandmother’s mayo, that’s for sure.
1 healthiest mayo is Aveyo Avocado Mayo. It’s really low in calories, contains no saturated fat and is made with quality ingredients. Whitney Stuart MS RDN, a Dallas Dietitian says, “It’s a unique, oil-free avocado-based mayo that’s creamy, potassium-rich, and lower in calories than traditional oil-based emulsions. It’s made with simple, whole-food ingredients and delivers a fresh tang that’s perfect for tuna salad or veggie dips.”
Duke’s Real Mayonnaise – The Sugar-Free Southern Legend
Duke’s distinct and genuine taste stems from its century-old family recipe, incorporating solely egg yolks, apple cider vinegar, soybean oil, and a hint of paprika. This combination results in a velvety, homemade-like texture that is both smooth and creamy. Notably, Duke’s stands out from other leading mayonnaise brands, as it is the only one that is entirely sugar-free, and it also relatively low in sodium.
Sometimes the old ways really are the best ways. Duke’s has been doing mayo right for over a century, and they’re not about to mess with a good thing now. The first was Best Foods (aka Hellman’s, if you’re east of the Rockies), which was an immediate fave. It’s very rich and eggy in flavor and perhaps the most harmonious mayo ever created, with salt and acid in perfect balance and a rich smooth texture that’s not at all greasy.
Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo – The Clean Label Winner
If you’re on the hunt for condiments that are made with clear and straightforward ingredients, Sir Kensington’s is a brand that you might want to check out. It sells things like Japanese yum yum sauce, mustard, special sauce, and many types of mayonnaise. The ingredients in each of its products don’t include anything extraneous, and the company uses real ingredients as opposed to flavorings or concentrates.
When looking at the mayonnaise offered by Sir Kensington’s, you’ll find a few options. For the plain mayo flavor, there is Classic Mayonnaise, Organic Mayonnaise, and Avocado Oil Mayonnaise. Both the Classic Mayonnaise and the Organic Mayonnaise are made with sunflower oil, which mainly contains unsaturated fat — the type of fat we want to see in a mayonnaise! I will say, however, that the Avocado Oil Mayonnaise is a better choice. This is because sunflower oil is high in omega-6 which, when eaten in higher amounts, can potentially lead to inflammation in the body.
Chosen Foods – The Avocado Oil Specialist
When your family has been growing avocados for generations, you probably know a thing or two about making the good stuff. Dip into our clean and simple take on a classic spread. Made with 100% pure avocado oil, cage-free eggs, organic vinegar, organic mustard, and spices, it’s rich and slightly tangy—perfect for everyday use. Made with 100% Pure Avocado Oil- Packed with good fats from avocados and crafted without soy or canola oil for clean, wholesome flavor.
Certified Non-GMO, gluten-free, glyphosate-residue free, kosher, keto friendly, and free of soy and canola oils. Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Filtered Water, Egg Yolks, Organic Whole Eggs, Organic Distilled White Vinegar, Organic Mustard (Distilled Organic Vinegar, Water, Organic Mustard Seed, Salt, Organic Spices), Salt, Organic Rosemary Extract. That’s the kind of ingredient list that doesn’t require a chemistry degree to understand.
Trader Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise – The Budget-Friendly Hero
Sometimes you don’t need to break the bank to eat well. Good ol’ Trader Joe’s easily nabbed first place, beating out competitors that cost double or almost triple the price. Most organic mayos were very similar in flavor to the classics but slightly more tart. What I liked about TJ’s was how creamy and rich it was while being perfectly balanced in tartness. It was bright and acidic and made for a harmonious egg salad, and almost-decadent ham sandwich.
Nutrition (Per 1 tbsp serving): Calories: 100 Fat: 11 g (Saturated Fat: 2 g) Sodium: 80 mg Carbs: 0 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 0 g) Protein: 0 g The numbers don’t lie – this is solid mayo without the premium price tag.
Kewpie Mayo – The Umami Game Changer
Kewpie mayonnaise is beloved thanks to its rich, umami flavor, which is derived from using only egg yolks (compared to other brands that use the whole egg). Alongside egg yolk, Kewpie mayo embraces simplicity by relying on oil and vinegar as its primary ingredients. Kewpie mayonnaise is beloved thanks to its rich, umami flavor, which is derived from using only egg yolks (compared to other brands that use the whole egg). Alongside egg yolk, Kewpie mayo embraces simplicity by relying on oil and vinegar as its primary ingredients. Any additional components are kept to a minimum, with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, reflecting the brand’s commitment to minimalism. Notably, Kewpie prides itself on its relatively low sodium content compared to other mayo options available in the market.
This Japanese import has developed quite the cult following, and honestly, once you try it, regular mayo starts tasting pretty bland. For the ultimate Kewpie experience, look for the original Japanese version packaged in a bag rather than the American option found in a bottle.
Follow Your Heart Vegenaise – The Vegan Pioneer
Long before everyone jumped on the plant-based bandwagon, Follow Your Heart was quietly revolutionizing vegan mayo. From Follow Your Heart to JUST and even a fan-favorite brand, these companies are making the healthiest mayonnaise you can get your hands on. Follow Your Heart’s Veganaise is made with expeller-pressed canola oil, brown rice syrup, apple cider vinegar, soy protein, sea salt, mustard flour, and lemon juice concentrate. These simple ingredients created a vegan mayonnaise that the customers at the original sandwich shop absolutely loved. Due to its high demand, the founders began to bottle and sell the product.
The company has other versions of the Veganaise that you can buy as well, like Avocado Oil Vegenaise, Soy-Free Vegenaise, Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise, Reduced Fat Vegenaise, Organic Vegenaise, and Chipotle Vegenaise. Personally, I think that the option made with avocado oil is the best option, as avocado oil is one of the healthiest oils that you can consume. They’ve basically covered every dietary restriction under the sun.
Whole Foods 365 Organic Mayo – The Store Brand Success
Whole Foods’ 365 brand carries an incredibly large range of food products, from delicious snacks to bread products and condiments. If you’re shopping at Whole Foods, a price- and health-conscious option is the 365 Organic Mayonnaise. Even though organic products tend to be a bit more expensive than regular products, this one isn’t outrageously priced. In my location in New York City, a jar costs around $5.
Expeller-pressed canola oil is considered better than most seed oils because it is mechanically extracted without chemical solvents, preserving more natural nutrients and having a healthier fatty acid profile with lower omega-6 content. Whole Foods 365 is one of the top store brands for mayo, featuring a clean and straightforward ingredient label that emphasizes organic eggs and high-quality oils, although it still contains expeller pressed canola oil.
Ayoh Foods Mayo – The Cage-Free Champion
Made with cage-free eggs and apple cider vinegar, Ayoh! Foods mayo is super creamy and high-quality. It’s a favorite of Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, author and owner of Nutrition Now Counseling who likes that it’s “free from questionable ingredients, and it goes well on tons of dishes.”
Sometimes the smallest details make the biggest difference. When a brand takes the time to source cage-free eggs and use apple cider vinegar instead of regular distilled vinegar, you know they’re paying attention to quality. Ayoh mayo is a creamy spread with a tangy taste that any palate would enjoy and it has dietitian-approved ingredients. “Ayoh’s ‘big-nozzle business’ nozzle spreads their chunky mayo in perfect, oozy ribbons,” says Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, Charleston-based registered dietitian. “Made with quality ingredients like cage-free eggs and apple cider vinegar, this mayo (which they call sandwich sauce) is simply delish.”
What to Avoid – The Mayo Hall of Shame
Before we wrap this up, let’s talk about what NOT to put in your cart. Miracle Whip—described by Kraft as a “mayo-like dressing”—is often considered less healthy than other mayonnaise options for several reasons. It contains fewer healthy fats compared to traditional mayonnaise, as it often includes more soybean oil and water instead of beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The sodium levels in Miracle Whip are also typically higher, which can contribute to elevated blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease.
Don’t let the nutritional label fool you. Yes, Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise is low in sodium and calories compared to others, but it’s the ingredients that land this brand on the worst list. Stuart says, “While a classic, its main ingredient is soybean oil, an oil that lacks the nutrient density of healthier alternatives like avocado-based mayo.” Sometimes what looks good on paper doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Bottom Line on Healthy Mayo Shopping
Here’s the thing about mayonnaise that might surprise you: If you love mayonnaise but try to avoid it, thinking it’s on the list of forbidden foods, you’ll be happy to know that it’s actually not nearly as bad as its reputation may seem. With plant-based oil, eggs and vinegar as the primary ingredients of most types of regular mayo, it’s actually low in saturated fat and sodium. Regular mayo has just 1 to 2 grams per tablespoon — about the same of what you get in a tablespoon of olive oil. And with just 5 to 10 milligrams of cholesterol per serving, it’s far below the recommended upper limit of 200 to 300 milligrams of cholesterol.
The real game-changer is choosing brands that use quality oils like avocado oil instead of heavily processed seed oils. When choosing a healthy mayonnaise, look for mayonnaise made with avocado oil or olive oil,” Bess Berger, RDN is the founder of Nutrition by Bess in NJ says. “Avoid soybean, canola, or vegetable oils, as they are often highly processed and inflammatory. Many brands try to go cheap and use a blend of avocado oil with seed oils. Don’t let fancy marketing fool you – always flip that jar over and read what’s actually inside.
The healthiest mayo isn’t necessarily the most expensive one, but it’s definitely the one with ingredients you can actually pronounce. Whether you go for the avocado oil superstars or stick with a classic like Duke’s, the key is finding one that fits your taste buds and your values. What surprised you most about these mayo rankings?
