If you’re reading this article right now — you at least ~like~ mayonnaise. How do we know? Because mayo only elicits two emotions: love or hate. Ask random people on the street “What do you think of mayo?” and we’re willing to bet not person will respond, “Eh, it’s whatever.” And you know what? I’m just going to go ahead and say this because we’re among friends:
Those people who hate mayo… they’re f*cking weird. Just odd birds, all around.
Mayo has a simple mission: enhance flavor and texture. And given that it’s a simple mix of egg, oil, and vinegar, it does a damn good job of that. What other condiments can do this much heavy lifting in improving a dish? Ketchup? Nah, too sweet.
As a mayo fan — and if you got this far you’re certainly one of us — you’re sure to have strong opinions about the best brand. Some of it is likely flavor-based but some is surely tied to nostalgia. If you grew up with a certain mayo your tastebuds are conditioned into thinking it’s the best. That’s why, a year back, we offered a definitive twenty-brand ranking to help you recalibrate the ol’ tastebuds.
That list gave us some great all-rounders but in the process, I learned that certain brands excel at certain tasks/dishes. So today, I’m going to simplify that list of 20 down to a tight five. Make sense? Here are the five absolute best jars of mayo and what they are best for in your kitchen.
Best For Complex Sauces and Umami-Rich Flavors — Kewpie Mayonnaise
Price: $6.89
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Scan an online forum or ask around and you’ll no doubt hear about this brand — we ranked it number 1 last year. But not enough people will tell you why this Japanese brand is distinctly delicious. It’s all in the preparation process. Instead of whole eggs like American mayo brands, Kewpie is made using only egg yolks with a different ratio between the egg, oil, and vinegar (balsamic vinegar to be specific), giving it a luxurious thick texture and a deeper more complex flavor.
It elevates flavor like no other brand can and provides an umami savoriness to anything it’s used on. (I’m guessing it’s also seasoned with MSG.) Be sure to get the Kewpie Mayo in the pouch though, the bottled stuff is reformulated for the American market.
Where It Excels:
Kewpie is my go-to anytime I’m making a more complex sauce or dips, like an aioli, or avocado and lime dip. It also makes for a fantastic marinade.
The Bottom Line:
Whether you use it as a key ingredient in a sauce or just spread it on bread and call it a day, you should always have Kewpie mayo in your kitchen. Even if your main love is another brand.
Best For Sandwiches — Duke’s Real Mayonaise
Price: $2.99
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Duke’s is a Southern favorite and, in our opinion, the best American brand of mayonnaise. What makes this different than something like Hellman’s/Best Foods is that it’s made with paprika and cider vinegar, which gives it a distinct tang, with a hint of smokiness, spice, and earth.
Where It Excels:
The distinct flavor of Duke’s makes it a mayo you’re going to want to taste and is so much an experience in itself it doesn’t need to be altered in any way. That’s why this is my go-to mayo for making a sandwich or anything where you’ll be tasting the mayo unaltered.
The Bottom Line:
Looking for mayo that doesn’t just elevate but also imparts a noticeable flavor? Duke’s is your brand.
Best All-Arounder — Best Foods/Hellman’s
Price: $4.79
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Best Foods is the Heinz Ketchup of mayonnaise. It’s iconic, and unless you live in the south, the image of this jar is probably what forms in your mind when you hear the word “mayo.”
It’s pretty solid — it has a perfect balance of egg, oil, and acid offering a flavor that is sweet, creamy, fatty, flavorful, and above all else, flexible, that’s why it’s our pick as Best All-Arounder mayo.
Where It Excels:
Anywhere and anything where mayo is required. Sandwiches, potato salads, complex sauces, baking, this mayo can do it all. But this is very important: don’t buy the “Orangic” version, it’s too oily.
The Bottom Line:
A great mayo that can satisfy any kitchen task. Do note though that there is a sweetness here that makes it a bit less savory than something like Kewpie or Duke’s.
Best For Baking — Sir Kensington’s Classic Mayonnaise
Price: $6.28
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Don’t write this off as a simple hipster mayo because it’s branding — Sir Kensington’s is great! The ingredients are slightly elevated than what you’d find in a typical mayo: free-range eggs, sunflower oil, cane sugar, organic lemon juice and you know what? That difference translates.
The sweet aspect of this mayo tastes natural and a bit earthy, the lemon juice adds the subtlest tang of any brand on this list — every ingredient here is well incorporated, it comes across as, dare I say, homemade.
Where It Excels:
If you’re not baking with mayonnaise it’s probably why your baked goods just aren’t quite as delicious in flavor and luxurious in texture as something made by a real baker.
Mayonnaise is a shockingly good secret ingredient in baked goods because of the way it adds additional moisture to the finished result. Sir Kensington’s high-quality ingredients and almost neutral flavor make it so that the flavor of mayo won’t translate through the dish, but you’ll get all the benefits of its fat content.
There are all sorts of different ideas about how best to incorporate mayo into a dish, from adding a spoon or substituting eggs or butter so be sure to do some research for whatever specific baked good you’re making.
The Bottom Line:
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. But you’ve probably already eaten countless cakes and pies that use mayo without even knowing it.
Best For Mexican Sauces/Dishes — McCormick Mayonnaise with Lime (Mayonesa con jugo de limones)
Price: $4.99
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
When we did the big 20 mayo blind taste test this brand landed somewhere in the middle of the list and that’s because it has a slightly different flavor profile to typical mayo, but isn’t so savory and jaw-dropping delicious like Kewpie.
Tasted side by side with other mayos, this just comes across as too different, but because it is the biggest mayo brand in Mexico (go to any Mexican market, this is going to be the mayo stocked), it’s tied to those dishes.
What makes it different is it’s made with lime instead of lemon juice, giving it a slightly bitter flavor. This subtle difference is enough to make all the difference in Mexican sauces and dishes.
Where It Excels:
This is the mayo you want to use if you’re slathering it all over corn on the cob with some paprika but where it excels is in Mexican sauces like Chipotle or avocado sauce.
The bitter tart of lime pairs perfectly with the smokey notes of Chipotle peppers. This mayo also works as a great flavor enhancer for avocado-based sauces or corn dips.
Yes, you’re going to add lime juice to any of these dishes anyway, and you still should, but there is something about the way the ingredients of this mayo are incorporated into one another that makes it distinct.
You could use any other mayo in all of these cases, but we’re willing to bet something will taste slightly off if it’s not McCormick.
The Bottom Line:
It’s Mexico’s favorite mayo for a reason!