When slathering condiments on a sandwich, you don’t think of carbs as much since most toppings are fairly light. Yet the other day, when you went to squirt some mayo on your keto-friendly sandwich, a fellow keto dieter told you not to. Is mayo allowed on keto or is it too-high carb?
Mayo can be keto-friendly, but if yours has preservatives, added sugars, or oil blends, then it might not be as good for your diet as you’d think. Making homemade mayo is a great way to stay within your macros and still enjoy this condiment.
In this article, we’ll explore the ingredients list on your mayo bottle so you know what you’re putting into your body. We’ll also talk about keto mayonnaise brands so you can start shopping smarter. Make sure you keep reading!
What’s in Mayonnaise?
Have you ever turned that jar of mayonnaise over and looked at the ingredients label? If you answered no, that’s fine, as we’ll do it for you now.
Mayo has a few ingredients. They are vinegar or lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt, and egg yolks. The oil and watery egg yolk emulsify or band together, which is something these ingredients usually don’t do. If you don’t use mayo by its expiration date, then the two ingredients can un-emulsify, so to speak. In other words, they separate.
The type of oil used to make mayonnaise varies. Here are the kinds that manufacturers most favor.
Canola or Soybean Oil
Most grocery store mayo brands use either canola or soybean oil. This is where the traditional taste of mayonnaise comes from, at least in part. Yet the downside of these two types of oils is that they’re laden in preservatives and GMOs.
Coconut Oil
Of all the oils, coconut oil might be used a little more infrequently in mayo since it imparts its tropical taste into the finished product. Certain people don’t mind a bit of coconutty flavor in their mayonnaise while for others, they can’t stand it.
Olive Oil
Like coconut oil, olive oil tends to butt in and be a flavor thief if used to make mayonnaise. However, its taste is milder and more savory than coconut oil, so it’s quite palatable to some people. That said, mayo doesn’t quite taste like it should if olive oil is in there.
Avocado Oil
The healthfulness of avocado is widely celebrated, which is why some food brands add avocado oil to mayo. Avocado melds well enough with the egg and other ingredients that it won’t stand out like olive and coconut oils do. It’s also among the healthiest types of oil.
Depending on where you get your mayo, it may also include other ingredients such as added sugar and preservatives. That’s especially the case with grocery store mayonnaise. Even if you don’t taste the high-fructose corn syrup in mayo, that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Can You Have Mayo on the Keto Diet?
So let’s get back to your main question. Is mayonnaise an allowable condiment on the keto diet?
The answer depends on what’s in your mayo. Eggs are usually keto, and you shouldn’t have to worry about salt, mustard, or vinegar increasing your carb load.
Avocado oil is considered the best type of mayo oil for keto dieters, although most oils are low-carb or no-carb.
That said, blended oils are no good. The ingredients will usually say “avocado oil blended with coconut oil” or something to that effect. This is a cost-saving measure, as the food manufacturer will use less of the former oil but enough to justify labeling their product a certain way.
If you see this kind of label on your jar of mayo, you’re better off not buying it.
Added sugar and preservatives that can push a jar of mayonnaise closer into non-keto territory. The more bogged down the mayo is with the above ingredients, the worse it will be for your diet.
If you’re concerned that the mayo you like to spread on sandwiches or make into a potato salad isn’t keto-friendly, then you can try keto mayo brands or make your own mayo. Keep reading for more information on that!
Keto Mayo Brands to Try Today
It’s not like popular mayo brands such as Kraft, Hellmann’s, Heinz, and Miracle Whip aren’t low-carb, but between the added sugars, the preservatives, and the oil mixes, you’ll want to think twice about using these products again.
That doesn’t mean you have to skip mayonnaise altogether.
As we touched on in the last section, there are a multitude of keto-friendly mayo brands which have more natural ingredients, less (or no) sugar, and very few if any carbs.
Here are a few of our favorites!
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
You won’t have to guess which oils Primal Kitchen uses in its mayo, as it’s undoubtedly avocado oil. No, this isn’t a mix of avocado oil either, just pure avocado goodness. The other ingredients are organic rosemary extract, sea salt, organic vinegar, and organic egg yolks.
In a tablespoon or 15-gram serving, here’s what you’re ingesting:
- 100 calories
- 5 grams of saturated fat (8 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 15 milligrams of cholesterol (5 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 125 milligrams of sodium (5 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 0 grams of carbs
- 0 grams of dietary fiber
- 0 grams of total sugar
- 0 grams of added sugar
- 0 grams of protein
Chosen Foods Keto Mayo
Feel better about using condiments like mayo when you try Chosen Foods’ keto mayo. Theirs has no wheat gluten, artificial ingredients, fluoride, cocamide diethanolamine or DEA, or phosphate.
Instead, here’s what in this refreshingly tasty mayo: organic rosemary extract, mustard, salt, distilled vinegar, organic egg yolks, coconut oil, and MCT oil. We love the inclusion of MCT oil since it increases your energy and might help you decrease the size of your waistline.
Tessemae’s Organic Mayonnaise
You can’t go wrong with Tessemae’s mayo, which is Whole 30-approved, sugar-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and certified organic through the USDA. All eggs used in Tessemae’s mayo are cage-free.
The ingredients list is as follows: rosemary extract, sea salt, organic mustard seeds, water, organic apple cider vinegar, organic lemon juice, organic cage-free egg yolks, and organic high-oleic sunflower oil.
Here is the nutritional information per one tablespoon or 14 grams:
- 90 calories
- 10 grams of total fat (13 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 1 gram of saturated fat (5 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 0 grams of trans fat
- 0 grams of carbs
- 0 grams of total sugars
- 0 grams of protein
Sir Kensington’s Organic Mayonnaise
The last keto-friendly mayo we recommend is Sir Kensington’s, which is organic and non-GMO. Their Organic Certified Humane free-range eggs will also make you feel better about enjoying mayonnaise.
Sir Kensington’s avocado oil mayonnaise is made with lime oil, citric acid, lime juice concentrate, distilled vinegar, water, and organic free-range egg yolks.
Per a tablespoon or 13 grams, the nutrition facts are:
- 90 calories
- 10 grams of total fat (13 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 1 gram of saturated fat (5 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 90 milligrams of sodium (4 percent of your daily recommended value)
- 0 grams of carbs
- 0 grams of sugar
- 0 grams of protein
Keto-Friendly Homemade Mayo Recipe
At least once, we’d also suggest you make keto-friendly mayonnaise at home. You can enjoy the yummy taste of mayo whenever you want it with absolutely no risk of added sugars, preservatives, or oil mixes. Speaking of oil, you’d also be free to sub in or sub out whichever oil you like most.
This recipe for keto mayo comes courtesy of Gnom Gnom. The site mentions that their mayonnaise is Paleo-friendly as well and, even better, it takes only five minutes to whip up!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Extra-virgin olive oil (1/4 cup)
- Avocado oil or an oil of your choosing (1/2 cup)
- Water (1 teaspoon)
- Kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon)
- Dijon mustard (1 teaspoon)
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice (2 to 4 teaspoons)
- 1 organic egg yolk
Follow these steps to make delectable keto mayo at home.
Step 1: Take a medium bowl and add the water, salt, mustard, lemon juice, and egg yolk. Using a whisk, stir the ingredients until everything is well incorporated.
Step 2: If you have an immersion blender, turn it on and begin adding the avocado oil little by little. No immersion blender? Then you’ll have to whisk constantly and let a second person squeeze out the oil.
Step 3: When the ingredients emulsify or combine, turn your immersion blender up by one setting. You can also increase the amount of oil you’re adding. If you have no immersion blender, then try to increase your stirring speed.
Step 4: The consistency of the ingredients by the time you’re done stirring should be creamy and thick just like mayo.
Step 5: Transfer the mayonnaise into a jar or container, ensuring the lid is airtight. If stored in the fridge, your homemade keto mayo will be good for at least the next four days.
A cup of this stuff is about 16 tablespoons, so a little goes a long way. According to Gnom Gnom, that same serving size is:
- 94 kcal
- 10 grams of fat
- 1 gram of saturated fat
- 12 milligrams of cholesterol
- 40 milligrams of salt
- 0 grams of carbs
- 0 grams of dietary fiber
- 0 grams of sugar
- 0 grams of protein
Conclusion
Mayonnaise is usually keto, but added sugars, preservatives, and oil mixes can negatively affect your macros. Rather than stick to the same old mayo brands you used before you started keto, try a keto-friendly brand or make mayo yourself! It’s much more satisfying and totally fresh.
