Finding keto-friendly mayo is a tough act in life. With so many brands out there, it’s sometimes difficult to even know where to start.
Lucky for you, we’ve made life a little easier, and have put together some great keto-friendly mayo for you to try out! Hopefully you will find some new favorites by the time to reach the end of the list.
What is Mayonnaise Made From?
It’s important to know what mayonnaise is typically made of, especially when talking about specific diets.
Generally, mayo is made using eggs, sugar, oil, vinegar, and some type of oil, which varies from brand and requirements.
Of these ingredients, there are two that are very important when it comes to the keto diet.
Those two ingredients are: oil and sugar.
First, let’s understand a little more about sugar. Sugar is known as a simple carbohydrate, which will raise the insulin levels in the body.
When insulin levels rise, it promotes fat to be stored in the body instead of being burned.
If you’re trying to lose weight, this is exactly the opposite of what you want. This is why people decide to go on a keto diet – weight loss.
In the keto diet, some sugar is technically allowed to be consumed. However, it is always suggested that sugar should be avoided at all costs.
Thankfully for anyone participating in the keto diet, there are a couple of mayos on the market that are sugar free, and therefore okay for the keto diet.
Secondly, oil is an important factor of mayonnaise. This ingredient, however, is a little more complicated than the presence of sugar.
The majority of oils that are used in foods such as salad dressings and mayonnaise tend to be either soybean oil or vegetable oils.
Although the presence of these oils do not have a direct effect on the body’s ability to enter ketosis, they are processed oils.
Processed oils are very high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which some people like to avoid.
Why is it Important to Know What is in Mayo?
Knowing what is in mayonnaise, or any other food you eat, is incredibly important because it all affects your body.
Everything that you eat or drink will have a positive or negative effect on your health.
In very rare circumstances, something you consume will be neutral and have no effect on your health.
When it comes to the keto diet, knowing what is in the food you are eating is essential because it is a very rigid diet.
This diet allows for little to no sugar and carbohydrate consumption. As these two ingredients come in many different forms, they can often be hidden in other ingredients or terms.
Because of this, it helps to be aware of what you should be looking out for so that you can know exactly what you should avoid.
What are PUFAs?
PUFAs, or polyunsaturated fats, are fat molecules that have a double bond.
Any oils that contain an amount of polyunsaturated fats will typically be liquid when they are standing at room temperature.
However, when they are put in a cooler environment, like a refrigerator, they will begin to get solid.
An example of this would be olive oil, if you were wondering.
These PUFAs are known to help with reducing the amount of bad cholesterol in the body, which in turn lowers your chances of experiencing heart disease.
The oils also help maintain the cells in your body, and contribute a fair amount of vitamin E into people’s diets.
You may recognize that polyunsaturated fats are also found in fish such as salmon.
This is important because humans cannot produce these unique fats, for example omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
So, while polyunsaturated fats are not actually bad for the human body, there are better options for anyone who is on a keto diet and would like to keep their distance from these oils.
Of all oils, however, the most important oils to avoid are the ones that contain saturated fats. That, however, does not tie in with keto mayo.
The reason why polyunsaturated fats are so important for people on keto diets is because these people are likely already consuming a lot of them.
For example, those on keto diets are likely eating a lot of nuts and are using almond flour instead of white flour. Both of these things already have high amounts of PUFAs in them.
Therefore, consuming mayonnaise with more of these fats in them is not something that is recommended.
What is Better than PUFAs? Avocado Oil
After going through all of that – you might be wondering when a better alternative would be.
If mayonnaise has to have some kind of oil in it, what else can be used instead of vegetable or soybean.
Well, avocado oil, of course!
Unlike vegetable and soybean oil, avocado oil does not have a high concentration of polyunsaturated fats.
When looking at avocado oil, it is thought that the average percentage of PUFA is 13%, while the percent of mono-unsaturated fat (MUFA) sits at 70%.
What does this mean?
The high percentage of mono-unsaturated fats means that the body is easily able to break it down. These types of fat can not only be broken down easily, but they also are not known to promote inflammation.
Once again, when looking at the ingredients of mayonnaise and realizing how much of it is made up of oil, this is a very important topic.
By using the right type of oil in mayo, you can be doing your body a huge favor and keeping it healthy.
With that being said, is there something that is even better than avocado oil? Let’s take a look.
Is There Something Better Than Avocado Oil?
Cue MCTs. MCTs, or medium-chain-triglycerides, carry fatty acids. MCT oils are able to get broken down very easily by the body because of their structure, which allows them to be converted into ketones.
By having more ketones being produced, the state of ketosis is promoted, which is what the keto diet is all about.
MCT oils are actually 100% saturated fat. While this doesn’t sound like a good thing at all, just wait.
Because of the structure of MCT and their ability to easily be broken down in the body, you should definitely give them a chance.
Not only that, but there has actually been some evidence that suggests that the war against saturated fats has been nothing but fruitless.
In fact, there might be evidence to show that these fats might actually be beneficial to us when consumed in small amounts.
That isn’t what this is about, though. The point is, these MCTs are seen to be the better option when trying to decide what kind of oil is best for keto friendly mayo.
Now that we’ve gone through all that, let’s take a look at tome mayo that you, as someone who is on a keto diet, should definitely consider getting.
Taking a Look at the Best Keto Friendly Mayonnaise Brands
The worst part about being on a keto diet is knowing how restricting it is.
Most of your favorite foods are completely off the table because of sugars, carbs, or anything else in between. Mayo doesn’t have to be one of those items, though.
Thankfully, there are a couple of brands that make mayo variations that are good enough for anyone on a keto diet.
If you want to end the struggle and get your hands on one of these jars, we wouldn’t blame you. After all, who can live without mayo?
Chosen Foods Keto Mayo
First on the list is Chosen Foods Keto Mayo.
It’s all in the name, and this brand is making sure that their mayo’s name is loud and clear.
This product is the only brand in the whole of the United States that uses MCT oil in their mayo.
Why is that? We really aren’t sure, but we’re grateful for this brand for taking a step in the right direction.
In the Chosen Foods Keto Mayo, you can expect to see ingredients such as: Refined Coconut Oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides), Egg Yolks, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Salt. Less than 1%: Mustard, Organic Rosemary Extract.
Their decision to label their oil source as “refined coconut oil” is interesting, as it is MCT oil. As some of you may know, MCT oil is very different compared to oils such as avocado.
These oils are tasteless and odorless, whereas avocado oil is very distinguishable because of the strong taste and aroma.
It’s worth pointing out that this mayo doesn’t actually contain any sugar, either! As far as we can see, there really isn’t a better mayo option for anyone on their keto diet.
Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
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Second on the list, we have Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo. This brand is pretty famous for making some delicious condiments, and this one has to be the best keto mayo out there in terms of flavor.
Sir Kensington’s really out did themselves when it comes to figuring out the proportions, flavors, and even textures.
In this bottle of goodness, you will find a whole host of simple ingredients and even better, no preservatives! Although this brand is known for really going out there and creating super fancy stuff, they decided to stick to the classic recipe that just works for mayo.
Like the Chosen Foods Keto Mayo, this mayonnaise has precisely no sugar! Recent improvements in their recipe resulted in all sugar being removed from the ingredient list.
You can’t go wrong with mayo that is sugar free, tastes delicious, and can be found in a 12oz squirt bottle.
Chosen Foods Classic Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
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At number three, we have another Chosen Foods mayo – Classic Avocado Oil Mayo.
This brand has two amazing mayos on the market that you simply must try. If you’re a fan of the whole avocado thing, then this is the mayo that is perfect for you.
This brand also recently revamped their recipes and improved their mayo. With high-quality ingredients and a reduced amount of sugar going into the pot, this recipe is way better.
Did you know that this condiment is actually suitable for people on the Paleo/Whole30 diet, too?
Primal Kitchen Mayo with Avocado Oil
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Number four is the Primal Kitchen Mayo with Avocado Oil. This avocado oil mayo is pretty similar to the Chosen Foods avocado oil mayo, and the recipe is pretty much the same! The brand isn’t known to be the best on the market, but when it comes to their keto friendly mayo, they’re scoring top spots.
It’s great to know that with this mayo, everything is organically sourced, the eggs are cage-free, and the consistency you get is perfect.
Like with many products with oil, you will want to keep an eye out for oil separation and give your mayo a good stir every once in a while!
Better Body Foods Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
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Last on the list is the BetterBody Foods Avocado Oil Mayonnaise.
Since it is an avocado oil mayo, the recipe is pretty similar to the ones that we have already previously mentioned.
As a twist, however, this brand also adds in some onion and garlic powder into the mix! This helps to enhance the flavor and really make it drool-worthy.
These two additions to the recipe means that the Better Body Food Avocado Oil Mayo is the ideal candidate for sandwiches.
What You Should Be Cautious Of
One important thing that you should be aware of is that not all avocado oil mayo out there is suitable for people on a keto diet.
A lot of big brands like to use avocado oil blends – which means that they blend avocado oil with other types of oils. These other oils are usually either canola or soy, or both!
Not only that, but a lot of these other products will have preservatives and other ingredients that make their mayo unsuitable for a keto diet.
Always be sure to read the labels before you buy anything if you’re on a rigid diet. Too often, brands will try to trick you into buying things that won’t work for you – read the small print!
To point you in the right direction, if you come across Hellman’s Avocado Oil Mayo, or Kraft Avocado Oil Mayo, just know – they aren’t suitable!
Final Thoughts
There are a handful of great keto-friendly mayos out there for you to try. As long as you can read the ingredient list and know what to avoid and gravitate towards, you will do fine!
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