Is Mayo Keto?

Mayo goes well with almost any keto-friendly dish. 

Unfortunately, most processed foods damage your health because they’re filled with sugar, chemical preservatives and weird oils. 

But, is mayo keto?

In this post, I’ll talk about eating mayonnaise on keto, what to look for when buying mayonnaise and some tasty alternatives.

Eating Mayo on a Keto Diet: Yay or Nay?

KetoConnect verdict: We give mayo a keto-friendly rating of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(out of 5)

Eating mayo won’t knock you out of ketosis. However, conventional mayonnaise contains dangerous ingredients like:

• Vegetable oils
• Artificial preservatives
• MSG

These chemicals trigger inflammation which is a significant reason behind most chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Before buying, read the label to see if it contains vegetable seed oils like soybean oil and canola oil. Instead, look for oils lower in omega 6 like olive, coconut, and avocado oils.

Harmful Ingredients in Mayo to Look Out For

Although some of these ingredients won’t interfere with ketosis, they trigger negative responses in your body like inflammation that leads to chronic diseases.

It’s Filled with Vegetable Oils

Olive, avocado and coconut oils are quite expensive compared to vegetable seed oils. So to save money, companies add these cheap oils to their mayonnaise. When you eat it, your body triggers inflammation because it sees vegetable oils as a threat.

Several studies even found vegetable oil causes degradation of the brain and leads to Alzheimer’s Disease and other brain disorders.

Vegetable oils are harmful because they’re unnatural. There’s so little oil in an ear of corn that it takes 98 ears just to make 5 tablespoons of corn oil. 

In caveman days, it would be impossible to eat this many polyunsaturated fatty acids.

It’s not hard to see how ripping oil out of thousands of seeds and eating them by the tablespoon can negatively affect our health.

So instead, opt for mayonnaise that uses healthier oils like avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil. Coconut oil is especially beneficial because it doesn’t oxidize quickly due to its high saturated fat content and contains medium chain triglycerides or MCTs that boost brain health.

Some Companies Add Lots of Sugar

Conventional store bought mayo contains sugar that kicks you out of ketosis.

This is because you can make almost anything taste better by adding sugar or high-fructose corn syrup to it.

You might’ve heard about the bliss point. This is a point where the maximum amount of sugar is added before a product becomes too sweet and mayo brands attract customers by reaching this bliss point.

So it’s crucial to stay away from cheap mayo. Instead, buy from a company that specializes in keto-friendly mayo and read the label, nutritional table before buying the product.

It Contains Toxic Preservatives That Extend Shelf Life

After mayo is made, it’s transported via plane and truck for days. It stands on the shelf of your local grocery store for weeks before you buy it. This entire process can take a month or two.

To avoid products going off, food companies add preservatives so it can survive this long journey. 

However, this comes at a price.

Preservatives work because they make food less attractive to mold and pathogens. These pathogens can’t eat the food since it’ll kill them, ensuring food lasts longer.

If preservatives make food dangerous to pathogens, how do you think it affects your body?

Although there are differences between humans and pathogens, we’re both biological organisms, and attracted to the same food because we need to survive. 

So if it affects them negatively, it also affects you negatively. 

Now that we know what to avoid when shopping for mayonnaise let’s look at some healthy mayo brands.

What are Some Keto-Friendly Mayo Brands?

I’ve been on a ketogenic diet for around three years, and during that time, I searched for mayonnaise that doesn’t contain inflammation-causing chemicals. 

These healthy mayo brands use olive, coconut or avocado oil and are free of added sugars.

Duke’s Real Mayonnaise

Duke is a creamy and rich mayo that contains no sugar or canola oil. This makes it a delicious yet healthy option to add to keto-friendly meals. In one serving, you’ll get 100 calories, 12 grams of fat and zero carbs.

It uses natural flavors and spices to taste just like the traditional mayonnaise we all grew up with.

Sir Kensington’s Organic Mayonnaise

Sir Kensington produces keto-friendly mayonnaise. It’s gluten-free and contains healthy ingredients like: 

• Avocado or olive oil
• Egg yolks
• Organic lemon juice
• Distilled vinegar
• Salt
• Mustard flour

Sir Kensington offers a classic, Chipotle and avocado version, so you can play around with different flavors to see which fits certain foods.

It contains no sugar, carbs or preservatives. 

I recently started adding their Dijon mustard to my keto burgers and sandwiches, and it’s a tasty alternative to mayo. This mustard contains keto-friendly, non-inflammatory products, so it doesn’t damage your body.

Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo

As the name suggests, this mayo is avocado oil blended with pasteurized eggs and natural flavorings. 

After I made tartar sauce with Primal Kitchen’s mayo, I could barely tell the difference. Including avocado oil, this mayo only uses five ingredients:

• Organic cage-free eggs,
• Organic vinegar
• Sea salt
• Rosemary extract

One serving contains 100 calories, 12 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat and no added sugar or net carbs.

Flavorful Mayo Alternatives

Although mayonnaise is tasty and can go well with almost any food, eating too much gets boring. So to add some variety to your keto diet, here are four alternatives.

Guacamole

Guacamole is smashed avocado with onion, lemon juice and tomato, and it’s one of my favorite keto side dishes. It’s tasty, packed full of healthy fats and goes with burgers, eggs and meats. This makes it a delicious alternative to mayo.

Making guacamole only takes a few minutes. First, smash some avocado into a bowl and add onion with tomato. Once everything is mixed, pour a teaspoon of lemon juice, vinegar and a few pinches of salt and pepper.

Avocado is one of the healthiest foods you can eat because it contains nutrients like:

• Potassium
• Folate
• Zinc
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin C

This is why guacamole is a perfect side dish to eat with bacon and eggs for breakfast. It provides your body with the nutrients you need for high energy throughout the day.

Homemade Mayonnaise

If you want to add some variety, consider making homemade mayo. It can seem intimidating, but it’s super easy because it’s simply emulsifying raw egg yolks and oil.

Here’s a convenient homemade keto mayo recipe. You’ll only need five ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups oil (Preferably coconut or extra virgin olive oil)
• 3 egg yolks 
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper 

Simply mix these ingredients using an immersion blender or food processor. The egg yolk combined with oil creates a thick and creamy homemade mayo. 

You could even add some Chipotle or barbeque sauce to give it extra flavor.

Plain Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a thicker, creamy version of store bought regular yogurt. You can use it as a dressing by adding parsley and eating it with curry or yogurt bowls. 

In 100 grams of Greek yogurt, you’ll find:

• 97 calories
• 5 grams of fat
• 3 grams of carbs
• 9 grams of protein
• 57 mg of sodium

Even though it contains net carbs, it’s in small amounts, and if you’re using it as a mayonnaise replacement to eat with other foods, Greek yogurt won’t interfere with ketosis. 

It also offers powerful health benefits like:

• Higher levels of protein
• Lower in carbs and lactose
• Improves your gut microbiome

In 100 grams of regular yogurt, you’ll only get 4 grams of protein. But Greek yogurt contains three times more protein. This is good news for keto dieters because protein is shown to keep you fuller for longer.

Also, regular yogurt contains around 5 grams of carbs compared to Greek yogurt’s 3 grams. However, companies add sugar to flavored Greek yogurts, so it’s best to stick with the plain version.

But my favorite Greek yogurt benefit is it helps with digestive health. It contains good bacteria, also known as probiotics, and they work by changing the balance of bacteria in your gut. Several studies link balanced gut bacteria to increased immunity and reduced risk of obesity.

Nut Butter

Peanut, cashew and almond butter is another tasty alternative to mayonnaise. 

You can use it as a savory dipping sauce or salad dressing, and it goes well with soups and curries.

However, it’s essential to get the proper nut butter because many are filled with sugar, vegetable oil and preservatives. So read the label and check if it’s organic, GMO-free and doesn’t contain sugar or soybean oil. Instead, high-quality nut butter uses peanut oil.

Final Word on Is Mayo Keto?

You can eat mayo with almost any meal. Unfortunately, companies are adding sugar and preservatives to make it taste sweeter and last longer. This wreaks havoc on your body and leads to inflammation.

So when you’re shopping, look for keto mayonnaise brands like Primal Kitchen Mayo, Duke and Sir Kensington. These companies use high-quality ingredients like extra light olive oil and organic egg yolks. And if you want to know exactly what’s in your mayo, try making some at home. It’s super easy, and you only need five ingredients.

Looking for more “is it keto” guides? Check out our articles about rice paper, honey, oat fiber, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar, sour cream, allulose, tofu and much more in our keto beginners guide.

Written by

Expert Fact Checker