Does Mayo Have Dairy or Lactose? [Mayonnaise Ingredients]

Did you know that an early version of mayonnaise was made with “veal brain glaze”? Yeah, calf brain—they eat it in France. Today, mayo does not contain calf brain. But what does it contain? Does mayo have dairy or lactose?

Mayo does not contain dairy, milk, or lactose. All the leading brands of Mayonnaise today are dairy-free, including Miracle Whip, Duke’s, Heinz, Hellmann’s, Kraft, and Sir Kensington’s. Mayonnaise does contain eggs, however, so it is not typically vegan.

Below, I’ll answer all your questions about mayo ingredients, including a breakdown of all the leading brands and whether you can eat them as someone who is dairy-free or lactose intolerant. I’ll also end with a look at 10 fully vegan mayo options!

Does Mayonnaise Have Dairy in It?

Mayonnaise does not generally have dairy in it. Mayo is primarily made of oil, egg yolks, and vinegar or lemon juice. Other mayo ingredients often include sugar, salt, paprika, natural flavors, and less commonly, garlic, onion, or mustard.

Below, will share a list of the most popular mayo brands and whether they each contain dairy. But typically, there is no dairy to be found in mayonnaise.

Does Mayo Have Lactose?

Mayo does not typically have lactose. Considering that mayonnaise is almost always dairy-free, this means it is also free of lactose.

Can Lactose Intolerant People Have Mayonnaise?

Lactose intolerant people can have most mayonnaise. Most brands of mayo do not contain any lactose or dairy. Just double-check the specific brand to be sure.

Also remember: Salad dressings and sauces made with mayo, such as ranch dressing or creamy Italian dressing, often do contain lactose.

Dairy-Free Mayo Brands

I looked around at some of the most popular and highly rated mayo brands to see if they contained dairy. Here are the results:

Duke’s Real Mayonnaise

Duke’s Real Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Eggs, Water, Distilled And Cider Vinegar, Salt, Oleoresin Paprika, Natural Flavors, Calcium Disodium Edta Added To Protect Flavor. (source)

Great Value Mayonnaise

Great Value Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Water, Whole Eggs, Egg Yolks, Vinegar, Contains 2% or less of: Salt, Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), Natural Flavors, Paprika Oleoresin. (source)

Heinz Real Mayonnaise

Heinz Real Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Whole Eggs and Egg Yolks, Distilled White Vinegar, Water, Salt, Sugar, Natural Flavor (Contains Mustard), Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA. (source)

Hellmann’s Organic Mayonnaise

Hellmann’s Organic Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Soybean Oil, Water, Organic Whole Eggs, Organic Distilled Vinegar, Organic Egg Yolks, Salt, Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor. (source)

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Water, Whole Eggs and Egg Yolks, Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Natural Flavors. (source)

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Kewpie Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil), Egg Yolk, Vinegar, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Spice, Natural Flavor. (source)

Kraft Real Mayonnaise

Kraft Real Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Water, Eggs, Vinegar, Contains Less Than 2% of Sugar, Salt, Egg, Yolks, Natural Flavor (Contains Mustard), Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Dried Garlic, Dried Onions, Paprika. (source)

Miracle Whip

Miracle Whip does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Water, Soybean Oil, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Vinegar, Modified Corn Starch, Eggs, Salt, Natural Flavor, Mustard Flour, Potassium Sorbate, Spice, Dried Garlic. (source)

Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo

Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Organic Eggs, Organic Egg Yolks, Organic Vinegar, Sea Salt, Organic Rosemary Extract. (source)

Sir Kensington’s Classic Mayo

Sir Kensington’s Classic Mayo does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Sunflower Oil, Certified Humane Free-Range Egg Yolks, Water, Organic Lemon Juice, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Fair Trade Organic Cane Sugar, Mustard Flour, Black Pepper, Citric Acid. (source)

Tessemae’s Organic Mayonnaise

Tessemae’s Organic Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Sunflower Oil, Water, Cage Free Salted Egg Yolks (Cage Free Egg Yolks, Salt), Mustard (Distilled Vinegar, Water, Mustard Seed, Sea Salt, Spices), Lemon Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, White Distilled Vinegar, Whole Eggs, Mustard Seed, Sea Salt. (source)

Trader Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise

Trader Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil, Water, Organic Pasteurized Egg Yolks, Organic Whole Eggs, Organic White Vinegar, Salt, Organic White Mustard (Organic Distilled Vinegar, Water, Organic Mustard Seed, Salt, Organic Spices, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate. (source)

Whole Foods 365 Mayonnaise

Whole Foods 365 Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Whole Eggs, Filtered Water, Egg Yolks, Distilled Vinegar, White Mustard (Distilled Vinegar, Water, Mustard Seed, Salt, Clove), Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor. (source)

Wholesome Pantry Organic Real Mayonnaise

Wholesome Pantry Organic Real Mayonnaise does not contain lactose or dairy ingredients.

Ingredients: Soybean Oil (Organic), Water, Egg Yolk (Organic), Distilled Vinegar (Organic), Contains Less than 2% of Salt, Cane Sugar (Organic), Mustard Seed (Organic), Lemon Juice Concentrate (Organic), Natural Flavor. (source)

10 Vegan Mayonnaise Options

What if you’re not just dairy-free but trying to avoid all animal ingredients? Well, lucky for you, there are a growing list of vegan mayo brands and products available today.

Check out all these vegan mayo options on the market:

1. Chosen Foods Vegan Avocado Oil Mayo
2. Earth Balance Mindful Mayo
3. Follow Your Heart Vegenaise
4. Hellmann’s Vegan
5. JUST Mayo
6. Nasoya Vegan Nayonaise
7. Sir Kensington’s Vegan Mayo
8. Spectrum Light Canola Mayo
9. Thrive Market Vegan Mayonnaise
10. 365 Everyday Vegan Mayo (Whole Foods Market)

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