Mayonnaise vs salad dressing: nutrition compared

— not reported by USDA for this food.

— not reported by USDA for this food.

Most people comparing these want the lighter spread. The mayonnaise-type dressing on this page is, by a wide margin: about 37 calories per tablespoon against about 94 for regular mayonnaise, because it holds 21.6 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 74.9 g. It carries far more sugar, 10.02 g against 0.57 g, and about the same sodium, 653 mg against 635 mg.

Neither is egg-free. US rules require egg yolk in mayonnaise and in any product sold as salad dressing. With mayonnaise the oil matters. In 34 young adults, 20 g a day of soybean-oil mayonnaise for 4 weeks lowered total and LDL cholesterol against palm-olein mayonnaise, lowered HDL too, and left the LDL to HDL ratio unchanged. Some fat also helps a salad. With fat-free dressing, 7 adults absorbed essentially no carotenoids from it.

A 2000 review of US products read the lack of reported illness from commercial acidic dressings as evidence of their safety. Homemade mayonnaise with raw egg is among the foods most often linked to Salmonella outbreaks, and FDA advises treated or pasteurized eggs for raw-egg recipes. FDA lists homemade dressings with raw egg among foods to avoid in pregnancy, when foodborne illness can cause miscarriage.

For fewer calories, pick the dressing. For less sugar, pick mayonnaise. On sodium it is a tie.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E A tablespoon of regular mayonnaise is 14 g in USDA survey measures, about 94 calories and 23 ug vitamin K, and a single-serve packet is 12 g. USDA FoodData Central survey foods (FNDDS) 2024-10-31, fdc_id 2710204
2. Level E Under the US standard of identity, mayonnaise must contain an acidifying ingredient, vinegar or lemon or lime juice, together with vegetable oil and egg yolk ingredients. 21 CFR 169.140 Mayonnaise (FDA standard of identity)
3. Level E US rules require salad dressing to contain at least 30% vegetable oil by weight and egg yolk equal to 4% liquid yolk. 21 CFR 169.150 Salad dressing (FDA standard of identity)
4. Level B Eating 20 g a day of soybean-oil mayonnaise for 4 weeks lowered total cholesterol by 9.7 mg/dL (0.25 mmol/L) and LDL by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) compared with palm-olein mayonnaise, but also lowered HDL by 4.6 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L). The oil in the jar decides the effect. Lipids Health Dis, 2016
5. Level B Swapping the base oil of 20 g of daily mayonnaise from palm olein to soybean lowered total cholesterol by 9.7 mg/dL (0.25 mmol/L) in 34 adults, and lowered HDL by 0.12 at the same time. Lipids Health Dis, 2016
6. Level B Salad eaten with fat-free dressing put essentially no carotenoids into the blood of 7 adults, while 6 g and then 0.99 oz (28 g) of canola oil in the dressing raised absorption step by step. Am J Clin Nutr, 2004
7. Level D A review of commercial mayonnaise and dressings reads the absence of reported foodborne illness from commercial acidic dressings and sauces as evidence of their safety. Journal of Food Protection, 2000, Microbiological safety of mayonnaise, salad dressings, and sauces produced in the United States: a review
8. Level D A review of Salmonella in raw egg products names homemade raw egg mayonnaise among the foods most often linked to salmonellosis outbreaks. Pathogens, 2016, A Review of Temperature, pH, and Other Factors that Influence the Survival of Salmonella in Mayonnaise and Other Raw Egg Products
9. Level E FDA advises that recipes served with raw or undercooked egg, the category homemade mayonnaise falls into, be made with eggs treated to destroy Salmonella or with pasteurized egg products. FDA, What You Need to Know About Egg Safety (page dated 2024-03-05)
10. Level E FDA lists foods containing raw or undercooked eggs, including certain homemade salad dressings, among foods for higher-risk people such as pregnant women to avoid. FDA, People at Risk of Foodborne Illness (Foods to Avoid)
11. Level E FDA states that foodborne illness during pregnancy is serious and can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth or the death of a newborn. FDA, People at Risk of Foodborne Illness

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Mayonnaise: the oil decides, the raw egg is the risk
• Salad dressing: the fat is what gets the salad into you

What the studies say

• Is mayonnaise safe during pregnancy? The risk sits in homemade raw-egg mayo

Rankings and guides

• Protein: what it does and how much you need
• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in protein?

• Mayonnaise: USDA FoodData Central, Salad dressing, mayonnaise, regular, FDC ID 171009 · all forms of mayonnaise
• Salad dressing: USDA FoodData Central, Salad dressing, mayonnaise type, regular, with salt, FDC ID 171403 · all forms of salad dressing

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.