Mayonnaise dressing: less oil than mayonnaise, far more sugar

In a randomized crossover study in 12 women, salads dressed with 0 to 1.1 oz (0 to 32 g) of soybean oil gave the highest absorption of every carotenoid and fat-soluble vitamin at 32 g, with wide variation between women. In 7 adults, the same salad with fat-free dressing let essentially no carotenoids through. Mayonnaise-type salad dressing is its own US product with its own legal recipe, and it brings less of that fat. US rules set its floor at 30 percent oil by weight, against 65 percent for mayonnaise. Survey data give it 250 calories and 21.6 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 680 calories and 74.85 g for regular mayonnaise. It also carries 10 g of sugars per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 0.57 g, and sodium stays about level, 653 against 635 mg.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• US rules require mayonnaise to contain at least 65% vegetable oil by weight, more than twice the 30% floor for mayonnaise-type salad dressing. — — Evidence E source
  Minimum 65% oil (mayonnaise) vs 30% (salad dressing)
• FNDDS lists mayonnaise-type salad dressing at 250 calories, 21.6 g fat and 10 g sugars per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 680 calories, 74.85 g fat and 0.57 g sugars for regular mayonnaise, with similar sodium. — — Evidence E source
  Per 100 g dressing vs mayonnaise: 250 vs 680 calories, fat 21.6 vs 74.85 g, saturated 3.4 vs 11.7 g, sugars 10.02 vs 0.57 g, carbohydrate 14.78 vs 0.57 g, sodium 653 vs 635 mg, cholesterol 19 vs 42 mg, vitamin K 42.2 vs 163 ug
• The light mayonnaise-type salad dressing in FNDDS has 158 calories and 10 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) but more sodium, 833 mg, than the regular dressing's 653 mg. — — Evidence E source
  Light vs regular dressing per 3.5 oz (100 g): 158 vs 250 calories, fat 10 vs 21.6 g, sodium 833 vs 653 mg, carbohydrate 16.4 vs 14.78 g, sugars 6.67 vs 10.02 g

What a real portion looks like

• A tablespoon of mayonnaise-type salad dressing is 15 g in US survey data, about 38 calories, 3.2 g fat, 1.5 g sugars and 98 mg sodium, and a sandwich portion is 15 to 30 g. — — Evidence E source
  1 tbsp 15 g, packet 12 g, dipping container 28 g, regular sandwich 15 g, large sandwich 30 g, salad 30 g, 1 cup 235 g

What your body absorbs

• In 7 adults eating the same salad three ways, fat-free dressing let essentially no carotenoids reach the blood, while dressings with 6 g and 28 g canola oil raised absorption step by step. — 7 adults, salads of spinach, romaine, cherry tomatoes and carrots with 0, 6 or 28 g canola oil, washout of 2 weeks or more (n = 7) Evidence B source
  Negligible chylomicron alpha- and beta-carotene and lycopene with fat-free dressing, higher with reduced-fat (P < 0.04) and full-fat (P < 0.02)
• In 18 healthy adults, broccoli eaten with mayonnaise raised blood lutein and beta-carotene more than broccoli alone, while broccoli with plain oil did not differ significantly from either. — 18 healthy subjects, broccoli alone, with oil or with mayonnaise, random order, 6 h (n = 18) Evidence B source
  IAUC lutein/zeaxanthin and beta-carotene higher after mayonnaise than control, oil meal not different from either
• In 9 men eating carrots four ways in random order, carrot with mayonnaise gave a larger 8-hour rise in blood beta-carotene than carrot alone or carrot juice, which the authors tie to egg yolk emulsifiers. — 9 adult males, carrot, carrot juice, carrot with oil or with mayonnaise, 8 h (n = 9) Evidence B source
  IAUC beta-carotene higher after mayonnaise than control and juice

What cooking and storage change

• At a 2006 UK charity event, people who ate catered egg-mayonnaise bagels had 34 times the odds of diarrhea in a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak, with contaminated eggs the likely cause. — 49 cases and 128 controls among event attendees (n = 177) Evidence C source
  OR 34.1 (95% CI 10.5 to 111.3)

What it does to your health

• In a double-blind crossover trial, 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) against palm-olein mayonnaise, and also lowered HDL by 4.6 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L). — Malaysian adults, 20 g/day of either mayonnaise for 4 weeks each, 2-week washout Evidence B source
  TC -0.25 mmol/L (P = 0.001), LDL-C -0.17 (P = 0.016), HDL-C -0.12 (P < 0.001), LDL:HDL unchanged
• In 53 adults on controlled diets, plant sterol esters carried in salad dressing (3.6 g a day for 3 weeks) lowered LDL cholesterol a further 9.7% and total blood carotenoids by 9.6%. — 26 men and 27 women, mildly hypercholesterolemic, 3-week crossover diets (n = 53) Evidence B source
  LDL-C -9.7%, TG -7.3%, total carotenoids -9.6%

Safety, limits and interactions

• US rules require salad dressing to contain at least 30% vegetable oil by weight and egg yolk equal to 4% liquid yolk. — — Evidence E source
  Minimum 30% oil, 4% liquid egg yolk equivalent

Who this works differently for

• In 12 women eating salads with 0 to 32 g soybean oil in the dressing, absorption of all carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins was highest at 32 g, with wide variation between women. — 12 women, 5 salads with 0, 2, 4, 8 or 32 g soybean oil (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Absorption highest with 32 g oil (P < 0.002), wide interindividual variation
• In Head Start classrooms, bitter-sensitive preschoolers ate 80% more raw broccoli when it came with regular or light salad dressing than when served plain. — 152 mostly Hispanic preschool children, broccoli twice weekly for 7 weeks, classrooms randomized to 4 conditions (n = 152) Evidence B source
  +80% broccoli intake with dressing in bitter-sensitive children (P < 0.001), no effect in bitter-insensitive

The bottom line

A tablespoon is 15 g, about 38 calories, 3.2 g fat, 1.5 g sugars and 98 mg sodium. US survey data count 15 g on a regular sandwich and 30 g on a large one, values worked out from the 100 g figures. The light version drops to 158 calories and 10 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) and rises to 833 mg sodium, against 653 mg in the regular dressing. The oil in the jar shows up in blood lipids. In a double-blind crossover trial in Malaysian adults, 20 g a day of mayonnaise made with soybean oil 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) against mayonnaise made with palm olein. It also lowered HDL by 4.6 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L), and the LDL to HDL ratio did not change. That was full mayonnaise, and the abstract does not say how many people took part. Two small Japanese meal studies found mayonnaise raised blood carotenoids after vegetables compared with the vegetable alone, lutein and beta-carotene in 18 adults eating broccoli, beta-carotene in 9 men eating carrots. The broccoli study had industry-affiliated authors, and both used Japanese mayonnaise. A dressing can also carry other things. In 53 mildly hypercholesterolemic adults on controlled diets, 3.6 g a day of plant sterol esters in ranch and Italian dressings for 3 weeks lowered LDL a further 9.7 percent and cut total blood carotenoids by 9.6 percent. In a classroom study in 152 mostly Hispanic preschoolers, children sensitive to bitter taste ate 80 percent more raw broccoli with a regular or light ranch-style dressing than plain. Children who were not bitter-sensitive showed no effect. The caution on record is eggs. At a 2006 UK charity event, people who ate catered egg-mayonnaise bagels had 34 times the odds of diarrhea in a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak (OR 34.1, 95% CI 10.5 to 111.3), from a catered egg filling and not a shelf-stable dressing made with pasteurized yolk. The US standard requires egg yolk in this dressing, so it is not egg-free, and we have no card on egg allergy, pregnancy or medicines for it. Nothing we found tested the dressing itself against mayonnaise for weight or blood fats, so the lighter choice rests on composition alone.

Sources

1. mydr-r7-02 · regulation
   Mayonnaise contains not less than 65 percent by weight of vegetable oil.
   21 CFR 169.140 Mayonnaise (FDA standard of identity) · checked 2026-09-30
2. mydr-r7-03 · food composition dataset
   Mayonnaise-type salad dressing (fdc 2710207): Energy 250 KCAL; Total lipid (fat) 21.6 G; Fatty acids, total saturated 3.396 G; Total Sugars 10.02 G; Carbohydrate, by difference 14.78 G; Sodium, Na 653 MG; Cholesterol 19 MG; Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 42.2 UG per 100 g. Mayonnaise, regular (fdc 2710204): 680 KCAL; 74.85 G; 11.703 G; 0.57 G; 0.57 G; 635 MG; 42 MG; 163 UG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, codes 83110000 (fdc 2710207) and fdc 2710204 · checked 2026-09-30
3. mydr-r7-04 · food composition dataset
   Mayonnaise-type salad dressing, light (fdc 2710222): Energy 158 KCAL; Total lipid (fat) 10 G; Sodium, Na 833 MG; Carbohydrate, by difference 16.4 G; Total Sugars 6.67 G; Cholesterol 0 MG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, fdc 2710222 and 2710207 · checked 2026-09-30
4. mydr-r7-05 · food composition dataset
   Mayonnaise-type salad dressing (fdc 2710207): 1 cup = 235 g; 1 tablespoon = 15 g; 1 packet = 12 g; 1 dipping-size container = 28 g; Guideline amount on regular sandwich = 15 g; Guideline amount on large sandwich = 30 g; Guideline amount in salad = 30 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, code 83110000 (fdc 2710207), portions · checked 2026-09-30
5. mydr-r7-06 · randomized controlled trial
   Essentially no absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads with fat-free salad dressing were consumed. A substantially greater absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads were consumed with full-fat than with reduced-fat salad dressing.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-09-30
6. mydr-r7-08 · randomized controlled trial
   The incremental areas under the curves (IAUCs) of serum lutein/zeaxanthin and beta-carotene concentrations were higher after the MS meal than after the CON meal. IAUCs after the OIL meal exhibited no statistically significant differences from the CON and MS meals.
   J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2009 · checked 2026-09-30
7. mydr-r7-09 · randomized controlled trial
   The incremental areas under the curves of serum β-carotene concentration were higher following MS than following both CON and JU.
   J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2011 · checked 2026-09-30
8. mydr-r7-13 · case-control study
   Risk factors for diarrhoea were eating egg mayonnaise bagels (OR=34.1, 95%CI 10.5 - 111.3) and drinking apple juice (OR=16.1, 95% CI 3.5 - 74.2).
   Euro Surveill, 2007 · checked 2026-09-30
9. mydr-r7-10 · randomized controlled trial
   Treatments resulted in significant reductions in TC (diff = -0.25 mmol/L; P = 0.001), LDL-C (diff = -0.17 mmol/L; P = 0.016) and HDL-C (diff = -0.12 mmol/L; P < 0.001) in SB-mayo compared to PO-mayo without affecting LDL-C:HDL-C ratio (P > 0.05).
   Lipids Health Dis, 2016 · checked 2026-09-30
10. mydr-r7-12 · randomized controlled trial
    Consumption of 3.6 g of PSE resulted in further decreases in LDL cholesterol (9.7%) and TG (7.3%) but no additional change in HDL cholesterol. Total plasma carotenoids decreased 9.6% with PSE.
    Lipids, 2002 · checked 2026-09-30
11. mydr-r7-01 · regulation
    Salad dressing contains not less than 30 percent by weight of vegetable oil and not less egg yolk-containing ingredient than is equivalent in egg yolk solids content to 4 percent by weight of liquid egg yolks.
    21 CFR 169.150 Salad dressing (FDA standard of identity) · checked 2026-09-30
12. mydr-r7-07 · randomized controlled trial
    Absorption of all carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins was highest with 32 g oil (P < 0.002).
    Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-30
13. mydr-r7-11 · randomized controlled trial
    Bitter-sensitive children, however, ate 80% more broccoli with dressing than when served plain (P<0.001); effects did vary based on whether regular or light dressing was provided as a dip or sauce.
    J Acad Nutr Diet, 2012 · checked 2026-09-30