Russian dressing: the fat that helps your salad

In a randomized crossover test in 7 adults, salads eaten with fat-free dressing gave essentially no absorption of carotenoids, while dressings with 6 g and then 0.99 oz (28 g) of canola oil raised it step by step, one meal each. In a dose-response trial in 12 women, absorption of carotenoids and vitamin K rose in a straight line as soybean oil in the dressing went from 0 to 32 g. Some of those women barely responded. Neither study used Russian dressing, and we found no study of it at all. The dressing itself is dense. A 15 g tablespoon in the US survey database gives about 54 calories, 4 g of fat, 2.7 g of sugars and 173 mg of sodium. Per 100 g that is 26.18 g of fat and 1133 mg of sodium. Recipes differ a lot between brands. Of 10 US labels in USDA's branded food data, 2 list egg yolk and mustard, 5 list soybean oil, 3 list wheat and 1 lists anchovies. The survey food behind the numbers above has no ingredient list, so read the label of the bottle you have.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Russian dressing recipes vary a lot. Of 10 US labels in USDA's branded food data, 2 list egg yolk and mustard, 5 list soybean oil, 3 list wheat and 1 lists anchovies, while 4 list none of these. — Russian dressings sold in the US with labels in USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods, published 2019 to 2026 (n = 10 branded labels) Evidence E source
  Egg yolk and mustard flour in 2 of 10 labels (Ken's Steak House); soybean oil in 5 of 10; wheat (wheat maltodextrin or wheat flour) in 3 of 10; anchovies in 1 of 10 (via Worcestershire sauce); 4 labels list none of these
• USDA's survey food for Russian dressing is built entirely from one generic dressing record that carries no ingredient list, so the nutrient numbers do not tell you whether a given bottle contains egg. — USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 FDC 2710206 Russian dressing (n = one survey food) Evidence E source
  Built 100 percent from SR Legacy ingredient 4015 Salad dressing, russian dressing; no ingredient list

What a real portion looks like

• One tablespoon (15 g) of Russian dressing provides about 54 calories, 4 g of fat, 2.7 g of sugars and 173 mg of sodium. — US survey food Russian dressing Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 355 calories, fat 26.18 g, total sugars 17.68 g, sodium 1133 mg; 1 tablespoon 15.3 g, packet 44 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover test in 7 adults, salads eaten with fat-free dressing gave almost no carotenoid absorption, while dressing with 6 g and then 0.99 oz (28 g) of oil raised it step by step. — Seven adults, three salads with 0, 6 or 28 g canola oil dressing, 2-week washouts (n = 7) Evidence B source
  Chylomicron alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene negligible with 0 g oil; higher with 6 g (P<0.04) and higher again with 28 g (P<0.02)
• In a dose-response trial in 12 women, more soybean oil in salad dressing (0 to 32 g) linearly raised absorption of carotenoids and vitamin K, but some individuals barely responded. — 12 women, five salads with dressings of 0, 2, 4, 8 or 32 g soybean oil (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Linear rise across 0-32 g for alpha-carotene, lycopene, phylloquinone; absorption highest with 32 g (P<0.002); wide interindividual variation
• In a randomized crossover study in 9 men, carrots eaten with mayonnaise raised blood beta-carotene more than carrots or carrot juice alone over 8 hours. — Nine adult males, four test diets in random order (n = 9) Evidence B source
  Higher incremental AUC of serum beta-carotene with mayonnaise than with carrot or carrot juice

What it does to your health

• In a double-blind randomized crossover trial in 34 adults, 20 g a day of soybean-oil mayonnaise for 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) versus palm-olein mayonnaise. — 34 healthy Malaysian adults, two 4-week periods with 2-week washout (n = 34) Evidence B source
  TC -0.25 mmol/L (P=0.001), LDL-C -6.6 mg/dL (-0.17 mmol/L) (P=0.016), HDL-C -4.6 mg/dL (-0.12 mmol/L) vs palm-olein mayonnaise

Safety, limits and interactions

• FDA lists eggs, fish, wheat and soybeans among the nine major food allergens and requires labels to name the source of each one used, and advises people with food allergies to read labels. — US consumers with food allergy Evidence E source
  Milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame are the major food allergens; labels must name the food source of each one used
• The upper intake level for sodium is 2,300 mg a day from age 14, and children aged 1 to 13 have lower limits scaled down from the adult value. — people aged 14 years and over, and children aged 1 to 13 Evidence E source
  UL for sodium 2,300 mg a day from age 14; lower values for ages 1 to 13, extrapolated from the adult UL by median energy intake

Who this works differently for

• In a classroom-randomized study of 152 preschoolers, children sensitive to bitter taste ate 80 percent more raw broccoli when it came with salad dressing. — 152 mostly Hispanic preschool children in Head Start classrooms, 7 weeks (n = 152) Evidence C source
  Bitter-sensitive children ate 80% more broccoli with dressing than plain (P<0.001); no effect in bitter-insensitive children

The bottom line

The cholesterol evidence compares one fat with another. In a double-blind randomized crossover trial in 34 healthy Malaysian adults, 20 g a day of mayonnaise made with soybean oil for 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) compared with mayonnaise made with palm olein. HDL cholesterol fell by 4.6 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L) too, and the LDL to HDL ratio did not change. So the trial compares two oils, with no clear winner on that ratio, and says nothing about whether to eat dressing at all. A smaller study in 9 men found carrots eaten with mayonnaise raised blood beta-carotene more than carrots or carrot juice alone. Its abstract gives no size for the difference. Dressing may help some children eat vegetables. In 152 mostly Hispanic preschoolers in Head Start classrooms, those sensitive to bitter taste ate 80 percent more raw broccoli when it came with dressing. For children who did not taste bitterness, dressing served as a dip did not raise intake. The authors call the design quasi-experimental, so treat it as a lead. Before giving it to a child, check two things. First, allergens. FDA counts eggs, fish, wheat and soybeans among the nine major food allergens and requires labels to name each one used, and some Russian dressings contain egg yolk, wheat, soybean oil or anchovies while others do not. Mustard, which 2 of the 10 labels list, is not a major allergen in the US. Second, salt. The upper intake level for sodium is 2,300 mg a day from age 14, and children aged 1 to 13 have lower limits. One tablespoon carries about 173 mg of sodium and a 1.6 oz (44 g) packet about 500 mg. We have no card on Russian dressing in pregnancy or with medicines.

Sources

1. hf2-rusd-1 · food label dataset
   FDC 2523577 KEN'S STEAK HOUSE: SOYBEAN OIL ... EGG YOLK ... MUSTARD FLOUR || FDC 2523583 KEN'S STEAK HOUSE: SOYBEAN OIL ... EGG YOLK ... MUSTARD FLOUR || FDC 2673503 and 2039950 WISH-BONE: SOYBEAN OIL ... WHEAT MALTODEXTRIN || FDC 2769827 Wish-Bone: Soybean Oil || FDC 2166712 SURMAN GARDEN SERVICES: WHEAT FLOUR, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (... ANCHOVIES ...), MUSTARD FLOUR || FDC 2611426, 2611427 TONNELLI, 1901763 LIBER'S, 414519 WALDEN FARMS: no egg, soy, wheat, fish or mustard listed
   USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, records 2673503, 2611426, 2523577, 2523583, 2611427, 1901763, 2039950, 414519, 2166712, 2769827 (search 'russian dressing', 2026-10-08) · checked 2026-10-08
2. hf2-rusd-2 · food composition table metadata
   fdc_id 2710206 · seq 1 · amount 100.0 · sr_code 4015 · Salad dressing, russian dressing · GM 100.0
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey food CSV 2024-10-31 (FNDDS 2021-2023), input_food.csv, FDC 2710206 · checked 2026-10-08
3. rusd-daily-r1-01 · food composition and portion data
   Russian dressing (FDC 2710206): Energy 355 kcal; Total lipid (fat) 26.18 g; Total Sugars 17.68 g; Sodium 1133 mg per 100 g; 1 tablespoon 15.3 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Russian dressing, FDC 2710206 · checked 2026-10-01
4. rusd-daily-r1-02 · randomized crossover trial
   The subjects (n = 7) each consumed 3 salads consisting of equivalent amounts of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots with salad dressings containing 0, 6, or 28 g canola oil. The salads were consumed in random order separated by washout periods of > or =2 wk. ... Essentially no absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads with fat-free salad dressing were consumed.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-10-01
5. rusd-daily-r1-03 · randomized trial
   Across the entire 0-32-g range, soybean oil was linearly related to the chylomicron AUC and Cmax values for α-carotene, lycopene, phylloquinone, and retinyl palmitate. ... Absorption of all carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins was highest with 32 g oil (P < 0.002). ... However, the effect varied widely, and some individuals showed a negligible response.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-10-01
6. rusd-daily-r1-04 · randomized crossover trial
   Following collection of fasting blood samples, nine adult males consumed one of the four diets in random order. ... 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 2026-10-01
7. rusd-daily-r1-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Subjects underwent a randomized double-blind crossover trial, consuming diets supplemented with 20 g/day of either soybean oil-based mayonnaise (SB-mayo) or palm olein-based mayonnaise (PO-mayo) for 4 weeks each with a 2-week wash-out period. ... 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 2026-10-01
8. hf2-rusd-3 · agency advice
   The major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. ... People with food allergies should read labels and avoid the foods they are allergic to. The law requires that food labels identify the food source of all major food allergens used to make the food.
   US FDA, Food Allergies: What You Need to Know, content current as of 2026-03-11 · checked 2026-10-08
9. hf2-rusd-4 · agency evidence review background
   The IOM set the UL for sodium at 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 years and over, with lower values for those 1-13 years of age. The ULs for children were extrapolated from the adult UL based on median energy intakes.
   Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Sodium and Potassium Intake: Effects on Chronic Disease Outcomes and Risks (2018), Sodium Dietary Reference Intakes · checked 2026-10-08
10. rusd-daily-r1-06 · cluster-randomized quasi-experiment
    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. Dip did not promote broccoli intake among bitter-insensitive children.
    J Acad Nutr Diet, 2012 · checked 2026-10-01