Gluten-free diets can be hard to maintain due to how many ingredients you need to keep track of. Nowadays, grocery stores label their gluten-free products, but there are still many items that often don’t have a label. Mayo is one of those products that rarely has labels. Is mayo gluten-free?
Yes, mayo is gluten-free. It is made from gluten-free ingredients like eggs, oil, and vinegar. However, not every mayo brand will have a gluten-free label. The mayo brands that do include a label are the safest options since they are guaranteed to have went through thorough testing to ensure their product was gluten-free.
The rest of this article will cover the ingredients in mayo, where to find gluten-free mayo, how to avoid mayo with gluten, and gluten-free alternatives to mayo.
The Ingredients In Mayo
Mayo doesn’t have too many ingredients. The main ingredients are eggs, oil, vinegar, and lemon. Occasionally, there are brands that will add mustard and or mustard seed. Other seasonings and spices can be included as well, but mustard is the most common.
You can make your own mayo by using the same ingredients. Mayo recipes call for two large egg yolks, a few teaspoons of lemon juice, a cup of an oil of your choice (like vegetable oil), and a teaspoon of mustard (like Dijon mustard).
All of these ingredients are gluten-free. In some cases, brands will use ingredients that aren’t gluten-free. The biggest example of this is malt vinegar. Malt vinegar is derived from a gluten grain called barley. If mayo has malt vinegar, it is not gluten-free.
The mainstream brands of mayo, like Hellman’s, are gluten-free. Just to be safe, you shouldn’t buy mayo unless you know for a fact that it’s gluten-free. Look for labels, or look on online gluten intolerance communities to find the best choice for you.
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Where To Find Gluten-Free Mayo
Gluten-free mayo can be picked up from any grocery store. Grocery stores have all sorts of seasonings, spices, sauces, and more. Mayo is among them. Some grocery stores even have whole labeled sections dedicated to gluten-free products.
However, grocery stores aren’t the only places you can find mayo. You can get mayo from several online sites as well, such as Amazon. Amazon is a great place to look for gluten-free mayo because the product description has a clear, itemized list of everything that goes in it.
This goes beyond just ingredients. There is a questions and answers box you can check to see if the product you’re looking at is gluten-free. Also on Amazon, you can find vegan mayo as well. Amazon has a diverse warehouse full of different kinds of mayo to fit your needs.
The same applies to apps. There are food delivery apps, like DoorDash, that can bring mayo to you. Grocery stores are getting involved in the delivery services, so they’re migrating to DoorDash and other apps like it.
DoorDash now has an entire section dedicated to “groceries”. From there, you can look at a grocery store and search for mayo. Just like on Amazon, the item description will be there for your convenience.
How To Avoid Mayo With Gluten
The best way to avoid gluten mayo is to look at the ingredients list. As mentioned earlier, mayo made with malt vinegar is not gluten-free. Most main brands avoid using this ingredient, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Always check the labels before buying anything.
Along with that, any product with a “gluten-free” label is safe to consume. If you find the gluten-free label, then it’s safe. If you don’t, then it’s best to look at the ingredients list, look online in gluten intolerance communities, and or ask an employee.
If none of those options give you a clear answer, then you shouldn’t buy the product. Only buy it if you know for sure.
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Gluten-Free Alternatives To Mayo
One of the best alternatives to mayo is sour cream. Most brands of sour cream are gluten-free. Just like with mayo, look for labels that say “gluten-free” before buying. All the main ingredients of sour cream are gluten-free, which is why unless there are added gluten items, the product should be gluten-free.
Cream cheese is another substitute you can use. Full-fat cream cheese is gluten-free, just double check to make sure it doesn’t come with products that include gluten, like pretzels. If it comes with any wheat product, avoid it and try to get cream cheese on its own.
You can also try mustard. Since mustard is an ingredient in mayo, it makes sense to have plain mustard as a substitute. The texture is similar, and you can find it just as easily as mayo. Sour cream and mustard are two of the easiest substitutes to find on this list.