Miracle Whip vs Hellmann's: Is It Mayo? 35 vs 90 Calories

This page compares Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip Original side by side on product name, calories, sugar, soybean oil, eggs, and calcium disodium EDTA.

Key takeaways

• Miracle Whip Original is sold as 'Mayo-like Dressing,' while US mayonnaise is defined under 21 CFR 169.140 by its vegetable oil, acidifier, and egg yolk content, with not less than 65 percent vegetable oil by weight.
• Per tablespoon, Hellmann's lists 90 calories, 10 g fat, and 0 g added sugars. Miracle Whip Original lists 35 calories, 3 g fat, and 1 g added sugar (3% DV) per 15 g.
• Hellmann's lists calcium disodium EDTA, described as used to protect quality. The current Miracle Whip Original ingredient list has no EDTA and uses potassium sorbate as its preservative.
• Soybean oil is the first ingredient in Hellmann's and the second in Miracle Whip, which lists water first. Miracle Whip's third ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, and Hellmann's lists sugar sixth.

Is Miracle Whip Original actually mayonnaise?

Not under the name on the package. Kraft Heinz sells Miracle Whip Original under the product name 'Mayo-like Dressing,' and its product page calls it 'Miracle Whip Original Dressing' and a 'whipped dressing' on its product page.

The US standard of identity for mayonnaise, 21 CFR 169.140, describes mayonnaise as an emulsified semisolid food made from vegetable oil, an acidifying ingredient such as vinegar or lemon or lime juice, and egg yolk-containing ingredients. It requires not less than 65 percent by weight of vegetable oil. Miracle Whip's oil percentage by weight is not disclosed, so its label cannot be checked against that threshold.

Salad dressing has a separate standard, 21 CFR 169.150. It describes a similar emulsified food that also contains a starchy paste and not less than 30 percent by weight of vegetable oil, and that food is named 'Salad dressing.' Miracle Whip's ingredient list includes modified cornstarch, one of the starches named in that standard. However, formal standardization of Miracle Whip as salad dressing is not disclosed, and the label itself says 'dressing.'

How many calories are in Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise vs Miracle Whip Original?

One tablespoon of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise (13 g) contains 90 calories, and one tablespoon of Miracle Whip Original (15 g) contains 35 calories. The Hellmann's figure comes from the Open Food Facts record for US barcode 0048001265240, and the Miracle Whip figure comes from the Kraft Heinz product page.

Kraft Heinz's own page says Miracle Whip has 'half the calories of mayonnaise,' stating 35 calories per serving against 90 calories per serving for mayonnaise. Those numbers match the per tablespoon figures above. The serving weights differ, 13 g for Hellmann's and 15 g for Miracle Whip, so a per gram comparison will not match a per tablespoon one.

The other nutrients on the two records follow a similar pattern. Hellmann's lists 10 g total fat and 1.5 g saturated fat, with 0 g trans fat. Miracle Whip lists 3 g total fat and 0 g saturated fat, with 0 g trans fat. Both list 5 mg cholesterol per serving. Sodium is 90 mg in Hellmann's and 100 mg in Miracle Whip (4% DV). Carbohydrates are 0 g in Hellmann's and 2 g in Miracle Whip, with 0 g fiber listed for Miracle Whip. Check the Nutrition Facts panel on the jar you have, because formulas and serving sizes can change and may differ from the records cited here.

How much sugar is in Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise vs Miracle Whip Original?

Miracle Whip Original has 1 g total sugars and 1 g added sugar (3% DV) per 15 g tablespoon, while Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise has 0 g added sugars per 13 g tablespoon on the Open Food Facts record. That record does not give Hellmann's total sugar grams.

Sugar appears in both ingredient lists. Miracle Whip is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, its third ingredient. Hellmann's lists sugar as its sixth ingredient. The sources used here do not explain why Hellmann's lists sugar as an ingredient alongside a 0 g added sugars figure.

FDA says the most common forms of high fructose corn syrup contain 42 or 55 percent fructose, with the rest glucose and water. It says it is 'not aware of any evidence' of a difference in safety between foods containing HFCS 42 or HFCS 55 and foods containing similar amounts of sucrose, honey, or other traditional sweeteners. FDA also supports Dietary Guidelines advice to limit all added sugars, including both HFCS and sucrose, per FDA's HFCS questions and answers. Those statements apply to added sugars in general, not to either condiment specifically.

For a similar side-by-side look at added sugar in another pantry staple, see Rao's vs Prego: Added Sugar 0 g vs 4 g per Half Cup.

Is soybean oil the first ingredient in Hellmann's?

Yes. Soybean oil is the first ingredient listed in Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise. In Miracle Whip Original, water is listed first and soybean oil is second.

US food labels list ingredients in descending order of predominance. In Miracle Whip, that order places water first and soybean oil second. Neither label discloses the percentage of vegetable oil by weight, so the order alone cannot give exact amounts.

Soybean oil is a common plant oil, and the mayonnaise standard relies on vegetable oil as a defining ingredient. The sources cited here describe soybean oil as a listed ingredient and do not report a health effect from it at the amounts in either product. Its position on the label is a fact to compare, not a safety finding.

What is calcium disodium EDTA in Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise, and why is it on the label?

Calcium disodium EDTA appears in Hellmann's ingredient list with the wording 'used to protect quality.' Under 21 CFR 169.140, it is one of the optional ingredients allowed in mayonnaise, described as a sequestrant 'including but not limited to' that compound, used to preserve color and/or flavor.

A sequestrant binds metal ions that can otherwise affect a food's color or taste, which is the role the standard describes. The amount used in Hellmann's, in parts per million, is not disclosed in the sources used here.

Miracle Whip's current ingredient list contains no EDTA. It lists potassium sorbate as a preservative. The two products therefore use different additives for different purposes, and the labels do not describe them as interchangeable.

What is the regulatory status of calcium disodium EDTA in mayonnaise?

Under 21 CFR 172.120, calcium disodium EDTA is permitted in mayonnaise at not more than 75 parts per million.

The sources used here do not give the parts per million of calcium disodium EDTA in Hellmann's, so the level in that jar cannot be compared with the 75 ppm limit. Anyone who wants to know more about a specific additive can read the regulation text directly.

What do the two ingredient lists show side by side?

Factor	Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise	Miracle Whip Original
Product name on label	Real Mayonnaise	Mayo-like Dressing (Kraft Heinz calls it Miracle Whip Original Dressing)
Serving size used	1 tablespoon (13 g)	1 tablespoon (15 g)
Calories per serving	90	35
Total fat	10 g	3 g
Saturated fat	1.5 g	0 g
Cholesterol	5 mg	5 mg
Sodium	90 mg	100 mg (4% DV)
Total carbohydrates	0 g	2 g
Total sugars	Not disclosed	1 g
Added sugars	0 g	1 g (3% DV)
Ingredient 1	Soybean oil	Water
Ingredient 2	Water	Soybean oil
Sweetener in ingredient list	Sugar (sixth ingredient)	High fructose corn syrup (third ingredient)
Preservative or additive named	Calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality)	Potassium sorbate (as a preservative)
Egg in ingredient list	Whole eggs and egg yolks	Eggs
Allergen statement	Not disclosed in the sources used	CONTAINS: EGG
Vegetable oil by weight	Not disclosed	Not disclosed

The full ingredient lists are shown as printed on each source. Hellmann's lists soybean oil, water, whole eggs and egg yolks, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice concentrate, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality), and natural flavors. Miracle Whip Original lists water, soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, vinegar, modified cornstarch, eggs, salt, natural flavor, mustard flour, potassium sorbate as a preservative, spices, paprika, and dried garlic.

Both lists include an acidifier (vinegar), an egg ingredient, salt, and a flavoring. The differences that stand out are the oil and water order, the sweetener type, the preservative or sequestrant, and the presence of modified cornstarch and mustard flour in Miracle Whip. For another ingredient-order comparison, see Coffee mate vs International Delight: Ingredients and Sugar.

Who should check these labels closely, and what does the egg declaration mean?

Both ingredient lists include egg. Miracle Whip Original lists EGGS, and the product carries a 'CONTAINS: EGG' allergen statement. Hellmann's lists whole eggs and egg yolks, but its allergen statement is not disclosed in the sources used here.

Egg is a major food allergen in US labeling. Anyone with an egg allergy should read the allergen statement on the jar they buy, since formulas and packaging can change over time. The sources here also do not state whether the eggs in either product are pasteurized or cage-free.

Gluten-free certification for either product is not disclosed. Soybean oil appears in both ingredient lists, but neither source reports a soy allergen declaration. People managing sodium, added sugar, or saturated fat may want to compare the Nutrition Facts panel on the jar in hand rather than relying on the figures above.

This article cannot establish how any individual will react to these ingredients. The sources used here do not address sensitive populations, including people with food allergies, pregnant people, or children.

How do you spot the differences on a mayonnaise or dressing label?

Use this checklist on any jar or bottle in this category:

• Read the product name first. 'Mayonnaise,' 'salad dressing,' and 'dressing' are different names with different standards.
• Read the first three ingredients for oil, water, and sweeteners, since order reflects predominance.
• Find the sweetener, such as sugar or high fructose corn syrup, and compare the added sugar line on the Nutrition Facts panel.
• Note preservatives and additives, such as calcium disodium EDTA or potassium sorbate, and check whether the label says what each one does.
• Look for the allergen statement, such as 'CONTAINS: EGG,' and check for statements on gluten or certification if those matter to you.
• Compare serving sizes before comparing calories, because a 13 g serving and a 15 g serving are not the same amount.

To check these items on a jar you already own, scan it with the Aurascan app.

Related reading: What's the Difference Between Claussen and Vlasic? Salt, Benzoate.