We Asked 5 Chefs the Best Brand of Mayo—and There Was a Clear Divide

As a boy growing up in Charlottesville, VA, Mason Hereford—chef-owner of Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans and Nashville, among a growing empire of other eateries—wasn’t into the Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise that his family used on toasted sandwiches and in potato salad. Ketchup and mustard were fine, he said, but “mayonnaise just wasn’t my go-to sandwich condiment.” At the time, he said, he found it “nasty.”

These days, the former hater sports a mayo-themed tattoo and reps a mayo brand online. Why the change? Hereford discovered Duke’s Real Mayonnaise, which originated in South Carolina. “I knew Duke’s was specific to the area I grew up in,” he recalled. “As I was learning how to cook, I started branching out, and when I tasted Duke’s, I really liked it.” 

During a busy week at the original branch of Turkey and the Wolf, he said, where “mayonnaise is synonymous with Duke’s,” they sometimes go through 25 gallons in a week. “We realized if we made love for this brand one of the cornerstones of our vibe,” he explained, “people could really get stoked on that.” 

In 2017, after a magazine named Turkey and the Wolf the best new restaurant in the country, staff from the favored spots were invited to Portland, OR, for a gala. The night before flying back home, “so hung over” from the celebratory evening, Hereford realized he wanted to commemorate the “most epic of trips” with some ink. 

Area artist Lewis Hess had 15 minutes to spare and a book of tattoo options that included an image of Winnie the Pooh scooping honey straight into his mouth from a jar. Hereford asked Hess to swap the sticky honey pot for a container of Duke’s mayonnaise. 

The Mayo Controversy 

Hereford’s love/hate relationship with mayo is fairly common; the creamy condiment can be polarizing. One expert estimates that 20% of the population, a group that includes Barack Obama and Rachael Ray, are mayonnaise haters. For many, though, it’s all about finding the right brand. 

Hellmann’s, developed in 1913 by a Manhattan delicatessen owner of the same name, is known for its subtle flavor and creamy texture. It has been the bestselling mayo in the United States since 1931. (West of the Rockies, the brand is known as Best Foods.) 

Duke’s, which traces its history back to 1917 and brags on its website that it has “twang,” has a passionate following in the South. Its website highlights “Chef Testimonials” with a host of professional cooks declaring their love for the condiment. 

Both mayos are made with soybean oil, eggs, salt, vinegar, natural flavors and a preservative called calcium disodium EDTA, but there are also some differences. Hellmann’s includes whole eggs and distilled vinegar with a hint of lemon juice and a little bit of sugar. Duke’s features only the yolks, a mix of distilled and cider vinegars and paprika, but doesn’t include a sweetener. 

Love for Hellmann’s

Julia Child was a California native, and after living overseas, she and her husband settled in Massachusetts. One of Child’s favorite lunches to serve to guests was a simple tuna salad sandwich on white bread or English muffins, topped with Vidalia onions. Famed baker Dorie Greenspan, who adapted Child’s tuna sandwich recipe for The New York Times, noted that “the mayonnaise was always Hellmann’s.”

Clarina Cravins, a French African Creole chef who grew up in Wisconsin before moving East, is the owner of Preppi Market and Eatery in South Burlington, VT. There, she whips up homestyle meals so busy folks can enjoy healthy food that’s made with care. Like Child, Cravins loves the mellow flavor and richness of Hellmann’s. “It’s the American standard for mayo,” she said. “The flavor is so on point.” 

At her restaurant and meal-prep business she makes mayo from scratch, but she believes that some dishes are best made with Hellmann’s, such as potato salad and pasta salad. “There are certain foods where using a fancy version [of mayonnaise] obliterates what the food is for,” she noted. “Nobody says, ‘My grandma’s classic thing tasted like Sir Kensington’s.’”

One of Cravins’ favorite uses for Hellmann’s is to mix it with a little malt vinegar, slather it on a piece of toasted ciabatta and top it with lettuce, a slice of tomato and a sprinkle of salt.

Another Northern chef, Olivia Genier Guest—former owner of Cosmic Cup Café in St. Johnsbury, VT, and assistant produce manager at the Littleton Food Co-op in Littleton, NH—is also in the Hellmann’s camp. “I like it because it adds creaminess and flavor without overpowering the main ingredients,” she explained. “It’s very versatile.” She likes to mix it with a pesto that includes dehydrated cherry tomatoes.

Having always lived in New England, Guest was surprised that anybody would choose a mayonnaise other than Hellmann’s. “I assumed everybody liked Hellmann’s,” she said. “‘Cause it’s the best!”

A Mixed Approach to Mayo

A 2018 Food & Wine Best New Chef, Julia Sullivan grew up in Nashville and was a Duke’s fan from the get-go. The brand couldn’t always be found near home, so her family would stock up when they went to the beach at Edisto Island, SC. Duke’s was a staple in their chicken salad, and on sandwiches. 

After attending the Culinary Institute of America, Sullivan worked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, NY, and Per Se in New York City, where mayonnaise was made from scratch. 

At her first restaurant, Nashville’s Henrietta Red (which specializes in seafood dishes), mayo was initially made by hand. However, Sullivan recently tweaked the aioli recipe to include Duke’s. “We serve brunch on the weekends and we were using huge quantities of mayonnaise,” she explained. Whisking gallons of egg yolks and oil by hand “wasn’t always that practical.” 

Additionally, Sullivan noted, the process sometimes left behind too many egg whites. Some could be absorbed by the pastry chef for making meringue and frosting, but others went to waste. “That’s a good reason to supplement with store-bought [mayo].”  

Other Ways to Use Duke’s

David Rabin—a chef turned firefighter and EMT who has lived in New England and Appalachia, among other places—also favors Duke’s. “It’s rich, it has real flavor, it gives you the oomph you need to make dishes with depth,” he explained. A culinary school graduate who has worked at Michael Mina in San Francisco and other fine dining restaurants, Rabin said, “I can make mayo. I can’t make mayo that tastes better than Duke’s.” 

Rabin uses Duke’s to add zing to ranch dressing and deviled eggs, mixes it with gochujang to spread on avocado toast and even swaps it in for sour cream or crème fraîche when he doesn’t have any on hand. 

At his restaurants, Hereford—who’s one of the chef-evangelists on the Duke’s website—doctors up the spread in all kinds of ways. He likes to stir in chopped herbs and celery seeds or mix the mayo with spices and bits of pickled cherry pepper to make a base for Russian dressing. In his cookbook, Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans, he even put a scoop of mayo in the hummus. 

The Bottom Line

If you’ve always fancied yourself as someone who doesn’t enjoy mayonnaise, it may be time to try another brand. For a mayo that can fade into the background and let other components take the glory, try Hellmann’s. For a mayo that pops and offers bold, acidic flavor to complement whatever you stir it into, sample Duke’s. If you like ‘em both, choose the one with the flavor profile that matches best with whatever dish you’re making.