Mayonnaise is one of the most popular sandwich spreads, burger toppings, and even dips for things like French fries (though we definitely don’t understand that one…). But vegans can’t enjoy mayonnaise because it contains a decidedly non-vegan ingredient: egg yolks. Because veganism is about more than just eating healthy – it’s also about doing what’s right for the environment and not being cruel to animals – all mayonnaise with eggs is strictly off the table. What about its popular alternative, Miracle Whip?
Miracle Whip not vegan because it uses eggs, just like regular mayonnaise. Eggs are necessary to create the uniform, smooth texture you find in quality mayonnaise. As a result, Miracle Whip will remain non-vegan until its manufacturers decide to start using synthetic or plant-based ingredients to replicate the same qualities. The best vegan alternatives are Nasoya Vegan NayoWhipped Sandwhich Spread.
That said, you might still be wondering why eggs are always in Miracle Whip, or be interested in some vegan-friendly alternatives to this classic spread. Today, let’s take a look at why Miracle Whip isn’t vegan, as well as vegan alternatives to Miracle Whip. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Why Does Miracle Whip Contain Eggs?
At its core, Miracle Whip is supposed to be a cheaper alternative to regular mayonnaise. As you probably know, mayonnaise uses eggs and it may also include other non-vegan ingredients.
Unfortunately, Miracle Whip is also not vegan-friendly because it uses the same core ingredient, eggs. This is for one major reason: egg yolk contains a special compound called lecithin. Lecithin is a versatile organic compound and is a natural emulsifier. This means that it mixes all the ingredients in a given compound together and ensures smoothness and uniformity.
It does this because lecithin has a unique chemical structure that attracts fat on one side and attracts water on the other side.
Naturally, smoothness and uniformity are very important for products like Miracle Whip, mayonnaise, and other spreads. Unfortunately, Miracle Whip uses lecithin obtained from egg yolks rather than from other sources, like sunflowers and soybeans. However, many vegans try to avoid lecithin in any products as it’s very difficult to determine where the lecithin really comes from.
Why Is this Bad for Vegans?
Without lecithin, it would be almost impossible to make things like Miracle Whip. Because of this, there are very few vegan-friendly alternatives to Miracle Whip, mayonnaise, and similar spreads. Salad dressings also use egg because of its special emulsifying property, as do ice cream, cakes, and other baked goods.
So, bottom line: Miracle Whip is never vegan because it always includes eggs. For Miracle Whip to ever become vegan, it would have to somehow use an artificial emulsifier to achieve the same uniform texture and smoothness that it is known for.
Miracle Whip Nutrition Facts
Miracle Whip is typically available in three standard varieties: regular Miracle Whip, Light Dressing Miracle Whip, and Miracle Whip with olive oil. Let’s take a look at each of the three types’ ingredients and nutritional facts so you can see whether any of them are vegan.
Regular Miracle Whip
As mentioned above, Miracle Whip is decidedly non-vegan because it includes eggs. However, it also includes natural flavors. Natural flavors are often considered non-vegan by many practicing begins because they can be obtained from animal-based sources as well as plant-based sources.
The problem is that most manufacturers don’t tell you where they get their natural flavors from. Therefore, you can never be 100% sure whether a product with so-called “natural flavors” is actually vegan-friendly or not unless the manufacturer explains the source on the back of the box or bottle.
Still, many vegans don’t mind seeing natural flavors on their favorite food products, as they try to practice their veganism consciously as well as they can. But even if you were to ignore the natural flavors in regular Miracle Whip, you still can’t ignore the presence of eggs.
Regular Miracle Whip’s ingredients are as follows:
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Eggs
- Vinegar
- High fructose corn syrup
- Salt
- Modified cornstarch
- Dried garlic
- Mustard flour
- Spices
- Natural flavors
- Potassium sorbate
Miracle Whip’s nutritional information is as follows:
- 40 cal per serving
- 5 g fat or 5% DV
- 5 mg cholesterol or 1% DV
- 95 mg sodium or 4% DV
- 2 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- 1 g added sugar or 2% DV
Light Dressing Miracle Whip
Next up is Miracle Whip Light Dressing. This alternative to regular Miracle Whip also includes eggs, so it’s not vegan right off the bat. It also includes natural flavors, which could be problematic for reasons we described above.
However, its other ingredients are not necessarily non-vegan. Many vegans believe xanthan gum and cellulose are not vegan, as they are related to gelatin. But although they play a similar role in the food products where you can find them, both cellulose and xanthan gum are plant-based so they are vegan-friendly.
The ingredients in Miracle Whip Light Dressing are as follows:
- Water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Soybean oil
- Paprika
- Sucralose
- Mustard flour
- Modified food starch
- Salt
- Spices
- Natural flavor
- Dried garlic
- Cellulose
- Xanthan gum
- Acesulfame potassium
- Potassium sorbate
- Cellulose gel
Light Dressing Miracle Whip’s nutritional information is as follows:
- 20 cal per serving
- 5 g total fat or 2% DV
- 130 mg sodium or 6% DV
- 2 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- <1 g sugar or 2% DV
Olive Oil Miracle Whip
Last but not least is Olive Oil Miracle Whip, which also includes eggs, so it’s not vegan. But it also includes sugar, which could be problematic because lots of sugar in North America is processed and filtered into a fine-grained texture using bone char: charred animal bones taken from the meat industry.
Naturally, sugar processed in this way is non-vegan since it was made using a method involving animal cruelty. There’s no telling whether Miracle Whip processes its sugar using the bone char method, but Miracle Whip hasn’t disqualified this possibility either. Therefore, Olive Oil Miracle Whip is another no-go for vegans no matter how you look at it.
The ingredients for Olive Oil Miracle Whip are as follows:
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Eggs
- Canola oil
- Salt
- Sugar
- Paprika
- Modified food starch
- Spices
- Garlic
- Mustard flour
- Potassium sorbate
- Calcium disodium EDTA
Olive Oil Miracle Whip’s nutritional information is as follows:
- 40 cal per serving
- 5 g fat or 5% DV
- 5 mg cholesterol or 2% DV
- 125 mg sodium or 5% DV
- 2 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- 1 g sugar
- 1 g protein
Healthy Vegan Alternatives to Miracle Whip
Nasoya Vegan NayoWhipped Sandwich Spread
Perhaps the best vegan alternative to Miracle Whip ever created, Nasoya’s NayoWhipped Sandwich Spread is the perfect choice if you want the flavor and texture of mayonnaise but don’t want to cheat on your diet.
The flavor is smooth and tangy and it uses completely non-GMO ingredients. It’s free of preservatives, is cholesterol-free, and even has excellent omega-3 fatty acid content. You can use this for sandwiches, salads, or anything else you desire. It’s made with ingredients like soymilk, vinegar, dried cane syrup, salt, guar gum, and more. It even includes vitamin B12!
Simply put, this alternative to Miracle Whip is the best it gets without making your own vegan-friendly mayonnaise at home.
Its nutritional information is:
- 40 cal per serving
- 5 g fat or 5% DV
- 90 mg sodium or 4% DV
- 1 g protein
Its ingredients include:
- Soymilk
- Expeller Pressed soybean oil
- Vinegar
- Dried cane syrup
- Salt
- Mustard flour
- Spices
- Xanthan gum
- Guar gum
- Sodium alginate
- Lemon juice concentrate
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Turmeric
- Vitamin B12
- Natural flavors
Good & Gather Vegan Dressing
This vegan-friendly Miracle Whip alternative can be found at retailers like Target. It’s kosher, doesn’t include any artificial flavors or synthetic colors, and it provides a creamy, mayonnaise-like texture with lemon and mustard notes.
It’s a great choice if you want a spread for your sandwich with Sara Lee bread, but don’t want to eat a mayo-clone.
This alternative vegan dressing’s nutritional value is as follows:
- 30 cal per serving
- 10 g fat or 13% DV
- 75 mg sodium or 3% DV
Its ingredients include:
- Canola oil
- Water
- Distilled vinegar
- Sea salt
- Pea protein
- Sugar
- Ground mustard seeds
- Modified cornstarch
- Lemon juice concentrate
- Beta carotene
- Natural flavor
Final Thoughts
In the end, Miracle Whip is non-vegan no matter how you look at it. Because every Miracle Whip variety contains eggs, this mayonnaise-like spread isn’t suitable for your vegan sandwich, salad, or any other food item.
You’re much better off going with a vegan-friendly alternative or making your own mayonnaise-adjacent spread at home.
Related Questions
Is there a vegan version of Miracle Whip?
Not yet, but there may be one in the future. The market for vegan-specific and non-GMO products, including dressings and spreads, is growing. Miracle Whip is made by Kraft Heinz, which is known for producing ketchup, steak sauce, and other toppings.
Is there dairy in Miracle Whip?
No, there is no dairy in Miracle Whip. If Miracle Whip didn’t include eggs, it would be a vegan-friendly choice for many people.
Does vegan Mayo taste like Miracle Whip?
It tastes similarly enough. The vegan spreads broken down above taste very similar to regular mayonnaise, though they don’t have the egg-like flavor. However, the texture is very similar.
Is Miracle Whip gluten-free?
Technically, yes. Kraft has a policy where they announce any gluten ingredients or allergens on the product boxes are bottles for everything they create. Since Miracle Whip doesn’t have any gluten ingredient warning, you can assume it to not contain gluten. However, Miracle Whip also isn’t certified gluten-free.