Olive Oil Mayo – Benefits, Uses & Recipes
You are trying to find an alternative to regular mayonnaise and wonder if olive oil mayo is a good choice. After all, mayonnaise is one of your favorite condiments. You don’t want to give it up, but you want to make healthier choices. Now thoughts start running through your mind that you’re going to have to give up mayo altogether.
Olive oil mayonnaise is the good news answer you’re hoping for. In addition to being lower in saturated fat, mayonnaise made with olive oil is also cleaner than its low-fat counterpart. It has more calories than low-fat mayonnaise but doesn’t have as many chemicals or additives.
There is a lot to know about how you can use mayo made with olive oil – even how to make your own at home. Below, you’ll learn about making your own edible condiment as well as how to make a facial mask and hair treatment from mayonnaise made with olive oil.
Comparing Popular Olive Oil Mayonnaise Brands
Now that we know we can still have mayo, it’s important to know that all olive oil mayonnaises aren’t equal.
Here’s a comparison of how the top four mayonnaise brands stack up when it comes to their olive oil mayo:
Per Tablespoon | Kraft (buy) | Hellmann’s (buy) | Duke’s | Best Foods |
Calories | 50 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
Total Fat | 5.0 g | 6.0 g | 5.0 g | 6.0 g |
Saturated Fat | 0.5 g | 1.0 g | 0.5 g | 1.0 g |
Trans Fat | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
Sodium | 105 mg | 125 mg | 110 mg | 125 mg |
Carbs | 1.0 g | <1.0 g | 1.0 g | 0.0 g |
Protein | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
Cholesterol | 0.0 mg | 5.0 mg | 10.0 mg | 5.0 mg |
Ingredients | Water, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Modified Food Starch, Eggs, Sugar, Contains less than 2% of Egg Yolk, Salt, Mustard Flour, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavor, Dried Onion, Beta-Carotene (Color), Oleoresin Paprika (Color), Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To protect flavor) | Water, Soybean Oil, Olive Oil, Whole Eggs, Egg Yolks, Modified Potato Starch, Sugar, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Sorbic Acid and Calcium Disodium EDTA (Used to protect quality), Natural Flavor, Paprika Extract | Water, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Egg Yolks, Distilled and Cider Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Lemon Juice, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), D, L, Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Beta Carotene (Color), Natural Flavors, Calcium Disodium EDTA (added to Protect Flavor) | Water, Soybean Oil, Olive Oil, Whole Eggs and Egg Yolks, Modified Potato Starch, Sugar, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Sorbic Acid and Calcium Disodium EDTA (Used to protect quality), Natural Flavor, Paprika Extract |
It’s interesting that, according to their ingredient lists, two of the brands have more soybean oil in them than they do olive oil.
Note: Best Foods bought Hellmann’s in 1932. They are actually the same product with different names in various regional markets. Interestingly, though, when compared in blind taste tests, Hellmann’s was preferred by 62.5 percent of participants because “it was sweeter” whereas Best Foods was thought to be “more vinegary.”
Another one of the bonuses of the olive oil mayonnaise versus regular mayo is that it has about half the calories of its regular counterpart.
Is Olive Oil Mayo is Paleo Compliant?
If you are working to stay committed to the Paleo diet regimen, the good news is that olive oil mayonnaise can be fair game. The thing is… not all mayonnaises are.
In order for your mayo to be Paleo compliant, you need to make sure that it doesn’t contain any soybean oil or any preservative chemicals. These qualifications make it difficult, but not impossible, to find olive oil mayo – or any mayo at the grocery store. Even so, some have suggested that Trader Joe’s™ or health food stores may be viable options.
There is another solution, though. You can make your own mayonnaise so you can still be true to your Paleo goals.
How To Make Your Own Olive Oil Mayo
If you have the time and inclination and would prefer to avoid the preservatives used in off-the-shelf products, you can make your own olive oil mayonnaise.
At its core, mayonnaise is comprised of the following ingredients:
- Eggs and egg yolks (as a general rule, you will have one egg/egg yolk to one cup of oil)
Note: Some suggest only using egg yolks, others say use the whole egg. This is going to boil down to using what works best for you.
- An acidic ingredient with a taste you prefer, such as apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. (You will usually want half or even a quarter of a tablespoon of this ingredient to each egg/egg yolk – two eggs/egg yolks? Then one or one-half tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.)
- Spices like, salt, paprika, mustard, and as you noticed above, some like to add a bit of sugar to taste. (If you are using two eggs, you will want to limit the spices to one-eighth to one-quarter of a teaspoon.)
- Oil – in our case
extra virgin olive oil or because some feel the extra virgin olive oil has too
strong of a taste, you can use a combination of half olive oil and half
- avocado,
- sunflower, or
- toasted sesame oil.
- Some people use coconut oil, but you have to be careful otherwise your mayo ends up with a coconut after taste.
Note: Many canola oils are genetically modified, so you want to avoid those.
- Water for consistency
Here are the steps you need to take when you’re ready to make your mayo,
- Combine your eggs/egg yolks, salt, and acidic ingredient in your food processor by pulsing it for about 10 seconds.
- Turn the food processor on so that it’s running very slowly and add the oil (or mixed/combined oils) in a very thin, continuous stream.
- Stop adding the oil when the mixture starts to thicken up.
- If your mixture is too thick, add a half of a teaspoon of water at a time until it is the consistency you prefer.
Storing Your Homemade Mayonnaise
Now that you have your wonderful homemade olive oil mayonnaise prepared, for best results, you will want to store it in the refrigerator in a covered glass jar for no more than a week.
Using Your Olive Oil Mayo as a Beauty Treatment
Mayonnaise isn’t just for your sandwich or chicken salad anymore. Mayo is also a good source of exfoliation for your skin or it can give you shinier, smoother, and softer hair.
It’s also a very economical solution when getting expensive spa treatments aren’t in your regular budget. Want to make it even an even better buy? Consider buying a Costco™-sized jar (or set of jars) of olive oil mayo.
Note: Just as with the mayonnaise you ingest, you want to make sure that your olive oil mayonnaise doesn’t contain lots of chemicals.
Olive Oil Mayonnaise Face Masks
The oils, eggs, and vinegar in mayonnaise make it a wonderful candidate to add to your weekly face-care routine. The oils and eggs in the mayo moisturize your skin while the vinegar encourages the dead cells to release.
Here’s how you make an effective face mask:
- First take about one-quarter to one-half of a cup of mayo out of the refrigerator and let it sit for a half an hour or so to allow it to warm up to room temperature.
- Use your favorite gentle cleanser to wash your face and rinse it off with warm water.
- Use your fingertips to apply the mayonnaise to your face. Make sure you don’t get it in your eyes.
- Let it set for 15-20 minutes. This is a great time to grab some cool cucumber slices to place over your eyes, just relax, and maybe use the time to do some meditation.
- Use warm water to rinse the mayonnaise off your face while you use your fingertips to massage your face in small, circular motions.
- Finish rinsing your face and pat it dry with a clean towel.
Completing this routine once a week will keep your face glowing.
If you have any olive oil mayonnaise left over, you can make your own hair treatment.
Olive Oil Mayonnaise Hair Treatment
Not only will using a mayonnaise mask make your hair shinier and softer, it will also help protect your hair from the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays, cold temperatures, and friction from:
- Daily brushing of your hair
- Using hair ties or scrunchies to pull your hair up or back
- Your hair rubbing on your shirt collars
- Tossing and turning on your pillowcases
- Your natural curls that tangle with each other
The amount of mayo you’ll want for this completely depends on how much hair you have. If you have longer and/or thicker hair, you’ll need more than someone with short, fine, or thin hair.
Here’s what you need to do to create your effective hair treatment.
- You’re going to want to mix your mayo with a few other ingredients for your hair treatment.
- First, combine
one-quarter to one-half of a cup of mayonnaise with
- One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- One egg
- One tablespoon of honey
- Gently mix all the ingredients together in a container
- Get your hair damp. You will not want your hair dripping wet – just damp.
- Use your fingertips to spread the mixture through your hair and massage it on your scalp.
- Put all of your hair up on your head and cover it with a shower cap.
- Allow the mayo mixture to sit on your hair for between 30 to 45 minutes.
- Rinse the mixture out of your hair with cool water and then thoroughly shampoo your hair and scalp.
Note: You really don’t want the water you use to rinse your hair to be too hot unless you want that egg you just mixed with your mayo (including the egg in your mayonnaise) to scramble on your head and in your hair.
Similar to the face mask, you really only need to apply this process to your hair about once-per week.
Additional Uses For Olive Oil Mayonnaise
There are many more things around your home that you can use your olive oil mayo for.
Make it a Nonstick for Your Grill
There are few things that are as difficult to grill as fish. They often stick to the barbecue’s grills. One easy remedy for this is to evenly coat both sides of the fish in your olive oil mayonnaise. It not only helps the fish come off the grill, but also adds a nice richness to the fish.
Avoid The Egg Dip For Your Fried Chicken
If you’re getting ready to make some fried chicken – or fish – and you really don’t want to dredge it through egg, you can coat it in mayo before you add your coating mixture.
Grilling Potatoes Get Tastier
If you will toss your potato chunks in some mayo with your desired spices before you place them in – or on – aluminum foil to grill, you will find that they take on a crusty feature on the outside.
Clean Up Your Coffee Table
If you find water marks on your coffee table, rub some of your olive oil mayonnaise on it and you will unlock the moisture that has been sealed into the wood by the glass’ condensation.
Sunburn Salve
Don’t have any aloe around and you have a terrible sunburn? No worries. The egg yolk and oil in your olive oil mayonnaise will soothe your sunburn and help you find some much-needed comfort.
Get Rid Of Those Fingerprints
Do you ever get tired of seeing fingerprints on your stainless-steel appliances? Put some of your olive oil mayonnaise on a microfiber cloth and rub it in to eliminate those smudges.
Erase Your Young Monet’s Art
If you find some crayon on your walls, simply dab some mayo over the budding artist’s work and let it sit for about 15 minutes. The oils in the olive oil mayonnaise will break down the crayon and allow you to wipe it away.
Benefits of Olive Oil
You’re working on making informed choices about your dietary items. And that includes choosing the best ingredients to make your mayonnaise.
It seems that the phrase “Use olive oil; it’s healthier…” has been popping up everywhere for over a decade, but it also seems that’s where the discussion stops.
As we dig into understanding olive oil mayonnaise, let’s find out why one of its key ingredients, olive oil, seems to be a better choice.
- Olive oil is a Mediterranean diet kitchen staple in Italian “blue zones.” Blue zones are those places where most people live to be 100 years old or beyond. Granted, the Mediterranean diet has a lot of components to it, but olive oil is definitely one of the consistent pieces in these places.
- Olive oil can help get your cholesterol in balance and support healthy blood pressure levels. Notice that said “help.” According to the Mayo Clinic, olive oil alone won’t get it done, but it can be one of your balanced components. Olive oil contains antioxidants (plant-based polyphenol and vitamin E) and is a monounsaturated fat. This means that it increases your “good” cholesterol while lowering the “bad.”
It also lowers the total triglycerides in your blood thus possibly decreasing the chances of plaque build-up and reducing the pressure on the walls of your blood vessels.
Even when it has been heated to high temperatures, olive oil remains fairly stable in its construct because of its antioxidant properties.
Note: The vitamin E benefit is at its best when the oil hasn’t been heated.
- Olive oil may help reduce inflammation. Its polyphenol antioxidants along with its hydroxytyrosol antioxidant compound work with your digestive system to transmit nutrients where your body needs them thereby improving your overall biome health.
Improving your biome health decreases your body’s tendency toward inflammation.
Tip: Some people recommend taking a tablespoon of olive oil to get rid of, or significantly reduce the effects of a headache.
- Ingesting oil keeps you satisfied for a longer period of time. Because of the way the “fat-chains” are constructed within olive oil, it takes longer to digest. This results in you having energy for a longer time and feeling satisfied for a sustained period of time. It also helps you avoid those pesky sugar crashes.
- Olive oil may decrease your chances of developing painful gallstones. Gallbladder disease is on the rise. That’s mainly because of the high cholesterol diets most people consume. Olive oil reduces bile over-production in the gallbladder, which in turn helps support a healthy gallbladder free of gallstones.
- Olive oil may reduce environmental toxins on your skin. Using olive oil as a topical rub will not only provide your skin with a moisture that can minimize the appearance of wrinkles, its polyphenols also help cleanse your pores from environmental toxins you may be carrying around.
To make sure you are getting a quality, as opposed to a fraudulent olive oil, look for a PGI certification or seal.
Olive Oil Mayo is the All-in-One Solution in Your Refrigerator
Whether you are working to
- Moisturize your hair,
- Tenderize your fish or chicken,
- Buff your furniture to a crazy shine, or
- Make amazing chicken or tuna salad,
You can use your olive oil mayonnaise is bound to make your life better.
Sources:
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-olive-oil
- https://www.hellmanns.com/us/en/p/mayonnaise-dressing-with-olive-oil.html/00048001204362
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1559827616637066
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5855206/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15380903/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29149823/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21443487/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2509801/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22995032/