Once you try Japanese Mayonnaise, you’ll never go back. It has a rich egg flavor, a tangy and sweet taste, and is creamier in color and texture than regular mayonnaise. And just like any Japanese creation, it scores high on the umami factor.
Japanese mayonnaise (マヨネーズ) better known as Kewpie mayo—is a pantry staple in almost every Japanese household. Known for its richer egg flavor and umami goodness, Japanese mayo has become a cult favorite among foodies worldwide. David Chang, the famous chef and founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, even calls it “the best mayonnaise in the world.” I have to agree!
Thanks to its popularity, you can easily find Japanese mayonnaise outside of Japan these days. However, if you wish to make a homemade version, I have two recipes: One is made from scratch, and the other is a short-cut version using ready-made mayonnaise.
Table of contents
What is Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie Mayo)?
When most people mention Japanese mayonnaise, they refer to the most popular brand, Kewpie Mayo. It was invented in 1924 by Toichiro Nakashima, who first discovered mayonnaise on his visit to the U.S. and decided to introduce his own mayonnaise so the Japanese people would enjoy it.
Today, Kewpie mayo has become synonymous with Japanese mayonnaise. Everyone recognizes it for its signature squeeze plastic bottle with a Kewpie doll logo and a red cap.
The Japanese are obsessed with this condiment as we use it on sandwiches, okonomiyaki, rice bowls, fusion sushi, salad dressings, and even pizza. In fact, when I was growing up, there were limited choices of dressings, so we used to eat our salad with a dollop of Kewpie mayo (oh, the good old days!)
Many JOC readers told me they were never into American mayo, but they would only use Kewpie mayo as they are enamored by its slightly tangy, creamy, light, yet umami flavor.
What is the Difference Between Japanese Mayo and Regular Mayo?
So, what is Japanese mayo all about and why is it so famous? How does it taste differently?
You’ll first notice that Japanese mayo has a more prominent eggy taste with a hint of fruity sweetness. The texture is also thicker and creamier than regular mayo.
Japanese mayo uses only egg yolks to create a deeper yellow color and a custard-like texture that is smooth and luxurious, as opposed to regular American mayonnaise, which uses whole eggs. While distilled vinegar is used in American brands, Kewpie incorporates rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar to lend a sweeter and subdued tang.
As the flavor is more rounded and packed with umami, it’s no wonder Kewpie mayo is the must-have ingredient in many iconic Japanese dishes!
Where to Buy Japanese Mayo
You can find Japanese mayo, especially the Kewpie brand, at most Japanese or Asian grocery stores or online. Some well-stocked mainstream grocery stores such as Costco, Walmart, and Target might carry it too. If you live outside the U.S., you can find it at Daiso (if there’s one near you) or online.
Note that other brands of Japanese mayonnaise are also sold in a plastic squeeze bottle with a fine tip. The unique tip design allows you to spread the mayo on anything and to create zigzag patterns on okonomiyaki (see picture above). Look for the Kewpie doll logo on the bottle if you only want to purchase the Kewpie brand mayo.
Try my homemade mayo if you can’t find it or prefer to make your own!
7 Important Tips Before Making Japanese Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil, egg yolk, and vinegar. Oil and water in the yolk are a mixture of two liquids that normally can’t be combined.
Emulsifying is done by slowly adding one ingredient to another while mixing rapidly. This disperses and suspends tiny droplets of one liquid through another. Proteins and lecithin in the egg yolk serve as emulsifiers.
Here are a few tips you need to know:
1. Use vegetable, safflower, grapeseed oil, or canola oil
Never use old oil or extra virgin olive oil, as it won’t emulsify well.
2. Make sure the egg yolks are at room temperature
Molecules in cold egg yolks get separated easily, which makes them less ideal for mixing.
3. Use mustard
Not sure about adding mustard? It’s not included just for the taste but also to further stabilize the emulsion as it contains small amounts of lecithin.
4. Add dashi powder for umami flavor
Kewpie mayo includes monosodium glutamate (MSG), which gives an umami flavor. Since I don’t keep a bag of Ajinomoto (the famous MSG brand) at home, I add dashi powder instead to boost a similar umami flavor. The umami from kombu and Katsuobushi in the dashi powder works in the mayonnaise.
5. Gently pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream
Adding oil too quickly will keep the two liquids from combining (emulsifying); hence, you want to pour the oil into a thin and steady stream when combined with the rest of the mixture.
6. Use a blender, mixer, or food processor
The key to making delicious mayonnaise is how small you make the oil molecules. Store-bought mayonnaise may taste better and lighter because household blender/mixer/food processor is not as powerful as commercial ones.
Still, it’s better to use equipment if you already have one in your kitchen. Using a tool helps churn your homemade mayonnaise much faster and more consistently (less arm work, too).
7. Use pasteurized egg yolks or very fresh egg yolks
Pasteurized eggs can reduce or eliminate the risk of being infected by the salmonella bacteria when preparing recipes that call for raw or uncooked eggs (Roughly one egg out of every 20,000 eggs will contain salmonella). If you have an immersion circulator, you can purchase pasteurized eggs or make your own. Also, the quality of the eggs makes a difference. Use fresh, local organic eggs if possible.
The Easy Version: Quick Japanese Mayo
Not everyone has the time to make homemade mayonnaise from scratch. The good news is you can take a shortcut by adding rice vinegar and sugar to the American mayonnaise. So don’t throw away your Hellmann’s Mayonnaise just yet. It’s not precisely the same, but consider this your easy hack when replicating the taste of Kewpie mayo.
For 1 cup of American mayonnaise, whisk together 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar.
For 1 Tbsp of American mayonnaise, whisk together ½ tsp rice vinegar and ⅛ tsp sugar.
Signature Japanese Recipes Using Japanese Mayo
- Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando)
- Takoyaki
- Okonomiyaki
- Karaage
- Japanese Potato Salad
- California Roll
- Japanese Kani Salad
Also, don’t forget to check out my super easy Spicy Mayo recipe! It’s so good in lobster rolls and sushi rolls like dragon rolls.
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Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie Mayo)
Ingredients
- 2 pasteurized egg yolks (at room temperature; from the market, or pasteurize eggs at home)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ cups neutral oil
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tsp sugar (plus more, to taste)
- ½ tsp dashi powder
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 4 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Before You Start: This recipe calls for pasteurized egg yolks. If you cannot find pasteurized eggs, use the best, freshest eggs you can find for this recipe. You can also follow my tutorial to pasteurize your eggs using an immersion circulator.
- Gather all the ingredients. Tip: If you reduce the recipe ingredients, there won’t be enough volume for the food processor or blender to do its work, so you may need to hand whisk the ingredients (or use a hand mixer or immersion blender).
- Make sure the egg yolks are at room temperature. Put 2 pasteurized egg yolks and 2 tsp Dijon mustard into the bowl of a food processor or a blender; I used a food processor with a 3-cup bowl for one batch (yields 2 cups) of this recipe. Process for 20 seconds. Tip: Mustard adds flavor and helps to emulsify the mixture, reducing the risk of the mayonnaise breaking.
- With the food processor running, SLOWLY drizzle about one-third of the 1½ cups neutral oil in a thin, steady stream—about ½ cup oil for one batch of mayonnaise. The mixture will begin to thicken and emulsify. Tip: If you add the oil too fast, it won’t emulsify.
- Add 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 2 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp dashi powder and give everything a whirl again.
- Continue to add another one-third of the oil in a thin, steady stream. I use the Stir setting while adding the oil.
- Finally, add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 4 tsp fresh lemon juice, and the remaining one-third of the oil and process for an extra 10 seconds, just until the ingredients are combined and emulsified. Tip: Don’t blend the mayonnaise too long, as homemade mayonnaise comes together pretty quickly in the food processor or blender. When blended too long, the emulsion that brought the spread together is more likely to break, either from overprocessing or overheating.
- Taste the mayonnaise and adjust with salt, sugar, or lemon juice to your liking. I personally added 2 more teaspoons of sugar for a total of 4 teaspoons for one batch.
To Store
- You can keep the mayonnaise in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
Hi
I give the rating because it’s easy to make.
Anyways my mayo always gets thin.
I gather all the things I need and use a blender (for smoothies) the tast is there.
But it is more yellow and thin.
1. Can it be the egg is to cold
2. To much olie
3. To much blend or to little
Still all the other recipe works brilliantly the wafu. The pizza. Pokeball….etc
But mayo that’s have it own life
B/regards
Lars
Hi Lars! Thank you for trying this recipe! Maybe not mixed well? It starts thin then it becomes thicker when all the ingredients are mixed well. You have to bring it to that stage. Hope that helps…
I’ve tried it twice and both times I ended up with mayo soup even though I changed from a food processor to a blender the second time cause I thought that might be the problem (the food processor didn’t catch the first drizzle of oil so it didn’t mix until I added a lot which I knew was a deal breaker).
I’ve made mayo before plenty of times but never with eggs only vegan ones. Any idea where I might have gone wrong? 🙁
Hi Emmy! It sounds like it did not emulsify well (enough amount of ingredients to blend in your blender?). I understand eggs make it harder to make mayo but it’s necessary ingredient for this. 🙁 Any substitution for the recipe? It’s hard to give suggestions or know what happened without seeing how it was made even though I really like to help. 🙁
Hi
I can see you replace MSG with Dashi powder.
But if i should use MSG following your recipe. Then how much MSG would i need to use ?
Hi Brian! Try a pinch? I have seen it but I actually never used it so I don’t know how much would be appropriate. Add a pinch and taste to check, like seasoning with salt?
I was wondering why not one Kewpie Mayo recipe has bayleaf and cinnamon in it. It is mentioned among the ingredients on the storebought Kewpie bottle packaging. From all the copycat recipes bayleaf or cinnamon is missing, and when tasting the storebought mayo, it is clearly in there. So all these copies are not the same at all. Is there a reason for it?
Hi Hamamass! I’ve never seen or heard about bay leaf or cinnamon in the list.
Here are some images:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%A8%E3%83%8D%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%81%AE%E5%8E%9F%E6%9D%90%E6%96%99&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiY3erGn-zqAhXTh54KHTmZCh4Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%A8%E3%83%8D%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%81%AE%E5%8E%9F%E6%9D%90%E6%96%99&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQChAYUKCrAVjDtwFgxLwBaABwAHgAgAFfiAHyBJIBATeYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=PikeX5jGMdOP-gS5sqrwAQ&bih=1018&biw=1527&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS727US727
Where did you find the information?
I made this about 5 times and it was amazing, substituting a mushroom powder blend i have for the dashi for that umami kick, but the few time’s I’ve tried it since it just won’t emulsify. Exact same ingredients i used before, same order, slowly drizzling the oil, just remains liquid…I have no idea how it worked many times before and now just won’t, nothing seems to have changed and it’s driving me insane.
Hi Xander! Thank you for trying my recipe and I’m so happy to hear you like it. I like your mushroom powder blend for dashi sub! Do you think it could be one of these reasons?
https://www.thekitchn.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-blender-mayo-229283
Thank you for the recipe! I was wondering, what are some things you use this mayo on? I’ve used it in pasta salad (yum!) and your okonomiyaki recipe (yummmmm!), and then in place of Hellman’s mayo on sandwiches (not really my favorite). What else would you use it for?
Hi Rachel! Thanks for trying this recipe! Here are some of my recipes that use Japanese mayo. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=mayonnaise
Can we use flaxseed, hemp, or avocado oil in place of the canola?
Thank you for sharing! So excited to try this one out.
Hi Gina! Hmm I’ve never used them before, but I think you can? Let us know if you decided to try! 🙂
I love your japanese recipes.
Tried mosy of them !
Its all yummy.
Thank you!
Mel. Phils
Thank you Mel! 🙂
can we use other type of oil instead of canola oil?
Hi Sarah! You can use vegetable oil. I use Maruhon untoasted sesame oil (https://www.maruhonoil.com/seasome-oil-product/untoasted) when I need vegetable/canola oil It’s great!
Mine didn’t emulsify 🙁 I doubled the recipe but the first step of mixing the egg and mustard didn’t hit the blades…I went ahead on with the recipe doing it to the tee, but it’s like mayo soup (not separated, just not emulsified. I’m making a big batch for a Sushi-making party- you know how people like spicy mayo, so I’m thinking I can add some Hellman’s and (Siracha) to it and thicken it up and salvage it? I’ll take any suggestions.
Okay, I see it is separated 🙂
Hi Sharon! I’m sorry yours got separated. 🙁 I’ve heard of these tricks to fix the homemade mayo. Have you tried it?
https://foodal.com/knowledge/how-to/quick-fixes-broken-homemade-mayo/
About “spicy mayo”: Hellman’s and Sambal chili paste – that’s what they used at the Japanese restaurant I worked in. I’m guessing cost had something to do with it, but truly delicious. Mix with sesame oil, minced scallion, and tuna scrapings.. omg delicious with sushi rice and a little shoyu.
Hi April! Thank you for sharing your insider tip! 🙂
Hi, I have no idea how is mayo made in US but here, in Europe, the recipe is very similar to the “Japanese” version. And dated back to 1790’s in cook books. Please, never ever use whole eggs. Only yolks. Also use good oil. And good vinegar. The recipe is from dayes when there was no distiled vinegar, only cider or wine. Red wine vinegar is the best I think. For mustard, do not use powder. Use dijon mustard.
BTW, you CAN use olive oil. The taste is a bit strange but very interesting in some salads. And if you want amazing tartar sauce (not the strange US thing, old good one) just take a cup of mayo (one with sunflower oil it works best), add one very fine chopped spring onion, few grounded pickles, black pepper and maybe some salt. Mix and enjoy with fries.
Hi Simp! Thank you so much for sharing your info! American mayo is… let’s say… not very tasty. I think a lot of people don’t like it (I can imagine why!!). Thank you again!
I haven’t made it, but I wanted to know- how long does this mayo last when refrigerated?
Hi Larissa! About 4 days in the refrigerator.
Interestingly commercial western mayonnaise is whole egg but it is traditionally made with just yolks and most restaurants that make their own will make it with yolks.
Hi Nathan! Hmm, I see. I am not sure why too….
[…] Japanese mayonnaise(optional for dipping) […]
What is your reason for using dashi powder instead of MSG?
Hi Ann! Dashi has umami from the ingredients (mine is MSG-free powder). Most people who want to make their own mayo because they don’t want MSG in Kewpie mayo. I do use Kewpie mayo myself. 🙂
If i dont have dashi will be the same result.?
Hi Hos,
If you skip Dashi, it will be a different, more plain flavor. The Dashi will bring the Umami to this Mayonnaise.
Hi I can’t wait to try your recipe!! But at the moment I don’t have dashi powder on hand but i have quick access to MSG. What are the steps that i need to alter? Or just simply to substitute it? Thanks
Hi George, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The MSG may bring a deep flavor to some food, but it does not have the Dashi flavor, and we don’t think it will be a substitute for the dashi powder.😞