Supermarket bakery pumpernickel, Thin N Trim brand Holiday Carving Turkey, Cabot white cheddar, baby lettuce, campari tomatoes. The sandwich on the left had a generous layer of Hellmann's mayonnaise. The sandwich on the right had a generous layer of Duke's mayonnaise.

The Hellmann's from my perspective had a milder and slightly sweet flavor to it. The Duke's was more present and had a richer flavor. I did not notice a tang that I have read many people experience with Duke's mayonnaise.

Let us take a look at the differences in ingredients. As you may know, the order of ingredients indicates largest to smallest portions in each product. Hellmann's 2nd ingredient is water followed by whole eggs. Duke's 2nd ingredient is egg yolks followed by water. This probably accounts for the milder vs richer flavor. The other differences are Hellmann's contains sugar and lemon juice concentrate, which accounts for the sweetness. Duke's contains cider vinegar in addition to distilled vinegar and oleoresin paprika. The cider vinegar probably accounts for the tang or piquant taste that people often experience from Duke's.

I find both mayos to be good and I think each has their place. Duke's is good on a roast beef three way as it holds its own against the bbq sauce. Hellmann's is good for a chicken or tuna salad, where the focus she be more on the flavor of the protein.

by StrongCupOfTea1968

20 Comments

  1. Electrical_Travel832

    I enjoyed this. I remember my dad telling me to not mess with anything else but Best Foods (the West coast label on Hellman’s), but I will consider trying Duke’s, based on your comparisons.

  2. nwdave12

    I’m a lifelong Hellman’s fan and finally tried a jar of Duke’s a couple months ago, wasn’t for me. I will have Kewpie occasionally for a change of pace.

  3. theBigDaddio

    I don’t care for dukes and don’t get the cult. It’s a southern thing I guess, those guys love tasteless greasy stuff.

  4. J_ShipD

    Appreciate this and the comments but honestly just throw both brands on a ritz and blindfold yourself. Too many confounding factors in making a whole sandwich

  5. mojitosupreme

    I am a European but it was a fascinating read. Thanks you.

  6. Six_Pack_Attack

    Duke convert here. I’ll never go back.

  7. LarryBURRd

    Turkey on pumpernickel just makes so much sense

  8. readerf52

    To add to the conversation (hopefully), as someone who is allergic to eggs, I used vegenaise for years, even though it was very expensive.

    Someone on reddit said how much they liked Best Food’s (west coast Hellman’s) vegan mayo. I had no idea it was a thing.

    I didn’t do a side by side sandwich comparison, but I did try to cheaper Best Food’s, and it’s very good. Even the people that can eat eggs tend to use my mayo, so I stopped buying two separate jars.

  9. CarpePrimafacie

    I would do a trade for one of the dukes sandwich. That looks amazing. The care and effort you put into that sandwich is what makes a great tasting meal. Do you like authentic Thai food?

  10. dlsc217

    Any McCormack Mayonesa fans here? Got for a restaurant style ranch dip. The hint of lime is fantastic.

  11. supermarket_Ba

    I grew up with hellman’s in the northeast. A guy from the Midwest introduced me to duke’s and I’m never going back, baby!

  12. rivenshire

    They both have soybean oil. I switched to Chosen avocado oil mayo (sold at Costco) for health reasons. I had to adjust, but I like it. It’s definitely more tart.

  13. BiggimusSmallicus

    Got dukes in my area in the last few years and was hugely disappointed. Did not get the appeal

  14. welding_guy_from_LI

    Hellmans has a fuller richer flavor .. dukes tastes like oily eggs with a splash of vinegar