Is mayonnaise gluten-free? Usually, check flavoured ones

Usually, yes. Mayonnaise is egg yolk, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and mustard, none of which usually contains gluten.

What to check

• The vinegar: malt vinegar is made from barley. Most mayonnaise uses spirit or wine vinegar, but read the label.
• Japanese mayonnaise: Kewpie made in Japan uses a vinegar that Kewpie brews from apple juice and malt, which is barley, and it isn’t labelled gluten-free, so treat it as unsuitable. Kewpie made in the USA uses other vinegars and says it is certified gluten-free. The label tells you where the bottle was made.
• Flavoured mayonnaise, burger sauces and salad dressings: extra ingredients such as thickeners, soy sauce or flavourings can contain wheat.
• Light and reduced-fat versions sometimes use starches: check which one.

In a kitchen

A shared jar that knives go into after touching bread picks up crumbs. At home, a separate jar or a squeeze bottle solves it; in a café, ask for a sachet.

Keep reading

• The Hidden-Gluten Watchlist: the 15 forbidden names and the ones to check
• Is vinegar gluten-free?
• Is mustard gluten-free?
• Is modified starch gluten-free?

Sources: EU Regulation 1169/2011 and 828/2014, US FDA gluten-free rule and FALCPA, Coeliac UK, Kewpie Japan FAQ and Kewpie USA (read 28 September 2026), Codex Alimentarius (gluten-free = 20 mg/kg or less). We inform, we don’t diagnose: for medical questions, your doctor or dietitian has the last word.