I am a huge Kewpie mayo fan. Give me a squishy soft red-capped bottle of the good stuff and I’ll be squeezing it on everything. But if you don’t have any nearby, read on for a good substitute recipe.
Kewpie mayonnaise is my number one condiment of choice. I love it with fries, I love it on sandwiches, I love it as a dip, I just LOVE it. If you’ve never had Kewpie mayo or you have heard of it but haven’t tried it, you need to. It will change your life, I’m not even kidding.
What is Kewpie mayo
Kewpie mayonnaise is Japan’s favorite mayonnaise and salad dressing brand. Invented in 1924, it’s pretty much ubiquitous in every Japanese kitchen. It’s rich, yet light, and incredibly delicious. Kewpie mayonnaise is so beloved in Japan that they even have specialty Kewpie mayo cafes to celebrate all things Kewpie. There’s even a Kewpie mayo terrace slash museum where you can learn all about Kewpie, get samples, and make your own!
What is the difference between Kewpie and regular mayo
Mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil, egg, and an acid. Regular mayonnaise uses whole eggs and white vinegar whereas Kewpie uses only egg yolks and rice or apple cider vinegar. The result is an extra rich and thick texture with a bit more sweetness and tang. If you don’t like mayo give Kewpie a try, it will surprise you how different they taste.
What does Kewpie taste like
Kewpie mayonnaise is tangier, sweeter, thicker, and creamier than regular mayonnaise. It has a huge amount of umami.
Iconic Japanese dishes with Kewpie mayonnaise
Kewpie are deeply ingrained in Japanese cuisine, where it’s used as a dipping sauce, seasoning, and topping. It’s one of their favorite condiments and an essential in any Japanese kitchen, right along side soy sauce, dashi, mirin, and sake. It’s beloved for a reason – it tastes amazing! Some iconic Japanese dishes where kewpie mayo is the star include: Takoyaki, Japanese Potato Salad, and Japanese Egg Sandwiches. There are even more below.
Thankfully you don’t have to go to Japan to experience the magic of Kewpie. You can find it, in its signature squeeze bottle with a red flip top at most grocery stores these days, in the Asian aisle. The mayo itself is a bit more golden that your standard mayo and much more creamy and luxurious. Kewpie mayo uses just egg yolks – as opposed to regular mayo which uses whole eggs – and rice or apple cider vinegar for a hint of sweetness. It’s absolutely addictive and we always have a bottle in the fridge. It’s the not-so-secret ingredient to ALL delicious things.
Where to buy Kewpie mayo
You can find Kewpie mayonnaise at most grocery stores in the Asian aisle. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, you can find it at your local Asian grocery store or online. They even sell it at Costco sometimes.
What can I sub for Kewpie mayo?
If you can’t get Kewpie mayonnaise you can grab another brand of Japanese mayonnaise, but the original and best is Kewpie brand. If you can’t get your hands on any Japanese mayo at all, you can make a substitution at home. Recipe below!
Kewpie mayo substitutes
If you can’t find Kewpie mayo but you absolutely need it in your life, you can sub regular mayo and add a bit of rice vinegar and sugar to make a Kewpie mayo substitute. A good recipe is below.
How to use Kewpie mayo
Kewpie mayonnaise comes in an incredible squeeze bottle with a red flip lid. It has a thin tip that is perfect for piping kawaii faces onto omelettes or making beautiful lines of mayo on okonomiyaki. If you unscrew the lid, there’s also a star tip that let’s you squeeze out blobs of mayo for those times when you need more, like when you’re making potato salad.
What is Kewpie mayo good on?
It honestly tastes amazing with everything. You can use it as a dip for vegetable sticks or use it anywhere you would use ranch dressing. Kewpie mayonnaise and breadsticks? Yes please! Kewpie mayonnaise on pizza? Absolutely. It is great with all proteins and especially delicious when you dip chicken nuggets or tenders into it.
The difference between Japanese and American Kewpie
Did you know that there are actually two kinds of Kewpie mayo? There are the ones that are produced in Japan and imported and there are ones that are made right in the United States in California. The main difference between the two formulas is MSG. The American Kewpie mayo instead leans on yeast extract (kind of like nutritional yeast) to add umami.
It’s a bit disingenuous though because yeast extract actually has naturally occurring MSG, much like tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. We decided to do a blind comparison taste taste and I totally prefer the Japanese version. There’s a creamy, distinct unctuous to it that is just SO delicious. It definitely has a noticeably savory umami note. Japanese kewpie all the way!
Recipes to make with Kewpie mayonnaise
Here are some recipes that use Kewpie mayo to get your mayo-imagination up and running.
- Mayo ramen – for an extra rich luxe restaurant style ramen
- Ebi chili mayo – Deep fried tempura prawns with sweet and spicy Kewpie
- Japanese Egg Sando (or this one) – Japanese egg salads aren’t Japanese unless you use Kewpie. This is gonna be the best egg salad you’ll ever taste
- Japanese potato salad – It just hits different. It’s the Kewpie!
- Takoyaki – the classic takoyaki topped with Kewpie
- Deviled eggs – eggs get an upgrade with Kewpie mayonnaise
- Sushi bake – because it’s the creamiest, warmest, most satisfying casserole
- Vietnamese Pizza – just a super fun street food you can make at home
Kewpie mayo recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise Hellmann’s/Best Foods preferred
- 3/4 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Mix everything together until smooth and eat on everything.
There is a difference between the ingredients of Kewpie made in Japan and in the USA. The Japanese one tastes really good; the American is meh. Check the label before you buy. I order the Japanese one online.
What website/link do you order Kewpie from?
Walmart online sometimes has it in stock for an okay price. Amazon always does, but it’s usually more expensive. You want the 500g version, not the 12oz version as the 500g one is made in Japan and the 12oz version is made in the USA with different ingredients.
so interesting, and yes, sometimes regular mayo is too much for me, so I’d like to try this version, will get some of the real stuff, but thanks for a quick alternative recipe too
Regular mayo unless specifically stated, IS NOT made of whole eggs, I’ve been a saucier for 7+ years now working in restaurants all over the place, NEVER had there ever been mayo made with whole eggs.
also regular mayo in 90% of restaurants is made far closer to this person’s definition of “kewpie” then it is to there standard mayo definition.
if your making mayo in the hopes its restaurant quality, your gonna want just yolks, the addition of dijon mustard is some form, salt, and a combo of oils, about 50% of it being a neutral oil, also the acid can easily be changed out for any vinegar profile, but my go to is actually apple cider as it helps the palette to finish brighter and less oil laden.
Also I’m aware there are whole eggs in hellmans, I would like to note it is a ratio of whole and additional yolks, so again not just whole eggs, and that’s also why it so often has an “eggy” smell to it.
I have been in the food industry for 30+ years, including apprenticing for a Master Chef – real, not tv kind (does that make me a better “expert”?) and I have never gone grocery shopping in a restaurant. In the grocery stores, where I do shop, the mayo on the shelves tend to use whole eggs with added yolks so whole eggs are used. The “additional yolks” are so minimal it is silly… like ginger in ginger ale…
As I happen to have Kewpie in my kitchen, I will say that the (rice) vinegar and msg are what really set it apart from other mayo… store bought or restaurant made.
The use of dijon mustard makes “restaurant” mayo closer to store bought than to Kewpie… and no, I will not share my mayo recipe.
Where can I buy Kewpie Mayo in the Milwaukee WI area??
you can buy it on amazon! https://amzn.to/3R6xSd9
Meijer sells kewpie mayo
If you have a Woodman’s near you, they have it on their Asian aisle.
I went to a Japanese Restaurant which served a noodle that looked like linguine but it was a Japanese noodle. It had some sort of white looking coating. It wasn’t soup, nor sauce, it was a coating that was white. It looked very plain. I believe it was served at room temperature, neither hot or cold. It was on the side of the plate. To this day I still wonder what it could have been. I wish I had asked. It was something I would like to try again. The business isn’t around any longer.
was it udon?