Answer: No.
You might be thinking about whether you can use that Miracle Whip on your shelf for your sandwich or salad dressing, but you’re unsure if it’s vegan. Well, sad to say, Miracle Whip is not for your vegan diet. The item includes eggs as its ingredients which are considered to be non-vegan.
Miracle Whip is manufactured by Kraft Foods as an alternative to mayonnaise. It offers the same purpose at a more affordable price. However, Miracle Whip manufacturers failed to avoid using eggs as an ingredient.
Today, we will discuss what Miracle Whip is, why it’s not for you, and some vegan alternatives you can buy or even make at home the next time you want to dress your salad.
Table of Contents
What Is Miracle Whip?
Miracle Whip started to cycle on the market in 1933 as an alternative to mayonnaise when the great depression happened. People loved the product since mayo became a bit expensive, and it’s way more affordable.
It is basically made with the same ingredients as mayonnaise, such as eggs, oil, and vinegar. However, it is made up of less than 65% vegetable oil making it a dressing and not mayonnaise. Also, Miracle Whip has a sweeter flavor as it contains more sugar and spices ever since Miracle Whip was used for dressing sandwiches and salads.
But are you curious why the product is called Miracle Whip? Well, because of its oil contents, the mixture is difficult to combine to achieve the best consistency. An engineer then invented the machine that could perfectly mix the product, thus calling it a miracle to happen. That’s when the manufacturers decided to call it the Miracle Whip.
Aside from eggs, the Standard Miracle Whip contains the following ingredients:
| Dry Ingredients | Liquid Ingredients | Additives |
|---|---|---|
| Modified food starch | Soybean oil | Natural flavor |
| Sugar | Water | Potassium sorbate |
| Spices | High fructose corn syrup | |
| Salt | Vinegar | |
| Mustard flour | ||
| Paprika | ||
| Dried Garlic |
Why Is Miracle Whip Non-Vegan?
Miracle Whip Contains Eggs
Eggs are mainly used to thicken and stabilize foods. These foods often include dressings for salad, mayonnaise, and common desserts such as cakes and ice cream.
The reason behind this is that eggs actually contain lecithin. Lecithin is a good emulsifying agent, which means it can easily suspend fats and oils. This enables them to be mixed with other ingredients much better. This also allows the formation of homogeneous mixtures that are used in foods that need to be bound. A cool fact about lecithin is that its chemical structure attracts water on one side and oil on the other one.
Even though lecithin can be found in some plants like soy and sunflower oil, manufacturers still use eggs as a source of lecithin in making mayonnaise and Miracle Whip, making them off-limits to a vegan diet.
Why Are Eggs Non-Vegan?
People assume most of the time that it’s fine to include eggs in their vegan diet. This is mainly because of two reasons. First, they believe that eggs are raised humanely, especially when they own chickens in their own backyards. Second, they also believe that being a vegan is more of a health movement rather than a political one. Hence, they argue that if you omit the yolk, considering its fat and cholesterol content, eggs can be vegan.
However, being a vegan is not just a mere health movement but rather a political one. It ultimately means defying corporations that use animal violence and cruelty for the sake of money. A lot of people are missing this important notion of being a vegan.
Thus, all animals should be protected, including their products, which in this case, are eggs. Now, if you want to consume eggs as part of your diet, you might want to follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet which is a vegetarian plan that includes dairy products, such as eggs, milk, or cheese, in the diet.
Does Miracle Whip Have Dairy?
Miracle Whip does not contain any animal milk. Eggs are not to be considered one because dairy products are produced from the milk of mammals such as cows and goats. These products include cheese, cream, butter, and yogurt.
Despite this fact, Miracle Whip remains to be a non-vegan food item because of the egg content.
Is There a Miracle Whip Product That Is Vegan?
Miracle Whip has three product variations. Let us take a closer look at these three and see if there’s actually a vegan product among them.
1. Standard Miracle Whip
This first variation includes eggs and natural flavors as its ingredients. We have already discussed that eggs are non-vegan. Now, let’s discuss why natural flavors can be a problematic issue in your vegan diet.
Natural flavors are either obtained using plants or animals. One tricky move by the manufacturers is that they avoided mentioning whether the natural flavor used is vegan. Hence, you should be aware and careful in choosing products that contain natural flavorings.
2. Light Dressing Miracle Whip
Just like the Standard Miracle Whip, this second variation contains eggs and natural flavors. Some people suspect that this product also contains gelatin. However, the product does contain cellulose and xanthan gum for its consistency and texture. These two ingredients are plant-based ingredients.
Aside from eggs, the light dressing miracle whip also contains the following ingredients:
| Dry Ingredients | Liquid Ingredients | Additives | Artificial Sweeteners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modified food starch | Soybean oil | Natural flavor | Sucralose |
| Sugar | Water | Potassium sorbate | Acesulfame potassium |
| Spices | High fructose corn syrup | Cellulose | |
| Salt | Vinegar | Xanthan gums | |
| Mustard flour | |||
| Paprika | |||
| Dried Garlic |
3. Olive Oil Miracle Whip
You guessed it right, Olive Oil Miracle Whip also contains eggs. In fact, egg yolks are used in making this variation. However, we want to discuss a little bit more about another major ingredient of the product, which is sugar.
It is believed that most sugar manufacturers in North America use bone char to produce sugar. This has been a long-time issue among vegans and their problem for years.
Aside from egg yolks, the following ingredients are used:
| Dry Ingredients | Liquid Ingredients | Additives |
|---|---|---|
| Modified food starch | Soybean oil | Calcium disodium EDTA |
| Sugar | Water | Potassium sorbate |
| Spices | Olive Oil | |
| Salt | Vinegar | |
| Mustard flour | Canola oil | |
| Paprika | ||
| Dried Garlic |
After carefully examining the contents of each Miracle Whip product, we can therefore conclude that none of them are vegan since all include eggs as their ingredients.
What Are Some Miracle Whip Alternatives for Vegans?
If you’re a Miracle Whip fan and you just recently decided to go vegan— worry no more because we will discuss some of the alternatives you can easily buy in one of the nearest local stores in your area. Or, if you’re too lazy to go out, we will also discuss a way to make your own Miracle Whip at home!
1. Nasoya Vegan NayoWhipped Sandwich Spread
Nasoya does not include eggs in its products, making it 100% appropriate for a vegan diet. Moreover, it offers a similar taste to Miracle Whip with a sweet and little tangy flavor. The product contains soy milk, vinegar, lemon juice, xanthan and guar gums, Vitamin B12, expeller pressed soybean oil, dried cane syrup, mustard flour, paprika, salt, turmeric, natural flavor, garlic powder, and spices.
2. Vegan Mayonnaise
There are tons of vegan mayonnaise brands available in your local stores. To name a few are Just Mayo, Follow Your Heart Original Vegenaise, Plant Perfect Vegan Mayonnaise, Hellman’s Vegan Mayonnaise, and Chosen Foods Vegan Avocado Oil Mayonnaise.
Just Mayo is considered to be the most popular among the group. With lemon juice as its artificial flavoring, it has a tangy flavor with flavors of onion and garlic, perfect for a salad and sandwich dressing.
Can You Make a Miracle Whip at Home?
Definitely, you can make your own Miracle Whip by just using some of your home ingredients. Combine soy milk, white wine vinegar, paprika, superfine sugar, safflower oil, mustard powder, and salt, and you can come up with a perfect dressing. Don’t be afraid to adjust the measurements of the said ingredients to suit your taste.
Remember, you’re always the head of your own kitchen!
Conclusion
Just as how we want Miracle Whip to be vegan, it’s not. Miracle Whip contains eggs as ingredients making it inappropriate for your vegan diet. Eggs are animal products, and consuming them goes opposite to the political advocacies of being a vegan.
Miracle Whip has three product variations, namely, the Standard Miracle Whip, Light Dressing Miracle Whip, and Olive Oil Miracle Whip. All three contain eggs in them; hence all are non-vegan. Aside from eggs, they also contain sugar and natural flavors. It is difficult to determine whether these ingredients are animal or plant-based.
Alternatively, you can easily replace Miracle Whip with some alternatives in your favorite local stores. Just make sure that the products you’re going to buy include the word “vegan” on it to make sure. If you’re too tired to go outside, you can just make one at home using off-the-shelf ingredients!
So the next time you want to dress that mouth-watering salad of yours, you will be ensured that what you use is 100% vegan!