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What is Miracle Whip®?
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Miracle Whip® is a condiment manufactured by Kraft Foods. It can be used both as a salad dressing and a sandwich spread, like its closely related cousin, mayonnaise. The two foods are closely related enough to be topics of acrimony, as many people have a strong preference for one or the other. The condiment is typically available at large markets, and Kraft offers a number of packaging options including squeeze bottles for cooks in a hurry.
According to some accounts, the history of Miracle Whip® begins in 1931, when a man named Max Crosset developed a salad dressing he called "Mac Crosset's X-tra Fine Salad Dressing" in Salem, Illinois. Crosset used the dressing in his eponymous cafe, later selling it to Kraft Foods. The company disputes this, however, claiming that the recipe was developed in-house. Kraft introduced the condiment to the general public in 1933, at the Chicago World's Fair, where the company constructed a complete sterile kitchen enclosed in glass so that visitors to the fair could watch how it was made.
Kraft claims that this condiment is named for the machine that was developed to mass produce it. Like mayonnaise, Miracle Whip® is an emulsion of eggs, oil, and sugars, but it is somewhat tricky to blend the emulsion to the desired consistency. An enterprising engineer developed a machine that could blend the ingredients properly, dubbing it the "Miracle Whip," and the name apparently caught on with management.
This product has a naturally sweet flavor, which is noticeable if tasted side-by-side with mayonnaise. It is often used as a replacement for the other spread, because it is much lower in fat than traditional mayonnaise. Miracle Whip® can be spread on sandwiches, blended into salad dressings, mixed with other ingredients to create a dip, and used in a variety of other ways, depending on personal taste.
Many people have an opinion on the Miracle Whip® vs. mayonnaise debate. Often, individuals grow up in a household that eats one or the other, acquiring a fondness that is hard to break. The two products are in fact different, so it is perhaps not surprising that people sometimes express a strong preference for one over the other.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
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![Miracle Whip, which has the consistency of mayonnaise, is a sweet condiment for salads and sandwiches.]()
By: angelo.giMiracle Whip, which has the consistency of mayonnaise, is a sweet condiment for salads and sandwiches. -
![Some people prefer Miracle Whip over mayonnaise when making a sandwich.]()
By: sumnersgraphicsincSome people prefer Miracle Whip over mayonnaise when making a sandwich. -
![A dollop of Miracle Whip® can enhance a nutritious salad that's made with fresh greens and grilled chicken breast.]()
By: marrakeshhA dollop of Miracle Whip® can enhance a nutritious salad that's made with fresh greens and grilled chicken breast.
Discussion Comments
I grew up on Miracle Whip. I didn't know mayo was an option until I lived in Sweden where Miracle Whip did not exist. Mayo is so much better and more natural! Long live mayo!
It's a matter of taste preference, not which one is better.
Although I am not especially fond of Miracle Whip (I don't hate it but I won't seek it out either), the way we use mayo in the US is kind of strange considering its roots.The emulsion was first made by french chefs as a means to create a quick and easy base for sauces. It is a delivery system for other flavors. To use it as we do, just plain, would have made those chefs give us funny looks.
That said, I like mayo plain and more often than not use it that way. I agree with the person above who said people often use way too much of it though. I hate biting into a sandwich with too much mayo and having the fixings shoot out the other end.
Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip are two distinct products. The flavor of Miracle Whip changes the character of sandwiches and recipes that call for mayonnaise. Some people claim they can't tell the difference, and some people will hand you Miracle Whip when you ask for mayonnaise. My wife grew up in a Miracle Whip family and I'm from a mayonnaise background. We keep both products in the refrigerator and stay out of each other's jars!
I am 43 and I grew up on Miracle Whip. The five kids in our family loved it and my Mom used it for tuna fish sandwiches, potato salad,etc. for us. But she grew up eating mayo, and loved mayo. She had her own jar for her sandwiches and we never (yuck) touched the stuff.
Well I've never had Miracle Whip, but I'm not too sure I'd like sugar or an abomination from God on a sandwich. Maybe I'll stick to mayo.
my favorite thing is people say you can only use mayo or only use miracle whip when making egg salad. Hello! mayo/miracle whip is made out of eggs. So basically, you could make your own home made egg salad fresh with no preservatives by not using mayo/mw. Just add your own spices/oil/lemon to eggs and there you go. plus everyone knows that to make the best egg salad you have to use a little mustard.
I have two words for mayonnaise: Incredibly boring. In fact, in restaurants, I ask for no mayo on any of my sandwiches. It's tasteless and messy as they end up putting far too much on the sandwich.
I am a Miracle Whip man, and always will be.
People will eat the darnedest things, and swear they are delicious! You can become accustomed to a product and it tastes good to you. However, you must know that Miracle Whip is one of the most disgusting, wretchedly awful concoctions ever foisted on the food industry. Mayo has dignity, reserve and class. Kraft or Best Foods are just about equal.
I love #12's comment, you don't put sugar on a sandwich! LOL, that is hilarious.
Tell that to the millions of people in the world who regularly put ketchup on everything! (or relish for that matter!)
I use both as they do have taste differences and certain dips specifically call for mayo not Miracle Whip/salad dressing.
But on a sandwich, and in things like egg salad, tuna salad etc., it adds much more zip than your average mayo. I don't even need to add salt and pepper.
The best egg salad my Dad used to make when we were kids had hard-boiled egg, shredded cheddar cheese, finely chopped tomato and Miracle Whip! I have made this sandwich for many who do not even like egg salad, and they have changed their minds about it.
But I make a mean hot artichoke and crab dip that would (and does) taste disgusting when made with miracle whip instead of mayo. My fiance did not know the difference between the two, loved my dip an decided to make some himself. Oops, used Mwhip. Super nasty! We had to throw it out. He now understands the difference in a recipe that calls for mayo or one that calls for salad dressing!
There is no need to hate on either one as they both have their place and taste great!
I don't know what the disdain for Miracle Whip is all about. Do you not eat salad dressing? Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip are very similar, but it seems since Miracle Whip is lower in fat, it might in fact be healthier. When using Mayo in salads, I always add some lemon juice and a little sugar anyway. Geez.
You don't put sugar on a sandwich.
Only time something mayo or miracle whippish comes near these lips is in a proper egg salad sandwich. Mayo is the only way for egg salad. If it weren't for eggs, you could take it all to the landfill for all I care.
It's funny, I grew up in an all-mayo house, but now the only mayo I like is the light mayo at subway.
I think mayo tastes kind of, well, eggy. Which isn't surprising since it's made from eggs, but I don't enjoy the taste of eggs on my sandwiches.
I use miracle whip all the time now.
well to answer that one by the words of my father and I will make this brief. One day as a child I was acting up and my father got out the whip and spanked me and I stopped acting up. my mother looked at my father and said wow that a miracle our sons being good. so I believe that is what a miracle whip is.
I use 1/2 MW and 1/2 Hellmann's Real, and i love the mix of the two rather than one or the other.
How disappointed I am at the prospect of changing the recipe to something that should represent Miracle Whip. Looser! Now I have to substitute other brands to try to live up to what I have expected from you over the years. Greatly Grieved
Try them both. Eat the one you like. No commercial or advertising with sexual overtones will make either taste better. Though I was thinking of some abstract uses myself? Bon Appetit.
Colbert made a hipster Miracle Whip commercial. Apparently, he can't handle us at Miracle Whip because he thinks we cause too much mayo-ham. So which side are you on, mayo or Miracle Whip?
I love miracle whip. my mom used it for as long as i can remember. I'm 74. when we moved to florida we were expecting some of my husbands relatives so i cooked all kinds of salads using miracle whip. Well, guess what, no one, i mean no one came. So, here i was with all kinds of salad. My neighbors were on vacation for two weeks and due home the next day, so i took over some of everything. Now, they used only mayo until they tasted my salads and couldn't believe i used miracle whip. Thanks kraft. If i use mayo maybe once or twice a year i make my own. So i know i've been eating miracle whip since i've been eating salads and sandwiches.
Miracle Whip is simply a sweet mayonnaise. It's not some kind of SupersizeAmerica plot. It's been around since the 30s. No better or worse than Hellmans, just different.
I find it indispensable for dressings (say, Russian or gorgonzola) where home-made mayonnaise is too distinctive. I even prefer it to my own for thousand island.
Shorter version: Miracle Whip is an abomination against God and man.
I suppose I grew up in a mayonnaise family because I definitely lean towards mayo instead of miracle whip. Miracle Whip is much too sweet on a sandwich. Mayo's definitely the way to go! Taste-wise anyway. I hadn't realized that Miracle Whip had less Calories....12 less Calories per teaspoon to be exact (37 versus 49 Cals per Tbsp)...oh well!
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