The Specific Vinegar You Need For Delicious Homemade Kewpie Mayo

That iconic Kewpie baby logo heralds a condiment beloved by foodies from celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern to novice home cooks with penchants for umami flavor. We love it stirred into macaroni salad, potato salad, and even drizzled on top of Maine-style lobster rolls for fifth-taste flair. Of course, we could only be talking about Kewpie mayonnaise here. That distinctive taste and signature richer, creamier texture compared to regular mayonnaise is thanks to Kewpie's exclusive use of egg yolks (no egg whites allowed). But, what other key players in the ingredients lineup contribute to that tangy, slightly sweet, lush profile?

The Japanese mayo brand's proprietary blend is kept secret, but has been revealed to include some combination of apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar, among other ingredients. While some copycat recipes favor the apple cider vinegar, we think that classic Kewpie is known for its sweet-tangy taste, not notes of funkiness. So, when whipping up a batch of flavorful Kewpie mayo at home, the secret ingredient is none other than rice vinegar.

As its name might suggest, rice vinegar is made from a base of fermented rice. Since it's a byproduct of the natural sugars in rice fermenting, rice vinegar is milder, sweeter, and less sharp than other vinegar types like distilled white vinegar or harsher malt-based varieties. Our copycat Kewpie mayo recipe combines rice vinegar with sugar, salt, MSG, egg yolks, and vegetable oil. All it takes is one tablespoon of rice vinegar per batch for acidic power and subtly.

As with any copycat recipe, foodies have the disadvantage of not knowing exactly what ingredients and quantities to combine for a taste of the real deal. But, on the flip side, copycat recipes also allow foodies to customize their favorite condiments to their liking and make 'em their own. In our copycat Kewpie mayo recipe, a pinch of MSG is the crucial ingredient for packing major umami power alongside that sweet-acidic rice vinegar. But, other folks like to add other umami-rich ingredients into the mix like dashi powder.

If you've never worked with it before, dashi is a type of Japanese dried stock or broth. It comes in different varieties like kombu, awase, iriki, niboshi, and hoshi-shiitake, but is generally some combination of dried umami-forward ingredients ground into a powder. Bonito flakes, dried sea kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and dried sardines are common, and they can all take your Kewpie to bold new heights.

On the note of complex, dimensional flavor, curious foodies might also be wondering: What about seasoned versus unseasoned rice vinegar? Seasoned rice vinegar is typically flavored with MSG, sugar, or toasted sesame seeds, and either one will work in your mayo. But, if your batch also packs other multi-layered flavoring agents like dashi powder, maybe stick with the stripped-down unseasoned vinegar to avoid overcomplicating the profile.