Mayonnaise vs White Sauce: Difference and Comparison

India is famous for its Indian Cuisine. But over time, Indians are fond of other cuisines of the world. Derived from French Cuisine, Mayonnaise has made a place in every Indian’s heart.

People have also found a substitute for Mayonnaise that is White Sauce but they aren’t the same.

Key Takeaways

1. Mayonnaise is a cold, emulsified sauce made from egg yolks, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasonings, while white sauce (béchamel) is a hot, cooked sauce made from butter, flour, and milk seasoned with salt, pepper, and sometimes nutmeg.
2. White sauce is a versatile base for many other sauces and dishes, such as lasagna, macaroni and cheese, and creamy vegetable dishes.
3. Due to oil and egg yolk emulsification, Mayonnaise has a thicker, creamier texture. In contrast, the white sauce has a smoother, more velvety texture from the combination of butter, flour, and milk.

Mayonnaise vs White Sauce

Mayonnaise is a cold, emulsified sauce made by combining oil, egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasonings. It is a versatile sauce that can be used as a condiment or as a base. White sauce or béchamel sauce is a warm, milk-based sauce made by combining butter, flour, and milk. It is a thick, creamy sauce that can be used as a base for many dishes.

Mayonnaise, commonly known as Mayo, is a blend of egg yolk, oil, vinegar or lemon juice. It is an uncooked food ingredient that is commonly used as dressing on the dishes and helps to enhance the taste of the dishes.

It originated in France and now it is consumed all over the world. It is available in the market in different flavours and eggless versions.

White Sauce, originally called Bechamel Sauce, is derived from France. It is a basic sauce for French cuisine. It is mainly made by cooking flour, butter and milk.

To have a thick consistency, cheese can be used as an additional ingredient. It is used as a base sauce in cooking many dishes. Variations can be made in the sauce by adding preferred spices.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Mayonnaise	White Sauce
Preparation	Ready made and uncooked	Cooked
Ingredients Used	Egg yolk, oil, vinegar or lemon juice	Flour, butter, milk
Used As	Dressing	Base sauce
Used For	Salads, sandwiches	Pasta, lasagne
Shelf Life	2 months after opening the container in the refrigerator	5-6 days in the refrigerator
Variants	Many flavors	Few flavors as per spices you want to add

What is Mayonnaise?

Mayonnaise is an ingredient that is popularly consumed all over the world. It is a thick sauce that has a creamy texture and a mild sweet flavour. It is commonly used as a dressing or a side dip for food items.

It has gained popularity in recent years since the introduction of different cuisines. It has got a mini name, Mayo. It is made of oil, egg yolk. For the acid content, vinegar or lemon juice is added to it.

It is widely used as a side dip along with french fries or nachos. It is used in sandwiches, salads and other fast food items.

Over the years, new variants of mayonnaise have been made available in the market for customers.

Some of them are spicy mayo, lime mayo, barbeque mayo, pizza mayo, smoked lemon mayo, citrus and honey mayo, herb-based mayo honey mustard mayo, veg mayo for the burger, veg garlic mayo, veg tandoori mayo, veg green mint mayo, veg chilli mayo and many more.

For people who follow vegan diets or do not prefer to have eggs, eggless mayo is also introduced by the companies.

It is available in plastic jars and plastic pouches, which are non-breakable and reserve less space in kitchen cabinets. Once the pack is opened, it should be kept in the refrigerator.

It is rich in Vitamin E and Vitamin K. Average calorie count of mayonnaise is 680 calories per 100 grams.

What is White Sauce?

White Sauce is a basic mother sauce that originated from French cuisine. Its original name is Bechamel sauce. It is a cooked sauce which is used in many dishes, especially in pasta, lasagne. It is widely used to cook white sauce pasta.

The main ingredients used in this sauce are flour, butter and milk. It doesn’t have much variation to it so one can add some spices to the sauce. Cheese compliments well with this basic white sauce.

It has a smooth consistency and doesn’t have any strong or empowering taste. One can store this sauce in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days for later consumption.

In some countries, it is used as a chilled sauce with meat or seafood. It can be used to make vegetables or eggs creamy. It is also used as a cream for soups.

It is sold in bottles and plastic pouches packaging. Talking about calories, per 100grams of white sauce has an average of 105 calories. It is good for protein and calcium intake.

Main Differences Between Mayonnaise and White Sauce

1. Mayonnaise is a readymade and uncooked food which is used as a dressing or as a side dip. On the other hand, White sauce is a portion of cooked food that is incorporated within the dish.
2. The shelf life of Mayonnaise is around 2 months. White sauce on the other hand has a shelf life of approximately 5-6 days. But both the products need to be refrigerated. 
3. mayonnaise has many variants available in the market but if we talk about variants of white sauce, they are very few in comparison to mayonnaise.
4. Mayonnaise has a thick consistency in comparison to white sauce. 
5. Nutrient value in Mayonnaise is in the form of vitamin K and vitamin E. In the case of white sauce, nutrients are available in the form of protein and calcium.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/fsn3.1132
2. https://foodresearch.tabrizu.ac.ir/m/article_12613.html?lang=en

Last Updated : 24 July, 2023