These Condiment Taste Test Winners Were A Total Surprise

In my never-ending quest to find you the best products at the best prices, I’ve shared a couple of product comparison posts this year that ended up surprising me, both in terms of the results and the enthusiastic responses they got from readers! (If you missed them, check out my Toilet Paper Showdown and my Paper Towel Showdown.)

I’ve been looking forward to doing more comparisons, but I wasn’t sure which one to do next. Then a couple of weeks ago, I had a stroke of inspiration: I should compare condiments.

Just like with my two previous head-to-head product evaluations, I started out with my own opinions and expectations based on the condiments I usually buy. The results of the side-by-side taste tests I performed (with the aid of the OGT Team to gather additional input) proved equally surprising this time around!

The OGT Condiment Showdown

For each category of condiments, we performed a blind side-by-side taste test of all the contenders. We used French fries and mini corn dogs as our food medium in each test.

Category #1 – Mayonnaise

The Contenders:

• Best Foods
• Kraft
• Duke’s
• Miracle Whip

The Winner: Kraft Mayonnaise

I know — I’m as surprised as you are! I went into this category expecting my old mainstay (Best Foods) to emerge victorious, but I ultimately thought that the Kraft brand mayo had a better balance of creaminess and flavor. (Of course, nothing beats homemade mayonnaise for flavor!)

I’d heard so many great things about Duke’s that I expected to like it more, and while it was very creamy, it didn’t have much to offer flavor-wise. And I gamely gave Miracle Whip a chance since Dave loves the stuff, but I just don’t love the flavor or tanginess (though I know a lot of people do!)

Category #2 – Ketchup

The Contenders:

• Heinz
• Hunt’s
• Kroger

The Winner: Kroger Ketchup

My preference has always been Heinz, but I ended up preferring the Kroger brand ketchup to my own surprise. It’s just a tiny bit sweeter than the Heinz brand, which I found very enjoyable.

The Hunt’s ketchup was much more acidic than either Heinz or Kroger, which I did not like.

Category #3 – Mustard

The Contenders:

• French’s
• Heinz
• Kroger

The Winner: Kroger Mustard

I’ve always bought French’s in the past, but the texture of the Kroger brand mustard ended up being the deciding factor in this matchup. The Kroger mustard was acidic without being abrasive, and had the smoothest texture of the three — both French’s and Heinz were almost gritty by comparison.

Which Condiments Emerged Victorious?

Best Mayonnaise: Kraft Mayonnaise

Best Ketchup: Kroger Ketchup

Best Mustard: Kroger Mustard

Kroger came to play in these matchups, and that’s music to my ears given that store brand products tend to be less expensive than their name brand counterparts. I bought my Kroger brand products at the Smith’s in town, but you can also find Kroger products at Fry’s, City Market, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, and King Soopers. (Learn more at the Kroger website.)

Related: 17 Store Brand Products That People Actually Swear By

The Takeaway

We all have unique tastes and preferences, so your mileage with these results may vary. If anything, I hope reading about our condiment showdown inspires you to do an evaluation of your own!

These taste tests really showed me the value in comparing things side by side and being open to new possibilities. After all, you never know what you’ll like until you actually try it!

If you do your own taste tests, be sure to let me know which condiments you liked best!

What are your favorite condiment brands?