I make so many foods from scratch, but some condiments are not practical for me to make at home. In general, I check ingredients, especially with foods I know are suspect. But things that I use in small amounts on rare occasions? It’s easy to forget, especially if they seem like they should be clean.
But imagine my shock when I discovered caramel color, corn syrup, and other junk in condiments I figured would be “clean.” Perhaps I’m naive, but I never would have expected that!
So learn from my mistakes and check the ingredients in your condiments!
Five Basic Condiments with Sneaky Junk Ingredients
1. Worcestershire Sauce
This one caught me off-guard. Some brands of Worcestershire sauce contain things like caramel color, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, high fructose corn syrup, xanthan gum, and polysorbate 80. Yes, it has a very complex flavor, but that complexity should be coming from fermentation (which should be a natural preservative). Why add so many strange ingredients?
I don’t use Worcestershire sauce often and I don’t use much when I do, but I still don’t want to be eating unnecessary junk in otherwise healthy foods (like my healthy burger sauce).
Best grocery store option: I’ve come to like the Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce. It still has “natural flavorings,” which is not my favorite, but the other ingredients are much better than any other brand I’ve seen in stores.
2. Soy Sauce
Forgive my ignorance, but I thought soy sauce would just be water, soybeans, wheat, and salt. Apparently not! I’ve seen sugar, caramel color, hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, and potassium sorbate on ingredient labels for various brands.
Best grocery store options: Look for a traditionally brewed soy sauce, like Kikkoman. Some store brands are also okay! Kroger’s store brand used to be full of junk (while the Simple Truth Organic was fine), but when I checked recently, they had cleaned up their ingredients significantly. Just check and double check each time you buy!
3. Hot Sauce
Hot sauce should be some variation of cayenne (or other hot) peppers, distilled vinegar or water (if fermented), and salt, perhaps with some additional seasonings. So why do some brands have things like xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and yeast extract (another name for MSG)? Those aren’t necessary for hot sauce!
Best grocery store options: Frank’s RedHot Original has all the ingredients you’d expect and none that you wouldn’t. Same with Tabasco. There are other good options out there, but there are also some rather junky options.
4. Mayonnaise
If you’re avoiding seed oils, you know that normal mayonnaise is not a good option. However, I’ve noticed that a lot of “olive oil mayonnaise” and even “avocado oil mayonnaise” has seed oils in addition to olive or avocado oil. Sometimes soybean oil or another seed oil is listed before olive/avocado oil on the ingredients label! If you’re buying mayonnaise instead of making it, check the label carefully.
Best grocery store options: Chosen Foods and Primal Kitchen are both good brands that make their mayo with only avocado oil, no seed oils! And while I don’t eat much mayo, it’s one I’ve also heard is very easy to make.
5. Nut Butters
Did you know that you can make nut butter with just dry roasted nuts (and some salt)? You don’t need anything else! Unfortunately, many brands, even ones that claim to be natural or are otherwise “greenwashed,” contain added sugars (in various forms) and/or seed oils. That’s not necessary!
Best grocery store option: If you don’t plan to make your own peanut butter, Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter is made with only peanuts. SunButter Sunflower Butter (No Sugar Added) is a non-peanut option. Almond butter, unfortunately, is a bit trickier. Kroger’s Simple Truth Creamy No Sugar Added Almond Butter is the only one at my grocery store, but 365 by Whole Foods Market is also a good almond-only option.
What common or basic condiments have surprised you with junky ingredients? What are your favorite alternatives?
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