Easy British-Style Salad Cream

If you're a fan of Heinz Salad Cream, chances are it's become harder to find in the US. When I couldn't find it at my usual local stores, I resorted to ordering a bottle online. However, my real reason for wanting a bottle of Heinz Salad Cream wasn't to add it to my salad. Rather, I wanted to try to make something comparable at home.

It's been years since I last tasted Heinz Salad Cream, but I vividly remember its almost artificial yet distinctive taste. When my package arrived, and I took a taste, that exact flavor memory was there.

In a blind taste test, I could instantly pick out the real Heinz by its iconic flavor. However, the harshness of spirit vinegar was also present, as was a somewhat elevated sweetness. I wondered if I could do better.

I started by looking online for existing homemade recipes. When I compared the ingredients to those on the back of the Heinz bottle, I noticed that none of them matched the listed ingredients. In fact, most appeared to be slightly altered mayonnaise recipes. Therefore, I decided to reverse-engineer the actual formula from the ground up.

The ultimate tester was my husband, affectionately dubbed the Master Taste Tester, who is originally from the UK. After several attempts, he compared Heinz with my homemade version on fresh lettuce wedges. His conclusion? He actually preferred the homemade version over Heinz!

Quick Look at the Recipe

• Ready in: Under 40 minutes, including 30 minutes in the refrigerator for the flavors to blend.
• Special equipment: Immersion blender
• Special ingredient: Pasteurized egg yolks
• Difficulty: Easy
• Make-ahead friendly: Yes - keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks

Jump to:

• Quick Look at the Recipe
• The 1914 Culinary Heritage: Why Cornstarch Mattered
• PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen - Recipe Evolution
• Ingredients - Here's What I Ultimately Used
• Making the British-Style Salad Cream
• In Case You're Wondering
• Other British Inspired Recipes
• Recipe

The 1914 Culinary Heritage: Why Cornstarch Mattered

To truly understand authentic British Salad Cream, one needs to look at when it was born. Heinz introduced the condiment in 1914. At that time, commercial mayonnaise wasn't the household staple it is today.

Because of this era in food science, the original formulation didn't rely on a standard oil-and-egg yolk emulsion to achieve its body. Instead, utilized a cooked cornstarch (cornflour if you're in the UK) gel as the primary thickner and stabilizer.

This historical technique turned out to be the secret to the recipe. Using a cooked starch base is the only way to capture that uniquely glossy, perfectly pourable "ribbon stage" that sets true salad cream apart from mayonnaise.

PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen - Recipe Evolution

I started with the listing of ingredients on the back of the Heinz bottle:

With my first batch, I used water, spirit vinegar, Canola oil in place of the Rapeseed oil, granulated sugar, cornstarch (the same as the UK's cornflour), mustard powder, pasteurized egg yolks, and fine sea salt.

For the emulsion, I used the technique likely used in the early 1900's - creating a gel by heating water and cornstarch, but I then switched to a modern technique of using an immersion blender.

The three main problems with this first batch were (1) the spirit vinegar produced too strong a taste, (2) the color was not right, and (3) it was too thin. I easily fixed the color problem by adding a small amount of turmeric.

For the second batch, I substituted apple cider vinegar for the spirit vinegar and reduced the amount by a tablespoon. In addition, I increase the amount of cornstarch by ½ teaspoon to address the thinness of the first batch.

With the addition of turmeric to the first batch, changing the vinegar and reducing the amount, and increasing the cornstarch, I produced a delicious British-Style Salad Cream.

Ingredients - Here's What I Ultimately Used

With the substitutions indicated above, here is what I ultimately used.

Making the British-Style Salad Cream

1. Pasteurized Eggs: I started by pasteurizing eggs. This was necessary because the salad cream used raw egg yolks, and I was unable to find pasteurized eggs locally. I had previously pasteurized eggs via Sous Vide, and used that technique in this experiment. As an aside, I went ahead and pasteurized six eggs even though I only needed two.

2. Cornstarch Slurry: To make the cornstarch slurry, I started by whisking the water and cornstarch together in a small saucier. I heated it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickened into a translucent gel. This took about 2 minutes. I removed the pan from the stovetop and allowed the gel to cool completely to room temperature.

3. Base Ingredients: In a 12-ounce wide-mouth Mason jar, I combined the cooled slurry, 2 pasteurized egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of dry mustard powder, ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric. I blended the ingredients briefly using an immersion blender until smooth and uniform.

4. Emulsify with Oil: With the immersion blender running, I added the Canola oil in a very thin, steady stream. The cornstarch gel had already begun to thicken the mixture - the emulsification with oil, completes the thickening.

5. Vinegar: With the immersion blender still running, I streamed in 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Because of the first batch's sharpness, I didn't want to overdo it with vinegar. The vinegar slightly thinned the salad cream and lightened its color. At this point, I tasted the salad cream and also let the Master Taster taste it to see if it needed any more vinegar or sugar. We both thought it was fine.

6. Rest and Store: I put the lid on the mason jar and refrigerated it for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mellow and the consistency to firm slightly.

The ultimate test? The Master Taste Tester, a lifelong Salad Cream enthusiast who grew up in the UK, preferred the homemade version to the Heinz in a direct side-by-side comparison on lettuce wedges.

I my book - that's a win! Yum!

In Case You're Wondering

Other British Inspired Recipes

The Master Taste Tester is from England - here are some of his favorites!

Recipe