Dijonnaise substitute

Best substitute

Mayonnaise plus Dijon mustard

3 parts mayonnaise to 1 part Dijon, giving a 1:1 replacement for Dijonnaise

Best for sandwiches and wraps

Close match

Three tablespoons of mayonnaise whisked with one tablespoon of smooth Dijon mustard makes a quarter cup of finished spread.

Other dijonnaise substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Mayonnaise plus yellow mustard
Different taste
3 parts mayonnaise to 1 part yellow mustard
Standard American yellow mustard stirred into mayonnaise, the version most kitchens can make without a special trip.
What changes
Best for
burgers and hot dogs, ham sandwiches, coleslaw, macaroni and potato salad, children's lunches
What changes: yellow mustard is milder in heat but much brighter in acidity, with turmeric doing most of the colour and flavour work, so the spread comes out yellower, sweeter and tangier. A ham sandwich made with it tastes like a diner sandwich rather than a bistro one, which is fine, just different. Because yellow mustard is thinner than Dijon, the mixture is looser, so use a touch less if you are spreading it on soft bread.
3Mayonnaise plus whole-grain mustard
Different texture
3 parts mayonnaise to 1 part whole-grain mustard
Coarse-grain mustard stirred into mayonnaise, keeping the seeds whole.
What changes
Best for
roast beef and pork sandwiches, pretzel and sausage dipping, potato salad, salmon
Flavourwise this is very close to the Dijon version, since whole-grain mustard is usually the same mustard seed in a coarser grind. What changes is entirely texture: the seeds pop between your teeth and the spread looks speckled rather than smooth. That is a bonus on a roast beef sandwich and a problem in a smooth salad dressing or anywhere a child will notice the bits. If you need it smooth, blitz it briefly with a stick blender.
4Aioli or garlic mayonnaise plus Dijon
Different taste
3 parts aioli to 1 part Dijon
The same build using a garlic mayonnaise as the base.
What changes
Best for
steak sandwiches, grilled chicken, burgers, roasted vegetable dipping
What changes: the garlic is loud and it stays with you, so this is richer and more assertive than plain Dijonnaise. It is very good on grilled meat and too much on a delicate turkey and lettuce sandwich. Because aioli is often thicker and more emulsified than jarred mayonnaise, the spread sits up more and does not soak into bread as fast, which is genuinely useful in a packed lunch.
5Greek yogurt plus Dijon mustard
Taste and texture differ
3 parts Greek yogurt to 1 part Dijon
Thick plain Greek yogurt stirred with Dijon, for a lighter, lower-fat spread.
What changes
Best for
salad dressings, slaws, chicken salad, cold vegetable dips, lighter sandwiches
What changes: yogurt brings a clean lactic tartness in place of the round oiliness of mayonnaise, so the result tastes noticeably sharper, thinner and less indulgent, and it does not coat bread the same way. Two important limits: it will thin out and weep if it sits on a sandwich for hours, and it will split and go grainy if you heat it, so keep it away from anything hot. A teaspoon of olive oil per quarter cup puts back some of the richness.
6Plain Dijon mustard on its own
Taste and texture differ
Use about half as much
The least-bad answer when you have Dijon but no mayonnaise, yogurt or oil of any kind.
What changes
Best for
ham and cheese sandwiches, sausages, pairing with an already rich filling
This is honestly not a substitute so much as a different condiment, and it is worth saying so. Dijon alone is three or four times as sharp, has none of the creaminess and does not moisten bread, so a sandwich made with it can taste dry and aggressive. Halve the amount and it works, especially if the filling is fatty enough to do the mayonnaise's job for it, such as cheddar, salami or roast pork. On a lean chicken sandwich it will taste bare.

What is Dijonnaise?

Dijonnaise is Dijonnaise is a ready-made creamy sandwich spread that is simply mayonnaise blended with Dijon mustard, sold in bottles under names like Hellmann's Dijonnaise and known generically as mustard mayo.

Cooking tips

Three to one, mayonnaise to Dijon, is the ratio worth memorising, but treat it as a starting point rather than a rule. The strength of Dijon varies a lot between brands, so taste after mixing and add mustard a quarter teaspoon at a time. Once it is too sharp the only fix is more mayonnaise, which means you end up with more spread than you wanted.
Add the mustard to the mayonnaise, not the mayonnaise to the mustard. Starting from the thicker, larger volume keeps the emulsion smooth and stops you overshooting on mustard, which is the mistake almost everyone makes the first time.
Do not salt it before tasting. Mayonnaise and Dijon are both already salted, and a homemade batch usually needs nothing at all. If it tastes flat rather than salty, what it wants is a squeeze of lemon or a drop of vinegar, not more salt.
Keep it away from heat. Both the mayonnaise version and the yogurt version will separate if you cook them, so if you want a mustard cream sauce for a pan of chicken, use Dijon plus cream or creme fraiche instead and stir the mustard in off the heat at the very end.
A batch made from mayonnaise and Dijon keeps about a week in a sealed jar in the refrigerator, no longer than whichever of your two ingredients expires first. It is worth making only a quarter cup at a time, because it takes twenty seconds and fresh tastes better than day-five.

Frequently asked questions

What is the exact ratio for homemade Dijonnaise?

Three parts mayonnaise to one part Dijon mustard by volume, so three tablespoons mayonnaise to one tablespoon Dijon makes a quarter cup. That lands close to the bottled product. Four to one is noticeably milder and creamier, and two to one is properly sharp and good on rich meats. There is no reason to be precise about it, since the whole point is that you can adjust it to your own taste in a way the bottle cannot.

Can I just leave it out?

On a sandwich, leaving it out entirely usually makes the whole thing taste dry, because the spread is doing two jobs at once: moisture and tang. If you have no mustard, plain mayonnaise plus a squeeze of lemon covers most of it. If you have no mayonnaise, Dijon thinned with a little olive oil works. In a potato or egg salad you cannot really skip it, since the dressing is structural, but you can swap the whole thing for a vinaigrette and get a perfectly good, different salad.

Is Dijonnaise the same as honey mustard?

No. Honey mustard is mustard sweetened with honey, sometimes with a little mayonnaise, and it tastes distinctly sweet. Dijonnaise is not sweet at all, it is creamy and tangy. If you only have honey mustard and need Dijonnaise, stir a tablespoon of it into three tablespoons of mayonnaise and accept that the result will still be sweeter than the real thing, which is fine on chicken and odd on roast beef.

Can I use Dijonnaise in potato salad or coleslaw?

Yes, and it is one of the better uses for it. It is already mayonnaise and mustard, which is the backbone of most creamy potato salad dressings, so you can use it as a straight replacement for both and then adjust with vinegar, salt and pepper. For coleslaw, thin it with a tablespoon of vinegar or pickle brine per half cup so it coats the cabbage rather than clumping.

Is there a dairy-free or egg-free version?

Yes. Any vegan mayonnaise substitutes directly for the mayonnaise in the three-to-one build, and most Dijon mustards contain only mustard seed, vinegar, water, salt and wine, so the finished spread is vegan. Vegan mayonnaise is often slightly sweeter and looser than the egg version, so start with a four-to-one ratio and add mustard until it tastes right.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Dijonnaise substitute

Other dijonnaise substitutes

2Mayonnaise plus yellow mustard

3Mayonnaise plus whole-grain mustard

4Aioli or garlic mayonnaise plus Dijon

5Greek yogurt plus Dijon mustard

6Plain Dijon mustard on its own