Not all condiments are created equal — here are the best and worst ones for you

Lydia Ramsey/Business Insider

Ranch vs. Ketchup: It can sometimes be a tough call picking the right condiments to top your fries or burger.

But which one will get you the most nutrition relative to the number of calories and fat it contains? We sought to find out what condiment ranked the best.

To compile this ranking, we tried to assess condiments you'd commonly find on the tables of a restaurant (not including salt, pepper, butter — more along the sauce variety), so apologies if your go-to is left off the list. And to keep things comparable, we looked at everything in increments of one tablespoon (though, for some condiments that may be way too much or not even close to enough). We also went off the USDA's nutrition facts, unless a brand name was clearly identified, so there may be some variability between products.

Check out where your favorites ended up. 

No. 12. Mayonnaise

You knew this creamy, fat-filled goodness made out of egg yolks and oil couldn't go far up on the list. With 10 grams of fat, mayonnaise isn't the best choice of condiments. 

Calories per tablespoon: 94

No. 11. Ranch

As tempting as it may be to dip your veggies (or fried cheese curds) in ranch, it just barely does better than its cousin, mayonnaise. At 8 grams of fat per tablespoon, you may be better off skipping the dip. 

Calories per tablespoon: 73

No. 10. Tartar sauce

The classic seafood condiment tartar sauce continues the trend that creamy sauces belong towards the bottom of the list. But, it has less than half the calories per tablespoon as ranch and a quarter the fat content of mayonnaise. 

Calories per tablespoon: 31