Best Spicy Aioli Sauce Recipe

Name: Best Spicy Aioli Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1 garlic clove, grated; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons hot sauce; 2 teaspoons tablespoon lemon juice; 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste; Chives, diced, for serving

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It’s my favorite spicy, all-purpose dipping sauce and drizzle. This Spicy Aioli Sauce is perfect for sandwich spreads, dipping fried shrimp and drizzling over stuffed potato skins.

finished recipe served in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon and garnished with diced chives.

Sauces make everything better. It's their whole job. We've already talked about fresh ginger scallion sauce, parmesan cream sauce and salmon patty sauce, just to name a few. This spicy garlic aioli takes its place on that all star roster of sauces.

What you’ll need to make this recipe:

Ingredients for recipe laid out on a table and labeled

Before we get to the step by step directions, a notes about the ingredients:

Ground cayenne or peri-peri: you have multiple options for creating spice in your spicy aioli. Ground spices like cayenne or piri-piri are convenient and easy to access. The recipe supplements ground spice with a hot sauce of your choice. Tabasco, Sriracha, Texas Pete, Louisiana Hot Sauce, Cholula, Sambal or Chili Crisp are all good options.

Garlic: I love grated fresh garlic in this sauce. Substitute ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, if needed.

Step by step instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove. Finally, taste and adjust seasoning.

mixing mayo with hot sauce and spices in a bowl

2. Serve with your favorite dishes

Serve as a sandwich spread on blackened grouper, a dip for seafood stuffed potatoes, or with crispy southern fried shrimp.

spicy aioli sauce in a small bowl in a basket of fried shrimp. One shrimp dipped in sauce.

Looking for more easy sauce recipes?

FAQ’s and Variations:

Can I use vegan mayo in this spicy mayo recipe?

Absolutely. This is one of those easy recipes that takes really well to modifications, so feel free to sub your favorite vegan mayo here.

Can I substitute garlic powder for fresh garlic?

You sure can - this will produce a very smooth sauce for the spicy condiment. Start with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder (NOT garlic salt) and after resting the garlicky sauce for 15 minutes, taste and add more, if needed.

Can I use regular mustard instead of Dijon?

In addition to a little acid, Dijon mustard adds a hint of spice - a faint whisper of horseradish - to the the creamy sauce. If you don't have any Dijon, you can add a teaspoon or two of yellow mustard, or just skip the mustard and add a bit more acid.

What kind of hot sauce should I add to give this sauce a spicy kick?

I'm so glad you asked...please keep reading for a number of variations, depending on the spice level you're looking to achieve.

Variations
Sriracha aioli sauce recipe: sriracha sauce has become as popular in the US as most home-grown hot sauces. Sometimes called "rooster sauce" for the company logo, sriracha is manufactured by Huy Fong Foods and famously packaged in clear plastic bottles with a bright green squeeze cap. The flavor profile is spicy from chiles, but has also offers balancing bright flavors from vinegar and savory notes from garlic. Add fresh lime juice in place of lemon juice and use your sriracha lime aioli to dress up baked salmon sushi or crispy rice spicy tuna. It's also a great condiment for dipping shrimp wontons or good old french fries.

Chipotle aioli sauce recipe: Chipotle peppers are fire roasted jalapenos, so they bring a warm heat and a lovely smoky flavor to this popular sauce. Chipotle aioli brings amazing flavor to shrimp or fish tacos, tostadas, empanadas, french fries, and anything else it touches.

Sambal oelek aioli sauce: I like to think of sambal as sriracha's chunky little cousin. Sambal is a chili paste condiment that has more savory notes and a bit more acid than sriracha. It will produce a thicker Asian aioli style sauce, but full of intense flavor. And if you're looking for a smoother sauce, use your immersion blender or food processor for a few seconds and a smooth sauce you shall have.

Tabasco / Texas Pete / Louisiana Hot Sauce: I am not implying that all of these sauces taste the same...just that they have a similar flavor profile and texture. This is my go-to category of hot sauce for everyday spicy aioli. Balances perfectly with the garlic, lemon and Dijon mustard, and tastes sublime as a sauce for crab cakes, salmon patties and grouper sandwiches. Even better as a great dipping sauce for fries, onion rings or tater tots. And I suppose you could also use it as a dipping sauce for veggies. When all the tater tots are gone.

Is aioli the same as garlic mayonnaise?

Although aioli and mayonnaise are both creamy sauces, aioli is a seasoned mayonnaise mixture that usually adds seasoning and spices to regular mayonnaise.

How to store spicy aioli sauce?

To store aioli, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Keep refrigerated and use within for 7-10 days.